Faser Is update

Submitted: Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 17:54

ThreadID: 11952 Views:2156 Replies:7 FollowUps:12

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Member - Oskar(Bris)

For those who know and love the island (Just got back last night)

1. Eli creek has broken through the beach and now empties directly into the ocean in front of the boardwalk area. Consequently it is faster flowing and much shallower.

2. Dundaburra campground is almost fully fenced and the new shower/toilet facilities are almost complete. Hot showers 50c for 3 mins.

3. There is no firewood available at Wathumba Ck. Take some from the other side before you go across. No hot showers and no drinking water.

4. The new beachfront campsites at Waddy are open and look pretty good. Hot shower 50c for 3 mins. Campground is fenced.

5. All camping is forbidden at Indian Head. Too many backpackers leaving empty beer cans and little white "daisies" around (toilet paper and associated human waste).

6. Backpackers Brrrrrrrrr!!!!!

7.The new Central Station campground is great with new facilities, individual campsites and dingo fence all around. Hot showers $1 for 6 mins.

8. "The Fraser Is Co." now owns all of the resorts shops and tourist traps on the island including the Inskip barges (everything except the Manta Ray and the shop at Orchid) ACCC monopoly???

9. A lot more signage ("closed for rehab" etc)

10 Fuel - diesel $1.36 at Cathedrals (Fraser Is Co.)
$1.24 at Orchid (independent) Sorry, don't have a petrol vehicle.

11. Backpackers Brrrrrrrrr!!!!!

12. Only "Streets" ice creams are available anywhere on the island. (conspiracy??)

13. Barge fare on the Manta Ray - $60

14. Mudlow Rocks at Rainbow (lotsa rocks exposed) - just about impassable even at dead low, impassable 1/2 hour after the low.
Late model Prado in deep do-do on the rocks when we were there. (we had to head all the way back to Freshwater to take the bypass)

14. Currently most cuttings have a firm base and the inland tracks are very firm so the "lowriders" can say Fraser is a breeze. 2WD just about everywhere actually. Still saw a 100 series bogged though (40 PSI I suppose).

Cheers
Oskar

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Reply By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 18:00

Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 18:00

I really meant FRASER not Faser. Duh!

AnswerID: 53791

Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 18:11

Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 18:11

Great Update, made my day reading and remembering Fraser Island, shame about Eli Creek, that was a luxury wafting down the creek, and great news about the 100 series bogged - what an easter gift :)

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Follow Up By: Member - Rohan K - Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 19:22

Friday, Apr 09, 2004 at 19:22

Oh, come on Bonz. At least now Eli is back to its old self and a little more challenging than it has been recently. :)

FollowupID: 315456

Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:27

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:27

Rohan, Gidday old mate! I guess in the end nature wins out, but I can only remember Eli for what it was when we were there, and I recall it being very challenging at high tide (or close to it hahahhaha)

Isnt nature wonderful?

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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:27

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:27

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Reply By: Member - Ruth D (QLD) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:41

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 07:41

Hello Oskar and the "real" Oskar - great update on the old Island. Sort of have mixed feelings about it. Weather should have been nice though. Nice here - flies have dropped off to 5 per person.

AnswerID: 53831

Follow Up By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 08:42

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 08:42

Hi Ruth
The Island is always great value isn't it.
I must change my rig pic soon.
We did the island differently this time and used the touring set-up that we had when we were out your way last July.
Because we had relatives up from Sydney we decided to do the "safari" thing and camp in a different place each night rather than set up on the beach and make sorties from there..
Actually it worked out quite well because the ocean beach was blowing an absolute gale the whole time and we got to camp at all the spots we always said we should.
Wathumba was magnificent as usual but the sand flies on dusk nearly drove us mad until we got the Rid out.
We had camp oven meals etc and a wonderful baked bread and butter pudding with jam on top cooked to perfection over the coals in the old camp oven.
Any way, .. got to go and drop in my brand new (2 week old and expensive) Olympus digi camera for repair after a bit of perspiration got in and fizzed it. Not nice - i hope the warranty holds.
Keep in touch
Cheers
Oskar

FollowupID: 315500

Follow Up By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 12:44

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 12:44

Just got back from the camera shop
They gave me a a brand new one - no questions asked.
Less than 30 days so that is the deal. You beauty!
Oskar

FollowupID: 315507

Reply By: GO_OFFROAD - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 10:15

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 10:15

We rented a house when we were there, made for comfy relaxed time on the island, and we did day trips all over the island from our base.

We did get to cross Eli creek at the time 10 minutes before high tide, and the short beach to indian head was only one wheel track wide, by the time we got there, but wasnt anything major really, and fraser is the easiest sand Ive ever driven on.

We drove the beach and the river bank from Wathumba in both directions at low tide as far as we could, and being we were there the week after school hols last year, we saw no one at wathumba while we were there.

We also drove the beaches from Mcphersons peir to kingfisher, was some interesting stuff in the bush around the peir, and the beach.

pics of our straddie/moreton/fraser holiday

we stayed here on fraser

AnswerID: 53837

Follow Up By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 12:40

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 12:40

Nice pics, I bet many people wish they could take photos like that.
You are right about Fraser being an easy drive in the last few years.
This is not always the case, however.
In the 22 years we have been visiting the island we have seen some attrocious track and beach conditions.
But it's all part of the fun I guess.
Cheers
Oskar

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Follow Up By: GO_OFFROAD - Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 22:18

Saturday, Apr 10, 2004 at 22:18

Robe, to Carpenters rocks has some of the hardest sand driving Ive seen, in S.A, some hard dunes, and extremely soft beaches over there.

Thanks on the pics.

FollowupID: 315522

Follow Up By: Member - Andrew (Bris) - Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004 at 17:06

Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004 at 17:06

When were the fraser photos taken?.
Been there a few times and am always amazed at how quickly conditions change. Particularly interested in the photos of the old tractor near 'MsPherson Jetty". Last month it was only exposed at low tide. At that time it was impossible to drive along that stretch of beach at any time.

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Follow Up By: GO_OFFROAD - Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004 at 17:23

Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004 at 17:23

My pics were taken while at Fraser Moreton and Nth Straddie July last year.

FollowupID: 315861

Reply By: Dave from Fraser Coast 4WD Club - Sunday, Apr 11, 2004 at 19:29

Sunday, Apr 11, 2004 at 19:29

Oskar, an accurate update with the exception of point 8

The "Fraser Island company" own Happy Valley and Cathedral beach, they also run top tours and a couple of other tours.

Eurong, the barges (with the exception of Manta Ray) and just about all of the other tour 'companies' are actually owned by Kingfisher Bay.

The Fraser Island Company do not run any barges!!

Cheers

AnswerID: 53897

Follow Up By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Sunday, Apr 11, 2004 at 20:59

Sunday, Apr 11, 2004 at 20:59

I may have got the information a bit wrong but I thought the guy on the Manta Ray said that the Fraser Co had actually recently bought them all out. But I may have got it wrong???
Cheers
Oskar

FollowupID: 315579

Follow Up By: Dave from Fraser Coast 4WD Club - Monday, Apr 12, 2004 at 06:04

Monday, Apr 12, 2004 at 06:04

I can assure you that the barges are owned by Kingfisher!!

(He may have got it wrong of course)

cheers

FollowupID: 315585

Reply By: john - Monday, Apr 12, 2004 at 21:02

Monday, Apr 12, 2004 at 21:02

Petrol at Happy Valley 128c per l

AnswerID: 53959

Reply By: Ian - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 17:23

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 17:23

Oskar... great read. I intend going up there between 3 - 14 May, any thoughts on what the weather maybe like then. Thinking of camping on the beach. Bit concerned about Mudlow, was intending to get onto the beach back near Noosa & travel up to Rainbow that way. I was up there 7 years ago & no problem getting around the rocks, anything changed to cause this problem.

Cheers

Ian

AnswerID: 54043

Follow Up By: Member - Oskar(Bris) - Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 23:35

Tuesday, Apr 13, 2004 at 23:35

Should be perfect weather in May.
Hopefully Mudlow will be back to near "normal" for your trip but maybe you'd better phone the ranger's office at Rainbow before you get onto the beach at Noosa Northshore.
Have a great trip.
The beach camping should be good with few other campers apart from BACKPACKERS (Grrrrr!!!!!).
Cheers
Oskar

FollowupID: 315768