Taking a Van to Fraser Island

Hi BT

Go across the barge at Inskip about an hour and a half before the low and head around Hook Point. With that set up you will have no problems - just let your tyres down before coming off the bitumen to the barge track. Run to Frasers will be a breeze at that tide - just watch a few creeks on the bottom of the island and Eli Ck as they are a bit deeper with drop offs, but nothing to stress about. You will be surprised at how big some of the boats are that are being towed to Waddy and the only issue for them is the cutting a Indian which is way north of your destination. Plenty of rain recently so tracks and beach are pretty good at the moment


Cheers


A

BT, Do not use the barge from River Heads at Hervey Bay as yo land on the Western side of Fraser Island and would then have to use inland tracks to get to the Eastern beach and Cathedral Beach. The inland tracks would be virtually impossible with a van although some fool will say he has done it!

Use the barge from Inskip Point and follow the advice above.

The track into Frasers camping site is very rutted and sandy. Use low range 4WD and keep it moving. It is a one-way track except for the last 50m up the ramp from the beach so watch that no-one is about to come out then move smartly up the ramp.

Have a great time.

all has pretty much been covered already, so take the above advice. don't go inland tracks , go via Inskip, and time it for about 1 1/2 hrs before lowtide. we (myself and friends) go as a group up to Fraser and take atleast 4 different caravans at that time, camping just abit north of your destination, though we just camp on the beach. vans we take range from old Millard / York 13ft ers with just a springover conversion done to them, a 17ft more modern onroad Jayco also with a springover conversion done to it, aswell as a 17ft Jayco offroad expanda van which is definately more suited to the bumpy stuff then the previous 3 vans.
if you time it for the period already mentioned, then the only soft sand you should encounter will being on the beach at Inskip as you head to the barge, a very tiny section as you depart the barge, and then the driveway leading into Cathedrals. like already said the driveway does get quite bumpy sometimes and is mostly one way, atleast the steeper climb off of the beach is boardwalked for you though.
we choose not to let our van tyres down, just the 4wd's only. we have found over the years the vans tend to wander as you drive up the harder sand of the island. i also drive most of the beach in 2wd as it is usually quite easy going once you hit the harder sand, just select 4wd on the go if i see something coming up which looks like it may be softish.

Thanks everyone for your replies, very reassuring to receive such good advice. Looks like we'll spend a night at Inskip Point before getting on the barge. Should have a good three hour window to get the 80 km up the beach. Looking forward to the trip - hopefully you won't see us on TV or in a magazine.
Thanks again
BT

BT
Just adding my little extra to all the fine advice so far. I tow a 14'6" Windsor Rapid offroad to Frasers at Cathedral each Easter (except for Easter 2009, when McLaughlan Rocks was exposed by storms, making it impasssable to vans, and pretty tough for camper trailers). The beach is back now, so no problem. I tow with a 1998 Prado petrol auto V6. I do let all my tyres down (van 20 psi, car 16 psi).
My advice- if you have Hayman Reece load levelling bars/chains, then remove them before attempting the climb off the beach up into Frasers. If you leave them on, you will be dragging them through the raised sand ridge in the centre of the track (this is what I did the first time I towed there). It is a low range effort up that track.
Thanks to the 9 backpackers who got trapped behind me and kindly pushed to get me going again. Finally, note that Frasers added a lot of powered sites in the last 18 months, so you can stay very comfortably there now.