Special Places for Photographers to Explore - Fraser Island

The largest sand island in the world, a remarkable and changing landscape with diversity in flora and fauna, Fraser Island, is a photographers delight to visit. Little wonder it has been World-heritage-listed!

Sweeping sandy beaches, pristine rainforests, arid sand blows, rusting shipwrecks, clear lakes and tidal pools are just some of the attractions to entice photographers onto this isle located
just off Queensland’s remarkable Fraser Coast.

Here are some of our favourite places to visit:

1. The jetty at Kingfisher Bay Resort at sunset
As the sun dips across the Great Sandy Strait this and baths the sky in either pastels of pinks and blues or rewards you with a stunning vibrant sunset there is an array of topics to photograph. Fisherman luring the last catch for the day, the wooden jetty jutting into the ocean, yachts bobbing just offshore and people enjoying the last of the day at the ambient lit jetty thatched roofed hut.

2. Pile Valley – the only place on earth where rainforest grows on sand! This wilderness area boasts towering Kauri trees, pretty ferns, a range of wildlife that call it home and don’t miss the creek itself!

3. The Wallum - Take a drive, eco tour or walk through the open heath lands where the wildflowers bursting into bloom provide a startling contrast to the ancient Yidney Scrub and wallum. While an island of sand may not at first conjure up thoughts of wildflowers, Fraser Island in bloom is truly a sight not to be missed. Best time to visit for wildflowers is in May.

4. Rainbow Gorge - A short walk off Seventy Five Mile Beach through a cypress forest are the amazing colour sands and sand formations of Rainbow Gorge. Almost an eerie lunar like landscape, the winds of millions of years have carves some wonderful patterns to capture creatively! There are many other sand blows on the island well worth exploring.

5. Cathedral Beach and the Maheno -The most famous of the wrecks on Fraser, the rusting hull of the Maheno lies onshore about 10kms from happy Valley. Washed up in 1935 during a cyclone the once well-known trans-Tasman liner was on route to a Japanese wrecking yard. Not far from the wreck is The Cathedrals - coloured sand cliffs again sculptured by the wind and rain.

And not to be missed is Fraser’s wildlife! From slithering carpet snakes to the huge mariners of the deep - humpback whales – Fraser’s is a nature lover’s haven. One our favourites is the whales which migrate each year from late July to early November – don’t forget a longer lens.
Top Tip:
Don’t have a 4Wd to explore Fraser Island? Then head on out on a Kingfisher Bay personalised Ranger-Guided Eco Tour. You can design your own or let you guide show you around. We’ve done one and they are really great. Find out more by visiting Kingfisher Bay Eco Tours

Pile Valley; Reeds;the Maheno; Kingfisher Bay Jetty