KFBR(2896) Fact sheet
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Fraser Island Fact Sheet
Fraser Island
The Formation of Fraser
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world,
stretching over 123 kilometres in length and 22 kilometres
at its widest point. The highest dune is 244 metres but
most rise to between 100 and 200 metres above sea level.
Drilling has shown the sand extends to 100 metres below
sea level in places. Most of the sand comprises grains
of quartz (silica), with less than two per cent being other
minerals such as the heavy minerals such as ilmenite,
rutile and zircon.
The shifting sands of Fraser Island, and those of nearby
Cooloola, have continually concealed and revealed a
unique geological history. The dunes have the longest and
most complete age sequence of coastal dune systems in
the world.
In 1972 UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention
to protect special places for all humanity. Fraser Island was
World Heritage listed by UNESCO in 1992 in recognition
of its natural values. The official citation pays tribute to the
island’s “exceptional natural beauty” and refers to “over
250km of sandy beaches with long, uninterrupted sweeps
of ocean beach, with more than 40km of strikingly coloured
sand cliffs, as well as spectacular dune blowouts and ocean
surf beaches; tall rainforests growing on low nutrient sands;
perched dune lakes including both clear “white water” lakes
and dark “black water” lakes; banksia woodlands, heath,
patterned swampy fens and sheltered mangrove areas in a
spectacular “mosaic landscape.”
Fraser Island provides a globally significant example of
geological processes and biological evolution, including:
complex coastal dune formations that are still evolving;
an array of lakes that is exceptional in terms of number,
diversity, age and the evidence of dynamic and
developmental stages; and outstanding examples of
ecosystems that have developed in response to maritime
conditions and poor soils in coastal dune formations.
The Great Sandy Strait, separating Fraser Island from the
mainland, is listed as a Wetlands of International Importance
(Ramsar Convention). The wetlands include: rare patterned
fens; mangrove colonies; sea-grass beds; and up to 40,000
migratory shorebirds. Rare, vulnerable or endangered
species include dugongs, turtles, Illidge’s ant-blue butterflies
and eastern curlews.
Kingfisher Bay Resort on the west coast covers 65-hectares
of land featuring wallum forest, melaleuca swamp, freshwater
lakes and heath land. Aboriginal sites include middens and
scarred trees, which form part of cultural-heritage walks
where guests are told about the plants which provided bush
tucker and medicines for the original inhabitants.
While most of the sand that makes up Fraser Island has
come from the far south-east of Australia, some of it
has travelled for thousands of kilometres and millions of
years from Antarctica, starting its journey before Australia
and Antarctica split from each other.
About 700 million years ago Antarctica had mountain ranges
that rival the modern-day Himalayas. These mountain ranges
were eroded with the resulting sands being accumulated on
the continental shelf where Fraser Island now lies.
The sand blows along the eastern coast of the island today
are mobile. The sand blows, formed by the prevailing
south-easterly winds, progress across the island often
burying forests and other plant communities. The rate of
movement of the dunes each year depends on factors
such as wind strength, the amount of moisture in the sand
and plant colonisation.
Stonetool Sand blow is an active mobile blow which
covered a forest. Now you can see this ancient forest
being uncovered as the sand blow moves across the island.
It takes its name from the Aboriginal stone tools which
were found there.
Coloured Sands
The coloured sands on Fraser Island occur north of Eli
Creek and comprise 72 different colours, mostly reds and
yellows. The colours are caused by the leaching of oxides
that coat each grain of sand, causing bands of colour.
Seventy-Five Mile Beach
An amazing beach highway where all road rules apply, the
speed limit is 80 kilometres an hour and you must give
way to aeroplanes landing and taking off. Spot the birds of
prey and sea birds that make their home on the east coast
and keep an eye out for dingoes. The fishing is excellent,
but the strong undertow and large sharks make it unsafe
for swimming.
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Maheno Shipwreck
Built in Scotland in 1905, the luxury cruise ship Maheno
sailed between Sydney and Auckland.
She was one of the first turbine-driven steamers and one
of the fastest ships of her time, setting a record for the
quickest crossing of the Tasman in 1907 (2 days 21 hours).
During World War One she was commissioned as a hospital
ship in Europe and also served in the Mediterranean and
the Red Sea. After the war the Maheno was recommissioned
as a cruise ship. On July 8 1935 while being towed to Japan
for scrapping, the Maheno was struck by an out-of-season
cyclone and washed ashore.
During World War Two the wreck was used for air force
target practice and by Z Force special unit who practised
planting limpet mines on her prior to the raid on
Singapore Harbour.
Rocky Outcrops
Three rhyolite outcrops, igneous rock from ancient volcanic
activity, provide an excellent example of how the rocky
outcrops affect the way the beach is formed from sand
being deposited in a reverse J shape (zeta curve).
This is best seen from the air or the top of one of the
three points.
Indian Head is the most prominent landmark on SeventyFive Mile Beach. The 60-metre high rocky bluff, shaped
rather like a whale, is a spectacular viewing platform.
You can often see birds of prey resting on the cliff tops
and sharks and rays swimming in the clear waters below.
Middle Rocks contain the largest true rock pools on the
island, the Champagne Pools, also known as The Aquarium.
They form superb natural fish traps and were used as such
by the Aboriginal people.Washed by waves at high tide, the
bubbling sea water makes them excellent swimming holes.
Waddy Point is the northern-most outcrop.
Lakes of Fraser
Fraser Island, surrounded by salt water and formed
entirely by sand, supports over 100 freshwater lakes
and numerous creeks.
The most visited lakes are perched dune lakes such as Lake
McKenzie and Lake Birrabeen, which have sparkling blue
water ringed by white sandy beaches and eucalypt forests.
Perched lakes sit upon a layer of humus impregnated sand
or "coffee rock" formed from accumulating organic matter
and sand cementing together into a largely impervious seal.
Perched lakes are dependent on rainfall for the
maintenance of water level. There is a slow loss of water
from perched lakes due to evaporation and seepage
through the coffee rock. The lakes are home to freshwater
turtles and in Basin Lake Krefft's River turtles can easily be
seen feeding near the lake shore. The lake nestles among a
tall open forest of satinay, blackbutt, smooth-barked apple
and scribbly gum.
Lake Wabby is surrounded on one side by the massive
Hammerstone Sand Blow and on the other side by eucalypt
forest. This is an example of a barrage lake, formed when
a creek became blocked by a shifting sand dune causing the
water flow to be dammed. Its emerald green waters are
home to 13 species of fish. Access it from the beach or via
Wabby Lookout which has magnificent views over the lake
and the sand blow.
Window lakes are formed where the surface of the sand
dips below the level of the water table. Ocean Lake is the
most accessible and best known. Window lakes support
more aquatic life and vegetation and attract more aquatic
birds than perched lakes. This could be because they
contain slightly higher levels of nutrients and trace
elements and because of the close proximity to the ocean.
Creeks
Fraser Island’s crystal-clear freshwater creeks flow silently
over sandy beds. They spring from a huge underground
aquifer which holds about 30 times more water than
Sydney Harbour. The creek water remains at a reasonably
constant temperature of 18°C. Hundreds of creeks spill
over the beaches of Fraser Island.Two of the bigger and
more beautiful are Wanggoolba Creek which flows from
the rainforest near Central Station to the west coast of
the island, south of Kingfisher Bay and Eli Creek, which
flows on to Seventy-Five Mile Beach at a rate of about 4.2
million litres of water every hour. Eli Creek is the largest
fresh water creek on the east coast of Fraser Island and
popular for swimming. Excellent examples of fore dune
stabilising plants can be seen from the board walk which
runs beside the creek.
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Plant Communities
Fraser Island has a wide variety of plant communities
growing in sand and ranging from coastal heaths to
subtropical rainforests. The plants find nutrients from thin
coatings on the sand grains and from the decomposed leaf
litter (humus) on the forest floor.
Coastal Heaths grow in the harsh conditions on the eastern
side of Fraser Island and have to contend with strong winds,
salt spray, sand blasting and limited fresh water. These plants
help to stabilise the sand and start the nutrient cycle.
Common plant species include beach spinifex, angula pigface
and horsetail she-oak.
Eucalypt forests are found across most of Fraser Island.
Open scribbly gum forest dominates in the drier areas
of the island. The trees have pale bark covered in what
looks like graffiti. This is caused by moth larvae making
shallow tunnels under bark which later peels off.
Tall blackbutt forests with an understorey of small shrubs
are found in the wetter areas of the island. Satinay and
brushbox dominate the edges of rainforest in what is known
as a transition forest. The understorey often contains
rainforest species.
Rainforests grow on sand dunes at the world’s highest
elevation, more than 200 metres.
Subtropical rainforests can be found in the centre of the
island in the moist gullies. These communities have a thick
canopy of leaves allowing minimal light to reach the forest
floor.This causes the trees to grow tall and straight to
reach the sunlight, making the trees suitable for logging.
Kauri pine and the piccabeen palm are common species
found in the rainforests.
Wallum heath lands, dominated by the wallum banksia and
featuring sedges and grass trees, are known for their
colourful wildflowers which are in full bloom in spring.
Heath lands can be found on the drier ridges and high plains.
In 1925 the satinay became the major timber logged on
the island after it was found to be resistant to marine
borers and became popular for use in marine conditions
around the world. Satinays, logged heavily in the Pile Valley
area, were used in the construction of the Suez Canal
and to rebuild the London Docks after World War II.
Closer to home they were used to construct Urangan Pier
in Hervey Bay.
Central Station, a former logging camp, is now a Queensland
Parks and Wildlife Service ranger information station and
interpretive centre. Some of the old loggers’ houses are still
there. A walking track takes you to Wanggoolba Creek,
which flows silently through the rainforest from the centre
of the island to the west coast. Easily accessed by a board
walk, the creek is home to the magnificent giant king fern.
You'll also see excellent examples of kauri pine, brush box,
Fraser Island satinay and piccabeen palms.
Fauna
Fraser Island is home to many different animals, however,
most are nocturnal and rarely seen.
The most obvious of the mammals on the island is the
Dingo. There are estimated to be 150-200 dingoes on
Fraser Island living in all habitats. Although they appear
similar to a domestic dog, they are more closely related
to the Asian wolf. Dingoes only produce one litter of about
4-6 pups each year, in August. Fraser Island’s dingoes are
among the most genetically pure dingoes in Australia.
There are 47 other species of mammals on Fraser Island
including the Swamp Wallaby, Small Eared Mountain Possum
and the Sugar Glider.
More than 354 species of birds have been sighted on Fraser
Island. The island has a wide range of habitats providing
different food sources, nesting and breeding areas.
Fraser Island is also a resting and breeding ground for
migratory birds, some from as far away as Siberia.
Logging was started on Fraser Island in 1863 by ‘Yankee
Jack’ Piggott and continued until December 1991 when
the island was nominated for World Heritage listing.
Fraser Island is home to 79 species of reptiles, including 19
kinds of snake. The most commonly seen reptiles are the
Sand Monitor and the Lace Monitor. These large lizards are
often seen around picnic areas.
The first trees taken by the loggers were the kauri pine,
the hoop pine and cypress pine.
Dolphins, dugongs, turtles, rays, and - from July to November
- migrating humpback whales, frequent island waters.
In the early 1900s hardwood species such as tallowood,
blackbutt and brush box were targeted.
Rare frog species, such as the “acid” frogs which have adapted
to survive in a difficult environment, can be seen and heard in
the swamps.
Logging History
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European History
Fraser Island was first sighted by Captain James Cook in
1770 while travelling up the east coast of Australia.
Cook named the island “Great Sandy Peninsula” in the
mistaken belief it was connected to the mainland.
In 1799 Matthew Flinders in the ‘Norfolk’ explored parts
of Hervey Bay and discovered the peninsula was, in fact,
an island.
In 1836 Captain James Fraser on the brig ‘Stirling Castle’
was wrecked at Swain’s Reef, north of Fraser Island.
The survivors travelled south in a life boat and eventually
found themselves marooned on Fraser Island. Of them, only
Eliza Fraser, the wife of Captain Fraser, lived to return
to the mainland and the island was subsequently named
after her.
Aboriginal History
The Butchulla people are the indigenous people of Fraser
Island. The tribal lands of the Butchulla extended from
Burrum River in the north, south to Cooloola National
Park and west to Mount Bauple. The Butchulla people's
name for Fraser Island was K'gari, pronounced Gurrie,
which means paradise.
The Butchulla tribe consisted of six clans, giving a permanent
population of about 700. This population increased to around
2,000 during winter when other tribes would visit to feast on
fish such as tailor and mullet.
There are now only a handful of surviving descendants.
Their history is an important part of Fraser Island and today
efforts are being made to find, recognise and manage cultural
sites so that future generations can learn, understand and
respect the Butchulla's way of life.
Reservations & Enquiries
Toll Free in Australia: 1800 072 555
Fax: 07 4120 3326
International Ph: +617 4120 3333
Fax: +617 4120 3326
Email: [email protected]
Internet: www.kingfisherbay.com
www. fraserisland.net
Printed June 2006.