Fraser Island - Kingfisher Bay to Sandy Cape and back in one day - possible?

[Fozzy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fozzy]

This one is for the Fraser regulars or someone who's been on the island in recent times.

I'm going to be staying at Kingfisher Bay on Fraser next week for a couple of days and I'd really, really like to get as far north as possible. The kicker is that the high tide is in the middle of the day so I need to be parked by 10:00 am, 10:30 at the latest for example and then can't get moving south until 2:00 pm or so..

I'm happy to roll out the door as early as needs be but my question is how much time should I allow? I've heard it can be an hour trip across the island to the ocean beach at the best of times, then I have choke points like Eli Creek Yidney Rocks, Indian Head etc to negotiate. What sort of time would be reasonable to allow for the beach section under the current conditions, or am I being too ambitious this time round?

Appreciate any feedback.

Cheers,

Dave

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

Fozzy, it would be a big drive. We camped just north of Eli Creek last time and did the trip to the Sandy Cape, took us about 4-5 hours return with a quick stop at Indian Head and a walk to the Lighthouse at the north.

The time before that we stayed at Waddy Point and drove down to the southern end and if took a fair bit of time each day in traveling.

Like it has been mentioned its not impossible but would take a long time to get up and get back. I would agree with the suggestion of exploring the southern to middle of the island and then look at coming back another time and doing the north.

[Fozzy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fozzy]

Thanks for the feedback! Deep down I knew it would be a big ask, but that's why I asked for opinions. All the more reason to go back

Cheers

Dave

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Big ask Dave and the beach wasn't real good two weeks ago. Some parts very narrow, if low tide was in the middle of the day I wouod have said yes.

Hutch- Prado 2012 petrol with the TJM Catologue.

[gumboot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close gumboot]

Dave,
I would say it would be a little too far for a single day as it is a lot of driving, and you will want to get out at champagne pools, Indian head , stop somewhere for lunch etc, while working to the tides.
Cheers
Robert

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Kingfisher to waddy point camping area is smack on 3hours, that was back in march, and we hit the eastern beach smack on low tide so I would think that if the beaches are in the state they were then is probably a bit adventurous, if you stay there overnight yeah. Cheer samo

[Fozzy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fozzy]

Having returned with dignity almost intact I thought I'd do a report.

Following everyone's advice we decided to stick to the Southern end of the Island and had a fantastic time. I have to say the absolute WORST track in the many we drove is the back of Kingfisher Hill heading out from the resort. On the first day as we nosed out of the village and started to head up the hill we were cut off by a Mitsubishi Outlander with Mum, Dad and two kids on board, owned by Thrifty car rentals as it turned out.

Fair enough I thought, they're going up to take a look at the scenery from the top but nope, across the dingo grid and down the other side they went with no hesitation at all. They had barely travelled 100 metres when they bellied out on the second berm with one rear wheel way in the air. French tourists, Dad didn't speak a word of English, Mum had a reasonable grip of English.

There's no way around them so I have to do something to get them moving. Got a snatch strap? What's that? OK, what tyre pressures are you running? 250 kPa. WTF is that I thought but eventually worked out it was way too high anyway. With 5 people pushing we were getting no-where so out came my Maxtrax and a shovel. No good, one wheel is still way in the air and spinning happily with the others doing nothing at all..

By now we have three cars behind us and two downhill waiting to come up so after dropping his tyre pressures with the Stauns I carry down to 20 PSI I dragged out the winch cable (first time in anger, WOOHOO!) and hauled him off the ridge he was stuck on. I jammed the Maxtrax back under his wheels and told him (via his missus) to give it heaps to make sure he gets over this time and not to stop till he gets to the bottom. The little f#cker took off with maximum wheelspin and in the process wore the studs off a section of one Maxtrax, leaving lots of rubber behind, but he DID make it to the bottom of the hill.

The hill in question


Managed to get around him a little ways along and visited Lake McKenzie and Central Station, eventually reaching Eurong where we had a coffee before tooling up the beach as far as Happy Valley before retracing our steps back to the resort.

Lake Mc Kenzie


Poyungan Rocks


While we were parked on the beach at one point enjoying the view, a swarm of native bees decided that my canopy would most likely make a good hive. I had to disappoint them and prove that the maximum velocity of a native bee is well short of 60 kph as none were hanging on or keeping up by the time I got back to Eurong

Trigona Sp.

[Fozzy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fozzy]

Day two saw us heading North along the Northern Rd, aiming for a beach entry at K'Gari Camping area. The tour buses had headed out some 15 minutes or so before we did and too my chagrin had created a couple of really deep ruts down off the hill in very soft sand and before I knew it we were bellied out and going nowhere.

Mindfull of the traffic likely to build up I dug like the clappers and with the Maxtrax under OUR wheels this time, I slapped the Prado metaphorically on the ar$e and told wifey not to stop until the next pullout, while I dug the now-almost-completely invisible Maxtrax out and trudged along to where she had stoppped. It was amazing how they were driven into the sand so quickly.

Heading North through some very pretty country (and seeing a Dingo, which turned and bolted at the sight of us) we decided to take a track shown on the map as Eric's Shortcut. Let me tell you, ERIC HAS NOT BEEN ALONG HIS SHORTCUT IN A VERY LONG TIME. The track itself was in good nick, no ruts etc, just lots and lots of vegetation closing in from the side and growing in the crown of the road. As always in these situations (at least as they happen to me) there was nowhere to turn around and we just had to ignore the screech of the foliage down each side.

The scrub at one point was so heavy it ripped my GPS antenna off the silicon on top of the snorkle. Next time I'm staying on the main track. Just sayin.

Eric's Shortcut


Pulling up at the end of the track to clear the foliage off the car I saw that a couple of previous visitors had lost mudflaps and the dingos had tested their calorie content


Headed back to Kingfisher Bay with the obligatory stops at the Maheno and Eli Creek




Followed two of the tour buses back across the island which was great, those things stop for no man so there was no need to stop for any clueless tourist who couldn't grasp the idea that it was sometimes necessary to get off the track to let us past, the buses scared them all into compliance.

[Fozzy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fozzy]

Day three had us heading South along the Southern Rd, intending to stop off at all of the lakes on the way. I had printed out the latest NPWS conditions report but by this time it was floating around in the back somewhere so it was a surprise to get to Lake Birrabeen to find the road closed beyond because of inundation. The lake itself was way up, with a section of the walking track along the lake under 60cms of water.

We back-tracked to Eurong and raced the high tide down to Dilli Village where we turned North and visited Lake Boomanjin and encountered the other end of the closed section. As a result we cruised back home via Dillinghams Rd which was a real treat, the track itself was in great nick and the terrain varied from open Eucalypt to dense rainforest. We did not see another vehicle until we were almost back to Kingfisher Hill.

Dillinghams Rd


We checked out Ungowa, Wanggoolba Creek (Barge Landing) and the old McKenzie Jetty and Commando Training area. I've seen a photo before on here somewhere but the old tractor at McKenzie's jetty is amazing


McKenzies Jetty


At spots there was 40cms of water over the road which gave a little bit of variation and helped wash off the chassis


Can't wait to go back to do the Northern end!

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Great report Fozzy... another work junket was it??

[rob_macca67 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close rob_macca67]

WOW.... Some areas of Fraser that I hadn't seen b4..... some great pics too