A 4WD Tour Of Fraser Island Review – Drop Bear Adventures

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Drop Bear Adventures review

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Bondi Beach Radio’s Katie Mayors joined Drop Bear Adventures for a Fraser Island 4WD camping safari.

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Read  Katie Mayors Drop Bear Adventures Review

Some pockets of Australia can be as strange as they are beautiful. In Queensland, for example, there is an island made of sand that has a tall rainforest growing through its centre, where you can drive along the shoreline of a beach for miles, and spot wild scavenger dogs descendent from wolves as easily as you can sight freshwater mini turtles in vast natural lakes tinged with tea tree oil. This 127kms of peculiar paradise off the Sunshine Coast is known as Fraser Island, but to the Indigenous inhabitants who have called it home for over 5,000 years, it is the sacred land of K’gari, meaning Paradise.

Drop Bear Adventures review: 4WD Driving Experience

Drop Bear Adventures offer a three-day/two-night guided self- drive tour of the island. Four-wheel-driving is the only way
to get around the island, and Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which stretches down one side of the island, is an actual highway. The options of drive-or-be-driven make this a non threatening but fun way to experience this sandy playground. You are going to want to drive at some stage, whether on the flatter wet packed beachside sand or in the soft and shaky challenging inland forest tracks, where wheel spins, getting bogged and communal vehicle pushing are all part of the experience. Our self-proclaimed ‘nature geek’ guide ‘Danger’ Dave Tome took any diversion into his easy-going stride, even taking notable joy in the odd rescue tow down the beach. Most of the time, though, passengers and drivers alike are in cruise mode, hair flying out windows into the salty sea air, sandy toes tapping to killer tunes, eyes in wide awe of the surreal natural surrounds.

“That was my first time four-wheel-driving,” said Kars Heinen from Holland, “you really have to take care and not drive really fast, but it’s ok if you stick along the tracks.”

Beachside Campground

Drop Bear have a permanent camping area on the island, which means a few things, most notably that you don’t have to set up a tent when you arrive at camp, as they are already erected by the time you get there. It also means you always have the same position right behind the beach with easy access to those epic ocean sunrises and beach dune stargazing.

Work is being completed on a 70-bed hostel for Drop Bear, so the option for camping or hostel accommodation will soon be available, but the new hostel site is close to the beach anyway, so a true Fraser experience can be had either way, perhaps just with less chance of the dingos invading camp. Easy rules are currently in place to avoid dingo sabotage on site though, namely always travelling in pairs at least and keeping a dingo stick handy to whack any dog-like scavenger that comes too close. A didgeridoo works well for this.

Speaking of didgeridoos, you can expect to be bribed into attempting this ancient native instrument – no go, no dessert. But never fear, the guide will show you some techniques and your first toot will be as piss funny as everyone else’s.

Other features at the campsite are a homemade giant Jenga set, complete with custom rules (tip = stand next to a babe, there may be a kissing rule or two), a pretty deluxe toilet as far as camping ones go, occasional Aboriginal dreamtime story hour (showing the genuine commitment of Drop Bear to the original Butchulla inhabitants of K’gari and the passing down of their tales), and some pretty tasty nosh too where the Aussie BBQ reigns.

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Lake McKenzie

The bumpy road inland (thanks to non-Drop Bear buses that don’t use 4WD mode) to Lake McKenzie can be slow, and once you start to glimpse this expansive lake through the trees, it looks like any other lake, albeit a large one. But this is anything but ordinary. For one, it is a ‘perched lake’, which means it is not filled by connecting arteries of water, but rather consists purely of rainwater. And if that doesn’t seem too unique, when you realise that Fraser Island has 40 perched lakes, which makes up for half of the rainwater-only lakes in the world, you may reconsider.

Once vehicles have been disembarked and you take the sandy track down to Mackenzie, your sense of touch is heightened as the softness at your feet becomes apparent. This is no typical lakeside sand – this is the Empress of all fine white granules (no, I’m not talking about cocaine so you have the right to disagree), silica sand. You may have come across this rarity on Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays. It can be used as an exfoliant (and mixed with some of the natural tree oils of the lake water, it really is worth the effort to scrub it all over your skin), as a hair treatment, and even as a teeth cleaner. Your Drop Bear guide will encourage you to do all of the above, while wedging the stereo into one of the nearby bony trees and pulling out the volleyball. They will also lead you to a deserted stretch of the lake, a treat when you discover the Bondi-like popularity of one of Fraser’s biggest drawcards.

The colour of the water at Lake McKenzie is unlike any you are likely to witness elsewhere. The water along the shoreline is the colour of pale blue crystal, which doesn’t obstruct any visibility to the white sand below, and then at a point the water turns a deeper royal blue, the two shades sitting together to create a stark two-tone contrast. Add to this the aforementioned skeletal trees that periodically rise from the sand and you can see why this is the most iconic part of the island.

“Lake McKenzie is really beautiful,” said Emily Bedford from Scotland, “I love swimming in water and the freshwater here is so beautiful and refreshing. We’ve done lots of swimming in the lakes and we swam down a creek which was really fun.”

Other Tour Features

With over 100 freshwater lakes on the Island, you could spend a lifetime exploring them all, but two that are worth discovering are Lake Wabby and Lake Allom. Lake Wabby is what is called a ‘barrage’ lake, which means it has been trapped by a moving sand dune – in this case the Hammerstone Sandblow – so a visit to this waterhole is an adventure over a hilly expanse of sand. As you descend towards the lake, you become aware that this spot is also a spiritual one, even before being told it is a sacred area for the Butchulla men, who used it for initiation ceremonies for thousands of years. There are little fish in the water that, if you stay still for long
enough, will suck some of the dead skin from your body, further proving that Fraser is one large natural day spa. In the late afternoon, beautiful sunlight shines on this green body of water from over the surrounding trees, making for some great photo ops.

The water of Lake Allom is a dark tan colour that makes your skin look more than sunkissed, but the true treat here is when you arrive at the viewing platform. Dark little thumb-size heads peek out of the water to curiously examine visitors – freshwater turtles! Swim with these little guys, take a walk around the lakeside track beside Hoop Pines and Melaleuca trees, or stop to eat in the designated picnic area.

Shipwrecks abound on Fraser Island, with the SS Maheno being the star attraction. One of the first ever turbine-driven steamers, the Maheno ran aground in 1935 after its tow chain snapped in a huge storm. It had previously served as a passenger ship between Sydney and Auckland, and a hospital ship during World War One.

At the north end of Fraser Island juts the impressive Indian Head, named as such by Captain Cook when he sailed past in 1770 and saw many native Butchulla people on the land. The views from Indian Head, with ocean stretching wide in all directions, sand banks swirling amid water on the stretch of beach to one side, is a precious reminder of why this is such a sacred promontory to the first peoples of this wondrous place.

As the group gathers around, our Drop Bear guide relays the shocking history of the rock on which we sit, which involves tales of Gods and spirits, human protectors and noble laws, the mislaid adventures of explorers and their encounters with the peaceful inhabitants, and ultimately false colonial justifications for the tragic slaughter that would see the Butchulla population dwindle. A
moving experience that deepens any listener’s spiritual connection to this place called K’gari, and sheds new light on the name Fraser Island.

Also at the north end of the island is another natural gem called Champagne Pools, and from Indian Head there is a fun 4WD soft sand obstacle-ride to get there, making it an earned experience. Called “Fraser Island’s natural Jacuzzi”, these rock pools get their name from the ocean currents that spill over to fill them, often leaving a frothy surface behind reminiscent of our favourite party drink. Due to the dangerous rips in the ocean surrounding Fraser Island, and typically scary Australian wildlife like stingers and sharks, Champagne Pools is actually the one sea-fed spot on the island you are allowed to swim. Float about and laze in the pools or explore the smaller rocky water catches, where you are sure to see blue crabs and jellyfish.

You are guaranteed to see dingoes on your trip to Fraser Island. Dingoes are the Asian Wolf, and the ones you will encounter on this island are the purest dingo breed in Australia. While they look like cute dogs, especially the pups newly emerged from their dens, they can in fact be dangerous animals and they do attack humans from time to time, so do be cautious when they are around. Never wander off alone, be extra aware when you are around food, and above all – do not feed them! Dingoes share Fraser Island with other mammals such as wallabies and echidnas, as well as snakes, an abundance of sea life and over 350 bird species. The Drop Bear Adventures 4WD trip is an absolute must-do and the best way to possibly experience the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island.

“You can expect an amazing two nights camping on the beach. You can expect a diverse and interesting trip, with lots of different things to see and do, but with lots of time to enjoy them as well,” said guide Dave Tome.

Booking And Getting To Fraser Island

A three-day 4WD tour of Fraser Island with independently owned Drop Bear Adventures costs $425 and includes all meals, camping accommodation, the use of 4WDs and an experienced and knowledgeable guide to take you to an array of the island’s best attractions. Your guide will pick you up from your accommodation in Noosa, Rainbow Beach or Hervey Bay.

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Find out more about: Drop Bear Adventures – Fraser Island 4×4 Tours

Images by Dave Tome & Katie Mayors. Words by Katie Mayors, host of the weekly
‘Wanderlust’ show on Bondi Beach Radio. Twitter and instagram @katiemayors

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