A day on the beach

Words and Images by Danielle Lancaster

I awoke yesterday to grey skies and rain gently falling on the roof. Thankfully this did not spell doom and gloom for our day on the beach as by the time we manoeuvred the 4WD down (after a short stop in the Scribbly Gum forest) onto the beach clear skies were there to greet us.

Fraser Island’s Seventy File Beach has become a major drawcard for anglers, campers and four wheel drivers. Being a Sunday there were plenty of people throwing in lines, families relaxing along the pristine Eli Creek and plenty of four wheel drivers weaving their way back and forwards.

The beach itself is a designated road, as are all the tracks on Fraser so normal road rules apply. The only difference to this section of beach is you share the ‘road’ with planes which have right away.

The Pinnacles are most probably the best examples of coloured sands on the island. For those keen shutter bugs morning is the best time to visit while the sun still shines on their multi-coloured layers.

Our stop at the Maheno was perfectly timed. A landmark of the beach, its rusting hull seems to have everyone pulling out cameras. Thankfully we timed our stop so we had the old ship to ourselves. Due to its state getting in close is warned against though one can still capture fabulous images of its textures from the recommended 3m distance simply by zooming in. 

 

The rusting hull of the Maheno on Fraser Island 

The day was topped off by a dingo sighting and a top tick on most lists to see while visiting the island. The dog happily trotted around are vehicle and others, sniffing at tyres and bull bars and when satisfied there was nothing there for him, continued his jaunt down the beach. 

A lone Dingo dog trots along the beach.

With sand in our toes, a touch of red in our cheeks we headed back for ‘home’ (currently Kingfisher Bay Resort) and toasted the Gods of Fraser for our great day out on the beach.

 Bolts and coloured rust of the Maheno gives fabulous textures