You can drive to Fraser Island, but you’ll need to catch a ferry to complete the final leg of your journey. Despite the island being separated from the mainland by less than 1 km in some places, there are no direct road connections to the island via a bridge or a tunnel. The island’s status as a national park and UNESCO World Heritage site means that development on and around the island has been limited. Therefore, the only way to get to the island is by taking a ferry from either the city of Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach.
Fraser Island is a large island located off the east coast of Australia in southern Queensland. Around 120 km long and 25 km wide, the island is separated from the mainland by Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait. Fraser Island is located around 250 km north of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
There are several different ways to reach Fraser Island. Which one of these options is right for you will depend on whether you’re bringing your own vehicle and if so, whether you’re travelling from the north or south of Queensland.
Road – There are no direct road connections between Fraser Island and the mainland. If you intend to bring a vehicle with you, you’ll need to use the vehicle ferry service.
Sea – Fraser Island is connected to the mainland by several ferry crossings. These depart north of the island from Rivers Head in Hervey Bay and to the southern tip of the island from Inskip Point in Rainbow Beach.
There are two services out of Rivers Head in Hervey Bay. The first of these sails 4 times per day during peak season to the Kingfisher Bay Resort. Taking 50 minutes, the Kingfisher Bay Ferry carries both vehicles and foot passengers. The other service from Rivers Head sails twice daily to Wanggoolba Creek. Known as the Fraser Venture ferry, it also carries vehicles and foot passengers, but the sailing only takes 30 minutes.
The other ferry service to Fraser Island is from Inskip Point in Rainbow Beach. Operated by Manta Ray Fraser Island Barges, they make multiple sailings to Hook Point on the island. The short 1 km commute across the Great Sandy Strait is completed in just 10 minutes, and it’s the easiest way to get to the island. During peak season, 3 barges operate consecutively to ensure a steady flow of traffic to and from the island.
Air – Fraser Island is served by the nearby Hervey Bay airport on the mainland. It offers direct flights between Brisbane and Sydney, which are operated by Qantas and JetStar, respectively. Hervey Bay Airport and other surrounding airports also offer a range of charter flight services to Fraser Island. These include scenic tours and even a direct connection, which uses 75 mile beach as a landing strip. Inevitably, the costs of flying to the island are pretty steep, and it’s both cheaper and easier to arrive by ferry.
You can drive on Fraser Island, but there’s a couple of caveats you need to be aware of:
Otherwise, you need to be mindful of the conditions and the absence of road markings. It’s also strongly recommended that you don’t drive at night.
Generally speaking, springtime is the best time to visit Fraser Island. During this period, which runs from August through October, you’ll experience warm days, low humidity, and minimal rainfall. The weather becomes increasingly tropical once you progress into November and the summer months. Expect higher temperatures, higher humidity, and more rainfall. You can also expect higher visitor numbers as the main school vacations fall across December and January. While Autumn is cooler than the summer months, it’s also a lot wetter than spring. This reinforces our view that spring is the best time to visit Fraser Island.
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