K’Gari Island: Home of Many Wonders

Hello everyone,

 

We’ve just about finished our lovely two weeks in Australia, staying primarily with John’s relatives. Their generosity and kindness gave us a chance to slow down, settle in, and feel grounded — a much-needed pause before we launch into part two of our journey: Europe, which we head off to in just two days. While staying with John’s aunt on the Sunshine Coast, we took a short trip up to Rainbow Beach for a few days. We’d booked a day tour of K’Gari (formerly Fraser Island), and Rainbow Beach turned out to be the most convenient base to make that adventure possible — logistically and scenically.

 

Catching an early Greyhound express bus from Noosa Junction to our hostel in Rainbow Beach — Freedom Rainbow Hostel — was quick and painless. We even had a halfway pit stop at a truck stop with a surprisingly good Asian fusion takeaway. It’s funny in hindsight, though — after spending time in Southeast Asia, the phrase “Asian food” feels almost comically broad. There are so many distinct cuisines across Asia that lumping them all together now seems a little silly. But I did enjoy the sushi that I got.

 

We arrived in Rainbow Beach in the early afternoon. After checking into our hostel with about 20 other passengers, we had just enough free time to make the short trek to the Carlo Sandblow. If you ever find yourself in this part of Queensland, I can’t recommend it enough. Photos online don’t come close to capturing its scale or serenity. If you don’t know, the Carlo Sandblow is a beautiful inland sand bowl covering 15 hectares famous for its “moonscape” appearance. Standing in the middle of that vast, windswept sand bowl — with the ocean stretching out on one side, forest flanking the others, and hazy mountains rising in the distance — felt surreal. The sand was incredibly soft on my feet, softer than any sand I’ve ever felt.

 

We stayed to watch the sunset, which cast a quiet stillness over the evening—a soft kind of peace that made the world feel, just for a moment, exactly as it should be. I try to hold onto those moments, to really let them sink in. After admiring the sky together, we ran down the sides of the sand bowl like kids let loose in a giant playground, laughing and wiggling our toes in the cool sand. Eventually, we made our way back into town to get ready for the next day’s tour. The walk back from the Carlo Sandblow felt alive—the streets hushed, the last light stretching into deeper shades of gold and pink as the sun slipped below the horizon. With every minute it faded, it somehow became even more beautiful.

 

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With the sun just beginning to creep over the horizon and the cool morning air starting to give way to warmth, we grabbed our small bags and walked to the bus stop to wait for our Fraser Island tour pickup. Not long after, the K’gari Explorer Tours bus rolled up, and our driver stepped out. He was tall and lanky, with the kind of easy Australian humor that made you feel right at ease. There was a spark in his eyes — the look of someone genuinely excited to show off a place in nature he knew since he was a little boy. Once we were all situated in our woven moquette fabric seats, he gave us a quick run down of how the tour worked. Then, wanting to get on our way, he said: “I don’t want stand up here and bore you with a boring safety talk, so I’m going to drive and you can watch a video about it on our bus TV,” and hopped behind the wheel.

 

Cut to a gloriously 80s safety video, complete with static lines and VHS vibes. The rules were short and sweet:

1. Don’t cuddle the dingoes.
2. Wear your seatbelt – it’s Queensland law.

Then the driver added over the speakers: “If you’re late returning to the bus because you fell asleep, got lost, or were just blissfully absorbed in nature, you’ll earn the front seat next to me… and a microphone. Have you heard of carpool karaoke? It’s like that but bigger stakes. You will have to sing a song to the whole bus.”

 

And just like that, we were off — trundling down the beautiful Queensland roads, heading for the ferry to K’gari. After about 30 minutes on the road, we reached the sandy peninsula where the ferry departs. Our driver drove right onto the sand and expertly guided the bus up the ramp onto the ferry deck, parking neatly among the other vehicles.

 

Our driver told us all to exit the bus, stretch our legs, and have a look ‘round while we made the short journey across to the island. Above the parking area, a viewing deck offered a panoramic look at the sparkling water. It was windy up there, so I pulled on the purple sweater I’d debated bringing that morning – turns out it was a great call. Love it when that happens. After taking in the salty breeze and ocean views, we all clambered back on the bus and exited the ferry to beautiful K’gari.

 

As soon as we touched down on the sands, our driver said, “I gotta put this puppy in 4-wheel drive,” getting the bus ready to drive in the sand. Then he began heading for K’gari Beach Resort where we’d make a quick pit stop at a beachside resort — pee break, leg stretch, snack grab — and then continue inland to Lake McKenzie. Our first five minutes on K’gari were spent driving right on the sand, with the Pacific Ocean lapping at the shore just to our right, and sand dunes lining the edge of the beach to our left. The sunlight dancing across the waves like someone scattered silver glitter on the water’s surface, creating a pretty sparkle amongst the blue expanse.

 

Our driver piped up over the speakers saying, “The tide is very high today so we’ll take the high tide path instead of rolling along the beach. After we visit Lake McKenzie, the tide should be low enough by then that we can drive along the beach some more.” Not a terrible change as the forest was beautiful, and provided us a different view of the island. Along our journey, our driver shared different facts about the flora, fauna, and geographical composition of K’Gari.

 

The island, we learned, is one massive sponge. The entire island sits atop a freshwater table — rainwater stored within the porous sand, resting above the denser saltwater beneath. This lens is held in place because saltwater is heavier than freshwater, creating a natural balance that sustains the island’s unique ecosystems. This natural system helps sustain the island’s perched lakes — craters that have been lined over time with layers of organic material like fallen leaves and decomposing plants. As this material compresses, it forms a kind of natural “rubber seal” at the bottom, which traps rainwater. These lakes sit high above the water table and are completely rain-fed, making them incredibly pure. The organic lining gives the water a slightly acidic pH — around 4.5 — which inhibits algae growth. Neat!

 

The road to Lake McKenzie had a few “wobbles”, as our driver called them, making the ride quite shaky. At one point we met a Subaru that had to reverse a fair way to let us pass. We passed through forests where, despite the gum trees, no koalas live — they simply don’t have the right eucalyptus species here. But don’t get me wrong, the forest was alive: fungi, moss, decomposing logs, slugs, snails, and microbes working to break down decomposing material that trickles down and nourishes towering trees. This kind of ecosystem takes 150,000 years to develop, believe it or not.

 

We trundled and bumped along the sandy forest paths, laughing as the bus made us bump into each other. Once we came to the hill to Lake McKenzie, the bus rumbled over timber planks that were chained together and set deeply into the sand. Our driver explained, “Without them, the bus would sink into the boggy sand as there wouldn’t be enough traction.” He went on to say that, “most island paths for vehicles are one-way, but the two-way ones? Watch out. Especially for young fellas thinking they’re rally drivers. It’s a shock for them to see a tour bus coming ‘round the bend.” We all laughed at that.

 

Lake McKenzie was absolutely stunning. The blue-green water stretched across a white sandy shore, so clear it felt like swimming through tinted glass. We spent about 45 minutes there, lounging on the beach and dipping our toes in the chilly water. John, braver than I, fully submerged himself in the lake while I stayed on shore, soaking in the view and watching the scene unfold. A family was playing at the water’s edge, and their son—Chester—was constantly getting into trouble. Every few minutes we’d hear, “Chester, no! Chester, come back here! Chester, not again!” The dad sounded like he was at the end of his rope. Poor Chester. We also chatted with a German traveler for about 15 minutes. He gave us a bunch of great tips for visiting Germany and neighboring countries. It’s always refreshing to talk to fellow travelers who get it—who know how exhausting it can be to keep moving, and how important it is to pace yourself. You can’t go out every day or drink every night; you’ve got to think about the long haul.

 

After the 45 minutes were up, we packed our beach bags and headed back to the bus to continue on to the next destination. While driving through a particularly thick stretch of forest, our driver told us we’d reached Pile Valley, where the Syncarpia Hillii trees grow – better known as Satinay trees. Their deep red bark and termite-resistant timber was used to make marine pylons all over the world. These trees depend on a native island fungus to grow strong, and are only found on K’gari island. It is now illegal to log these trees, and furniture made from their wood is worth thousands.

 

Speaking of logging, on K’Gari the industry began in the 1860s and peaked in the 1920s. Workers used axes and crosscut saws to cut these massive trees into manageable sizes. Then with teams of oxen, they hauled the logs to the coast. A steam tramway was introduced in 1905 to help move the trees from the center of the island to the shore. And by the late 1900s, six-wheel-drive trucks were brought to K’Gari to better maneuver the sandy terrain. Logging finally ended in 1991, the same year K’gari was nominated for World Heritage status. We went to the site of the main logging came, Central Station, where we had access to the Wanggoolba Creek Trail. Here we strolled through the beautiful rainforest path that followed alongside the Wanggoolba Creek, which was historically a women-only area in Butchulla culture — peaceful, sacred, and stunning.

 

Once we finished the walk, we hopped back on the bus and headed toward our next stop—the SS Maheno shipwreck. To keep us entertained along the way, our driver would occasionally chime in over the speaker with running commentary. “Oh, a wave’s coming—better slow down to let her pass,” he’d say, or, “You might’ve noticed we just went over a washout. That’s 100% fresh water—if you walk upstream, you could drink straight from the creek.” It felt like he had a quip or tidbit for everything we passed.

 

He also shared many facts about the animals found on the island:

 

• Dingoes
  • Wild dogs. Top of the food chain. Will hunt everything from bandicoots to echidnas.
  • They were first introduced to the island 40,000 years ago when Indonesian fisherfolk came over on boats with their wolves. The wolves jumped off the fishing boats and began to populate the island. Remnants of their wolf ancestors can be seen in the dingoes as they don’t bark, they howl.
  • They have the ability to smell crustaceans under the sand, and will spend time on the beach digging them up

• Reptiles
  • Red-bellied black snakes, browns, and pythons slither among the undergrowth.
  • Crocodiles have been seen near the island, coming up from the Australian coast due to overpopulation.
  • Lace monitors (can reach 2 meters long) lurk in the sand.

• Insects/Arachnids
  • There are over 2,000 insect species and some intense spiders — including funnel-webs, huntsmen, and red-backed spiders.
  • Funnel Web Spiders on K’Gari are 6 times more venomous than their Sydney counterparts, making them one of the most toxic spiders in the world. However they aren’t aggressive by nature, just when they feel threatened. Fun fact? Their venom has a molecular structure that is incredibly complex. Scientists have found that certain molecules from the venom can help prevent cell death after heart attacks or strokes.

• Birds
  • You’ll find white-bellied sea eagles, kookaburras, wrens, and rainbow-colored parrots.

• Marine Life
  • Lots of sharks — yep, tiger sharks, hammerheads, and even the occasional great white in the wintertime (they follow the migrating whales).

The path to the shipwreck took us back onto the beach. Since the tide had receded, there was plenty of open sand to drive on. We saw coffee rock on the beach (the dark, compacted beginnings of coal), and the Pinnacles, where iron oxide paints the sand cliffs in 72 shades of red, gold, and rust. We had a peaceful and quiet beach drive as our driver told us, “I’m going to stop my yammering so that you all can enjoy the views.”

 

Then, we saw it—sinking into the sand, the rusting skeleton of what was once a remarkable ship. The red rust stood out sharply against the golden sand, like a child had dropped their toy ship and forgotten it there. Built in 1905, the SS Maheno once held speed records and even served as a hospital ship during World War I. In 1935, it was sold to a Japanese company, but while being towed, a rogue cyclone snapped the towline. Without a propeller, the Maheno drifted helplessly ashore—and never left. We all clamored out of the bus to snap a few quick photos, our driver reminding us not to touch the ship—it was too fragile. John asked if he’d ever played on it as a kid. “Oh yes,” he said, “All the time. It’s where we used to play hide-and-seek.”

 

After we all took our photos and played in the waves near the ship, we headed out to our last destination: Eli Creek. It is the largest creek on the island, pumping an impressive 4 million liters of water into the ocean every hour. Since the water moves so fast, it’s a naturally forming lazy river. Many people had come to this part of the island with their tubes and suits on, ready to brave the frigid waters for a nice swim. John went the whole way down the creek. I submerged myself but was not ready for that kind of chilliness – I’m a bit of a silly goose when it comes to cold things. Ironic as my name is Winter. Anyways, we both took a sip from the creek and it tasted so clean.

 

Lastly, as a little treat on our drive back to the ferry that would take us to Rainbow Beach—we saw dingoes! They’d been elusive all day, and then suddenly, there they were—about five of them strolling along the sand. Our driver had been a bit worried we wouldn’t spot any, saying, “Some days we see ten, and some we see nothing at all.” They were surprisingly cute and didn’t look like they could maul you—though apparently, a woman was attacked not too long ago after straying from the path while walking alone… which, of course, they repeatedly warn you not to do. It is also mating season for the dingoes which makes them a bit more aggressive towards humans.

 

All in all, it was a delightful and educational tour, and we’re both really glad we went. We’d love to come back someday and camp on the island—though we’ll definitely need to learn how to drive on the beach first. Ah well, always good to have future goals, right?

 

Thanks for reading,

 

-Winter