365 Days On Fraser Island

From the heart of Queensland’s Fraser Island, Dropbear Tours’ Hana White talks us through all the amazing wonders to be found from season to season on this island paradise off the coast of Queensland.

From the blistering heat in the height of summer where temperatures can easily reach 40 degrees celsius; to the crisp frosts on the grass in winter, apart from snow Fraser Island or K’gari as the native aboriginals call it; has it all.

Located just off the East Coast of Queensland the island is bursting with diversity. Not only does this island paradise offer an abundance of fresh water lakes, sub tropical rainforests and many multi coloured sand blows the diverse seasonal weather patterns don’t disappoint either.

Winter is my personal favourite and you’d probably get the same answer from all the islands locals. Ok it does get a little chilly at night, the Aussies would say freezing but lets be honest they would not know what freezing was unless of course its ice over their beers. You’ll want to have some warm socks and a good jumper if you visit in winter. A onesie is ideal if you’re not worried about how unflattering they are. Wrapping up warm at night is no sacrifice for the rewards of what a winter day brings.

The winters on Fraser Island are just gorgeous, a photographer’s paradise for sure. Fisherman come from far and wide to fish off the golden beaches and because ‘the fish are on’ as the islanders say, the marine life you can spot from the island famous look out; Indian Head is jaw dropping. The water is so clear in the winter and spring months that spotting sharks, manta rays, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and humpback whales from July – October, is easy. Us local folk say the island comes to life during these months.

Spring is always amazing too. As the lakes crystal clear waters start to warm, you know the blistering summer is looming. Spring is a very special time of year anywhere in the world I think. It’s always so lush when the flowers start blooming and nature comes back to life right before your eyes. It’s extra special on K’gari as it’s when the dingo puppies are born. It’s really breathtaking when you see mum walking along the beach followed by a trail of little dingo pups with their cute white-socked paws. Everyone on the island, including visitors, get excited when it’s pup season, even if you’re a cat person it’s so amazing to watch these wild pups playing and learning from their mother.

And BOOM, before you know it, the summer heat hits you. As a Brit I still can’t quite fathom how it gets this bloody hot. I mean it’s crazy hot. You have to regularly lather yourself up with sunscreen or you’ll be lathering yourself up with aloe vera for days afterwards, only to be followed by your best impression of a snake shedding its skin.

Of course the summer brings the sun, but with it comes some of the most changeable weather conditions I’ve ever witnessed. When I hear the song ‘4 Seasons in One Day’ by Crowed House it always reminds me of the 1st time I travelled to Queensland with my sister Grace back in 2006. Driving along in the beautiful sunshine one minute to having to pull over the next minute. You can imagine how intense the rain was for us Brits to pull over because of it. I’d say I’m quite accustomed to driving in the rain but this was more like driving through a waterfall. As quick as it had started it was over again and the sun returned. That’s when I fell in love with Queensland.

Most of the time the summers here bring glorious hot days where nothing is more appealing than leisurely floating down the icy cold waters of Eli Creek or lazing on the white beaches of Lake McKenzie. But honesty if you were to ask me what my favourite thing was about the summer it would be the incredible lightning storms we see across the ocean. Lightning dancing in every direction, lighting up the sky, as if it were daytime. The storm cools everything down so after a boiling hot day you can go to bed, snuggle up to your man or spoon your bestie without sweating all through the night.

The summer is great for wildlife too. All the reptiles come out to say hello and by this time the dingo pups are learning to fend for themselves. The goannas are my personal favourites, just purely because they look like dinosaurs. Snakes I’m not so fond of, but I don’t know if I’m just lucky, or just in my own world most of the time because I don’t tend to see too many of them which I’m more than happy about.

As a holidaymaker you love the heat and of course the general guarantee of sunshine when you visit Australia’s Sunshine State of Queensland, but let me tell you, as a resident you long for the autumn when the wet season is over and the humidity dies off. I like to think of autumn as a great British summer, you know the kind of ones we get every few years.

Weather it’s Humpbacks nurturing their young in the calm waters between Fraser Island and Hervey Bay, or turtles nesting and hatching at the far north tip of the island, or birds migrating from far away countries and resting on the island’s many beaches, all seasons on Fraser have something exquisite to see, courtesy of Mother Nature.

As you may have gathered by now, it really doesn’t matter what time of year you visit Fraser Island, as there is always so much to see and do. The birdlife and dingoes are active all year round. Not forgetting the regular all year round adventures and natural wonders to see like the monthly moon rises over the ocean, or driving a 4WD along the beach, or catching a metre long beach worm with your bear hands, or swimming in freshwater lakes. K’gari is amazing beautiful all year found, trust me you’ll love it.

Book your Fraser Island adventure with DropBear here. 

By Hana White