Fraser Island, kids and dingos

We were on Frazer last year and did not see a Dingo. I suppose it does not matter where you camp on the island the kids need to be supervised. (You know this already without me saying.) I think the Parks people have "relocated" all the problem dogs. Have a great time.

We came back from Fraser 2 weeks ago. Our boys are 5 & 8.

We camped at Dundabara because fires were allowed in the fire rings and the full fence was an added benefit. Over the week we saw 4 dingoes. None were particularly wary. One of them wandered down the beach at McKenzie just after lunch with hundreds of people around, had a drink, posed for photos (seriously!)and headed back up the steps. The ranger at Dundabara was very interested as this is exactly the type of behaviour they don't want - too relaxed and likely to have a go (if it could be bothered) at taking a kid's hotdog. Around 10% have been culled, leaving 250 - 300. If they get too friendly or agressive they get "discouraged" with a slingshot and clay pellets from approaching humans. Even the fenced camp grounds are not completely safe as gates get left open. We saw paw prints in the sand outside Dundabara.

We kept track of the kids (another 3 from friends who camped with us) but without going completely over the top. The fenced camp ground did provide a bit more peace of mind. The last time we wre at Fraser was 6 years ago when they still allowed camping at McKenzie. There were lots more dingoes visible and we would definitely not leave the then 3 year old by himself for a snooze in the tent.

The only issues with Waddy would be getting up the beach at high tide (crossing Eli) and making it through the soft deep sand at Indian Head.

Feel free to ask more specifics.

Adrian

I spent 6 days on Fraser in Sept. and only saw one dingo at a distance of about 500 metres. -Steve

The fenced campgrounds really do have the best facilities, when we go over with the little one, we stay in a fenced area (we prefer Central Station), that said, for the last 9 years I have taken school kids of various ages over to Fraser (up to 10 groups a year) and we have never, not once, had a problem with a dingo.

Up to you, but our next visit (Jan) we are back at Central Station.

I have camped on the beach at Fraser a few times with my daughter and her cousins. The last time we were there their ages ranged from 2yrs to 7 yrs. We did see dingoes most evenings but never had any problems with them. We also kept a close eye on the children to make sure they did not stray. But any reasonable parent would do that anywhere, not just on Fraser Island.

In my opinion, the traffic when camped on the beach presents a far greater danger to my children than the dingoes.

The last fatal attack occured in April 2001 when a 9yo was mauled and killed by 2 dingoes. One of the dogs was known to rangers as a rogue. Sadly though, the 9yo boy and his 7yo brother had decided to walk down to the beach early in the morning, without their parents or any other adults.. They were stalked by the dogs and eventually became frightened and ran. They were set upon by the 2 dingoes. Both boys were mauled. The 7yo managed to escape to raise the alarm. Both dingoes were shot soon after. Many others on the island were also culled.

Dont let the presence of Dingoes deter you. Just be aware of them and dont let your children wander off. Go and enjoy the Island and all makes it the magnificent place it is. If you want to camp on the beach, do so. Its fantastic, and your kids will just love it.

Cheers

Mark

I have just got back from Fraser - 7 nights on the beach 2km south of Eli Creek. We were two families with 6 kids under 6 between us, so we were wary about the dingo risk too! (see post 28245 for more info)

We saw dingoes most evenings, but they were simply trotting past our campsite on the way to check out the garbage bins along the beach, and also to forage around Eli after people had left for the day. We obviously kept a close eye on all the kids at all times, but at no point did we think there was anything to be concerned about.

Listen to the advice from the Rangers, do not leave any food or garbage lying around your campsite. Do not encourage any interaction with the dingoes. Do this and you will be fine camping on the beach!

Enjoy<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi skichic,
We have camped several times at Fraser, our boys are now 12 and 15 but were obviously younger when we started camping. We have seen a total of probably 8 dingo's in the years we have camped over there. We have camped in the "cage" at Lake Boomanjin, but these days usually beach camp north of Poyungan Rocks. The big thing to remember is to closely watch your kids, and READ the info pack that the rangers give you and follow it. We have camped with others who have not been so careful and they have had dingo's around their site, we are careful and don't have any problems. The rangers, in my opinion, are the best source of information. They live there and know what's best and they are happy to pass on the information. It is a pity that some see this as the rangers being less than helpfull, as sometimes they can be critical of the behaviour of visitors. Someone above commented about the slingshots..... I personally wouldn't be encouraging anyone to slingshot a dingo, or any other wild dog for that matter. That sort of thing is what leads to (usually) someone else getting hurt. (No offence to whoever posted that!) Again listen to the rangers, and you should be fine.

Enjoy your stay.... it is a beautiful island.

Will the diongo get my babies?

You mentioned that your kids are 5 & 8, both old enough to know the risks. You shouldn't have any problems, you can camp any where along the beach on fraser you like as long as it allowed at the time by the rangers. In reality the dingoes are ok its the media that blows everything out of proportion. In saying that I have withnessed kids throwing things at dingoes before, a typical household dog would bite back in that situation. If your careful you should be ok, Orchid beach is the go if the wind is blowing south east, great camping, however a long way from the attractions of the islands centre. Here is the rangers phone numbers they are listed on the net so it ok to shown them 07 4127 9191 or 4127 9138. Give them a call and ask where they think is the best camping spot OTHER than a nominated camping ground with a fence, honestly why fence ourselves in for a few dingoes, 20 years ago there where alot more dingoes did you feel SCARED of the dingoes?

Thanks everyone for the great info, it was just what I was looking for. Looking forward to revisiting Fraser :o)

Skichic
We camped at Waddy Point over the September school holidays with some friends. We initially thought we would have to camp on the beach, but there was plenty of room in the fenced camping area just up from the beach. We too go camping to get away from crowds, and didn't feel crowded at all there.
In hindsight, we were glad were were camping in the fenced area because there were four kids aged between 7 and 11 in our group. The rangers make a big deal about being dingo save, and rightly so! The plaque marking the area where the boy was killed in 2001 is just up the track outside the fenced area at Waddy. And I'm not superstitious or religeous, but if I have ever felt that a place was haunted, it's was in that peaceful little spot on that track. Maybe it's just a parent thing imagining the horror of that happening to one of my beautiiful girls. There are still dingos living in the dunes at the back of Waddy and there are plenty of track to prove it.
Anyhow, camping in the fenced area gave us peace of mind, as we didn't have to worry quite so much about where the kids were for every minute of the day. We never foung any of the gates left open. Another guy camping near us had been fishing one morning and a dingo had approached him, and while it kept its distance, he didn't think the dingo was scared of him. The guy was, not scared, but very very wary. We saw two others hunting when we were driving back to camp one afternoon, and another down south when we were leaving approached the vehicle when our friends stopped to take a photo. Exactly the wrong behavior! It only takes one irresponsibe person to throw some food once to an animal, and instantly it can associate vehicles with food.
We'd certainly recommend Waddy Point, which I think you can get to even at high tide, although the going would be a bit harder. If the you all learn about being dingo-safe you'll have a great time there. If your kids are seasoned campers, hopefully they are used to learning about risks. (Our kids were still asking if there were any crocodiles before swimming in Melbourne beaches after we returned from Cape York). Probably your biggest threat to your babies is from the irresponsible minority who ignore the proper instructions, leading to wild animals losing their natural fear of humans. It's not the dingos' fault, it's ours.
Have fun.
MikeyS

How about watching the sun set over the water from your camp site? North of Moon Point on the West coast are some truly beautiful camping spots with calm waters for the kids and uncrowded! Check a map out and look at the tracks that take you to the West coast between Moon Point and Wathumba.