After dreaming of a getaway to far north Queensland, here’s details of Warren and Mara’s trip to K’Gari Island (formerly Fraser). These two Achtung Campervanners were unsure if their campervan would be suitable to drive there, but after talking to a couple of camping experts they gained the knowledge and confidence to go for it. And go for it they did, and with no regrets as they had a memorable and rewarding adventure.
Warren and Mara spoke to two professionals, Alex from 4Motion Adventures and Vic from Great Divide Tours, to gain further insight and confidence to take the leap.
Here’s their four-day K’Gari Island experience with a few worthy tips and suggestions.
Getting There (Warren’s words) 
We caught the ferry from Hervey Bay which takes you to the west side of the island. The problem I didn’t anticipate was having to drive from the west side to the east side, approximately a 20km trip over a narrow sand track. The first eight kilometres was quite difficult with vehicles coming the other way, including tourist buses.
There are sections that you can pull off the side but it involved a fair bit of reversing, and were often higher than the track so was quite difficult to get onto. It was the first time I had my van in any proper sand track.
If I did it now, I think I would be much more confident. Once through this section and across the island and onto the beach, it became a lot less sandy, and everything became a lot easier. There is an 80kph speed limit but I kept to 40 to 50kph.
Day Two
To get to the Champagne Pools you had to momentarily leave the safety of the hard sand to get around a headland which in hindsight was fine. We spent the day at Champagne Pools which was spectacular beyond words! You could hardly see the ocean for all the humpbacks jumping out of the water!
Day Three
The next day we spent the day a bit further south at Eli Creek. Stunning once again! There were a lot of foreign tourists and local Queenslanders who were all really friendly. They were all very well-natured and I’m sure if you got stuck you would have a conga-line of Landcruisers wanting to help you out.
Day Four
We got a bit more adventurous and had a go at the inland tracks. We went to Lake Mackenzie which is a 22 kilometre trip though beautiful Kouri Pine and Black-Butt forest over sandy track. The lake is pure rainwater, an amazing unique spot.
We decided to leave via the dreaded (by me at least) Inskip Point. In the end it was very easy to drive on the ferry and get off the ferry. You want to get there around low tide though. I think if you are crossing the island you would want to plan your trip to get to the ferry two hours before low tide. That would give you plenty of time to let your tire pressure down, wait for your turn on the ferry and get around to the east side of the island where everything is quite easy.
Where did you stay?
- First night: Eurong Resort.
- Second and third: Dundabara, just off the beach and has hot showers. It’s a beautiful camp enclosed in a dingo-proof fence which made Mara happy.
- Fourth night: Central Station. Very few campers here. We camped among tall Kauri pines and moss-covered logs. Again, with hot showers!
Tips for your 4Motion to Fraser Island 
- I have a 30mm lift kit which I was grateful for
- It would have been more comfortable if I had underbody protection
- Have recovery points on the front of the vehicle
- Have a tow bar (if I got stuck someone could pull me out backwards)
- I utilised Maxtrax, a shovel and a snatch strap
- Turn your Traction Control off or you will go NOWHERE!
- Turn off the function that stops your engine when you stop moving
- Come with a full tank of fuel
- You can get everything here, but you will pay an approximate 80 percent premium
- Inskip point has a car wash that sprays water to wash off any salt that got under your car
- It is very easy to plan your day to only be on the beach three hours each side of low tide
Highlights
- Spectacular scenery everywhere you look!
- You can camp directly on the beach in many areas
- Queensland Parks service has a great system for booking camping
- It was great to do something that is a bit of a challenge for myself and our amazing 4Motion Achtung Campervan
- We saw two other 4Motion vans there, a Crafter and one California Beach
Check out more Achtung Campers trips here!
