Lake MacKenzie photo courtesy Kevin Gibbons via Flickr
The lakes of Fraser Island are one of its most popular attractions. Over 120km long, Fraser Island is home to an astonishing 100 or so lakes of varying size, depth, and creation. Sitting just off the southern coast of Queensland, Fraser Island is convenient to get to and a popular holiday spot.
Fraser Island was declared a World Heritage Site in 1992. At over 120km long, and 24km at its widest point, it’s the world’s largest island made completely of sand. The main attraction, of course, are the over 100 freshwater lakes that give Fraser Island the title of the second highest concentration of freshwater lakes in Australia. Lake McKenzie is the most popular lake on the island, sitting on a bed of compacted sand that’s almost pure silica. Though the lake covers 1.5 square km it only gets to 5m deep, meaning that the lake is a gorgeously clear blue the entire way across.
Lake Boomanjin is not only the biggest lake on Fraser Island, but also the biggest perched lake – which means it’s sitting on compacted sand – in the world. Tea trees surround the lake and the creeks which feed it have leeched tannins into the water, staining the lake a deep red. For aquatic life, visit Lake Wabby – which also happens to be the deepest lake on the island.
Whilst lakes are the prime attraction of Fraser Island, they’re not the only things worth seeing. 4WD tours of Fraser Island take visitors across white sandy beaches, including trips to the famous 75 Mile Beach, which runs down the entire east coast of the island. The multi-coloured sand cliffs of Rainbow Beach are also worth checking out. 4WD tours, such as this Eco Tour of Fraser Island, include a gourmet barbeque lunch.
If perched lakes and multi-coloured beaches aren’t enough, what about the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand? Rainforests, heaths and wetlands make up three distinct ecosystems on Fraser Island, making the island one of the most ecologically significant places in Australia. If all of the above can’t tempt you, Fraser Island has one last card up its sleeve in its local wildlife population. Dingoes, swamp wallabies, echidnas, sugar gliders, bandicoots and more can be spotted on land, and migrating whales, mud crabs and even dugongs can be found in and around the island’s waters.
- Lindsey Hodder
Fraser Island, the Island of 100 Lakes from Brisbane Things to Do
