Exploring K’gari with Kingfisher Bay Resort

It’s offical, we found paradise! Alex and I had an unforgettable 3 days on Fraser Island which will forever hold a place in my heart. Below I have put together a full itinerary of our stay and all of the information you will need if you decide to head to Fraser!

Fun fact 〰 Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the WORLD, which makes it a 4WD haven! You can find this gem just off the coast of Hervey Bay on Queensland’s Southern coast. We live in Brisbane so we are very lucky to be so close to such magic. To make the 8:30am barge at River Heads we left Brisbane at 5am. We took Alex’s 4WD so we could experience some true off-roading and see what the craze is all about (more on that later). Saying that – this trip is totally doable without a vehicle. They have many affordable tour options that will take you everywhere and anywhere you would like to go.

Once we arrived on the Island, we stopped at the servo to deflate the tires and fill up with petrol. I recommend grabbing a map before you head off but I must say, it’s almost impossible to get lost. All key locations are well signposted. Our check-in at Kingfisher Bay Resort wasn’t until 2pm so we had some time to kill. First stop, Lake Mckenzie! I have been dying to see this place since we moved to Brisbane. Lake McKenzie is a perched lake surrounded by lush rainforest. It blows my mind how the sand is so white and how pellucid the water is. We lapped up some Australian sun and went swimming with the fishies in the crystal clear rain water.

Can you believe this is what Australia looks like in winter?!

After spending a few hours at Lake Mckenzie we decided to head back to Kingfisher Bay Resort to check-in. The staff are so friendly and they made us feel right at home. Once we dropped our bags off in the room, we headed straight to the pool area. It was a bit nippy outside so we skipped going for a swim in the pool but we couldn’t say no to the hot tub!

Once we dried off from the hot tub, we went straight to the Sunset Bar for cocktails. It was less than a 5 minute walk from the resort. Everything is so close to each other you don’t have to worry about driving.

The Sunset Bar is located right next to the ferry terminal. They have their very own access to the beach with bean bags and picnic tables set up for you to relax to watch the sun go down. The forecast for the weekend was cloudy and rain, thank you weatherman for being wrong! We almost cancelled our trip due to the weather but I’m so happy we decided to go anyway. We were absolutely spoiled with the sunset, not a cloud in the sky!

There was a great selection of cocktails, beers and wine it was so hard to choose. I’m normally a beer drinker but I had to try these cocktails. They were perfect for the setting we were in. Absolute paradise.

Once the sky lit up with stars and we finished our drinks, we headed across the road to the Sand Bar & Bistro to have dinner. This place was affordable and delicious! They had a range of food choices for the both of us (beef eater and pescatarian). The first night I had the wild barramundi fish & chips and Alex had the surf & turf. The second night I had the pan fried Tasmanian salmon and he had the BBQ pork spare ribs. We agreed that our meals were just as good both times. We were looking forward to dessert but we were so full from our meals. You can check out their menu here.

Once we finished our meals and played some pool before heading to bed.

We didn’t want to waste any day light so we woke up early and drove to 75 mile beach on the Islands Eastern coast. This roughly took 45 minutes.

We had a scenic flight with Air Fraser at 7:15 am which again, I was super excited for! This was our first time on a little plane. The pilots met us somewhere on the beach close to Eurong. It was pretty easy to find them because we saw them coming from above. I highly recommend doing a scenic flight over Fraser Island! We even saw whales and dolphins from above!

Seventy-Five Mile Beach itself! Put aside all the little gems scattered around, this is truly the best 4WD playground. We have only been 4WDing a few places now but this is by far our fav place to drive on the sand. There is so much wildlife. Besides the Dingoes on the Island, keep your eyes peeled for the whales passing through (August – October), dolphins and the occasional shark fins peaking through the water! The speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour in good conditions. Keep an eye on the tide, you can quickly ruin a good holiday!

Whilst we were driving along the beach, we met this Dingo! I must say I was pretty stoked to see my first wild Dingo! If you didn’t know this already, there are roughly 200 Dingoes on the Island and they are very well protected. He (or she) came up to the ute, probably just on the search for some food. One thing that you must know is to not feed the dingos. They may look cute and cuddly but you must remember they are a wild animal. If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. It was pretty neat to see this trooper in its natural habitat.

btw – these photos were taken from our vehicle.

Crystal clear freshwater flowing from the rainforest to the sea. Don’t make the same mistake we did and forget to bring your inflatable tubes! There is a boardwalk along the creek where you can take a walk and watch the kiddos go for a swim. The water is almost as clear as Lake Mckenzie!

For a split second I thought I was back in Utah! The rock formations brought my straight back to when we did our road trip in the USA. You must stop at the Red Canyon and the multicoloured cliffs of the Pinnacles.

These clear natural pools are situated 2km North of 75 Mile beach. This place was mesmerising to watch the waves crash against the rocks. You can go swimming in these pools but just be aware of the tide.

Lake Wabby is a green coloured freshwater lake located on the eastern side of the island. To get to Lake Wabby, you have a few options. You can walk from 75 mile beach through a path near One Tree Rocks camping area. The other option is, you can drive to the lookout and do a short walk from the parking lot. The road to get to this point is quite rutted and can only be accessible via 4WD. From the lookout there is a track that heads down to the lake. Unfortunately we were running out of sunlight so we didn’t make it to the bottom. This is something we will make sure we do on our next visit!

There is one spot that I do recommend but unfortunately didn’t get any photos due to the weather conditions. The Maheno shipwreck. This attraction is really hard to miss because it is smack bang on the beach. The history of this wreck is very interesting, so it’s worth stopping and reading the informational boards. They also have more information located in the resort itself in a room near the front desk. If you have trouble finding the room, just ask the friendly staff.

On our last day of the Island life, we treated ourselves to a little sleep in. We made ourselves a coffee in our room and relaxed on the patio watching the sea from a distance. After a slow start of the morning, we headed to the Maheno Restaurant for a delicious buffet breakfast. We planned for a chill day so we went for a walk on the beach before checking out of the hotel. Once the car was all packed up, I went to Island Day Spa to spoil myself. I was torn between getting a facial or massage. I decided on the massage because my body was a bit tense after all the 4WDing. I instantly felt at ease when I walked into the spa with gentle music and calming aromas. They only use natural Australian products which I’m a huge advocate for. I must say this was the perfect way to end such an amazing weekend.