Sandy Fraser Island. Fraser Island and sand dunes. Where is Fraser Island located?
When translated from the local language, Fraser is translated as "Kgari-rai". Indeed, there are not many places in the world with sandy beaches, clear water flower meadows and blue skies above. Why isn't it heaven?
More recently, Fraser Island was recognized as the largest sandy place in the world. Coastline extends over a distance of 110 kilometers. The main highlight of the island was its sand dunes. Some of them reach a height of up to 250 meters. Combined with emerald forests, they look very much like snow.
The name of the island was given by a family of Europeans who were shipwrecked off its shores. It cannot be said that at that time relations between the population of the island and civilized Europeans were hostile. And of course, few people were happy about this addition. For a long time, the Frasers were even held captive by local residents.
In 1992, the island was added to the World Heritage List and a nature reserve was created on its territory. But regardless of such important events in Fraser’s life, the island has always been popular with tourists.
What is surprising is that, despite the ocean surrounding it on all sides, the island abounds in fresh water bodies. Scientists nicknamed them “hanging”, due to the fact that they seem to hang between the salty ocean water. In total, there were 100 such reservoirs on the island. The most famous was Lake Mackenzie. This is all due to its extraordinary beauty and fresh waters. The lake is fed only by moisture from precipitation, and the water in it is practically distilled, which affects its animal composition. It is completely devoid of organisms, even germs and bacteria. But most importantly, it is surrounded by a snow-white sandy beach.
The biggest freshwater lake called Boemingen, and it extends over 200 hectares. Despite the tropical hot climate, the water here is always pleasantly cool. This is what made the lake famous among tourists. The numerous eucalyptus trees growing on the coast give a special highlight. There is also a small rain forest nearby.
Throughout the history of the island, the population has constantly changed. There are currently just over 400 people living on the Fraser, of whom only 11 are descendants of the Aborigines who held the Fraser family captive. After that crash, some time passed and colonialists poured onto the island to establish settlements here. Naturally, local residents opposed this, and the war began. There were much more Europeans, so the aborigines were almost completely exterminated. These days the island is tourist place with numerous parks, hotels, entertainment programs etc. You can get here by plane, but the best option There will be a barge crossing with your own car.
Fraser Island is very different from the continent of Australia primarily due to its comfortable warm climate. That is why it has such rich flora and fauna. Due to the wide variety of vegetation, the island is rich in animals. In fresh water bodies you can find turtles, in the forest - bats, as well as endemics - kangaroos, opossums, etc. To get closer to the animals, tourists are invited to take a canoe excursion. Well, how can you do without birds? The island is simply a paradise for bird watchers. More than 350 species live here, including rare specimens.
Since Fraser Island is considered entirely tourist center, in addition to excursions and relaxation on the beach, there is a wide selection of sports and extreme entertainment: surfing, bodyboarding and many others. Some people even fly here just to ride around the island on a yacht and look at sea creatures.
Well, of course, if you don’t want to think through the route yourself, you have the opportunity to use different sightseeing tours. Each of them necessarily includes a visit to Happy Valley, where the remains of a liner washed ashore during the First World War are located.
Since there are a lot of tourists, the population is very worried about the environmental situation on the island. Therefore, nowadays there is active promotion of tourism under open air in tents or campsites. It is assumed that in this way it will be possible to preserve the well-being of the environment.
Fraser is one of the resort islands of Australia; it consists entirely of sand, and this is its uniqueness.
Located along east coast across the channel from Hervey Bay.
In the Aboriginal language Fraser is called "Kgari-rai".
It's fair - wide and clean sandy beaches, tropical forests and flowering heather meadows under a clear blue sky suggest just such a comparison.
Fraser is considered the world's largest sand island. It stretches for more than 110 km in length, up to 23 km in width, and the sand dunes of the island are its attraction. These natural structures reach a height of almost 250 meters. In addition, they are absolutely white and against the green background of the forests covering the island they look almost like snow.
Fraser got its name thanks to a couple of Europeans who were shipwrecked off the coast of this lost island. warm waters Pacific Ocean islands. It must be said that in those days - 1836 - relations between the aborigines and Europeans were quite aggressive, so local tribes were not too happy about such a neighborhood. As a result, the Fraser couple were held captive by the Aborigines for some time. In 1992, Fraser became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and received the status nature reserve. Despite this, it is very popular among tourists and travelers.
Surprisingly, this island, washed on all sides by the salty ocean, has quite a lot of fresh lakes. They are called “hanging” because they seem to hang between the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean. There are more than 100 of them. One of them is Lake Mackenzie, located in the forests 100 meters above sea level. This is the most beautiful fresh lake. The water in it is formed only from precipitation. It is almost distilled, so no freshwater organisms can live in it. But around the lake snow-white beach from the purest quartz sand.
And the largest of them is Boemingen, which is approximately 200 hectares in size. The water in the lake is cool and fresh, which is in sharp contrast to the Australian climate, which is mostly hot. This is why Boemingen is so popular among tourists.
Palm trees, mangroves and bamboo, and tropical rain forest also grow on the shore of the lake.
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To date indigenous people The island has only 400 people, 11 of whom are descendants of the very tribes that held the Fraser couple captive. It should be noted that a few years after the captivity of the shipwrecked Europeans, colonialists from European countries came to Fraser and formed many new settlements. Of course, the natives were against such intervention, and a war broke out. The unequal enemy forces simply destroyed the small and weakly armed army of the Australian tribes. Almost everything local population was destroyed. Now Fraser is just a place of entertainment for tourists, where tourist complex: hotel, motel, swimming pool, bar, shop and cafe. You can get to the island by small plane, but it is better to rent a car on the mainland and cross on a barge. Having your own wheels, you can get to know the island much better.
Fraser differs from the rest of Australia in its milder climate, the island's nature is rich and diverse thanks to a large number moisture. In the western part of the island there are mangroves and swamps, the east is a string of beautiful sandy beaches, and in the northern part of Fraser there is national park Great Sandy.
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Because the vegetable world Fraser is quite diverse, and the animals live there are very different. For example, several species of turtles are found in fresh lakes. In the forest you can see bats and foxes, as well as representatives of classic Australian fauna: possums and wallabies, echidnas and dingoes. To observe animals in natural environment habitats, tourists are offered canoe trips. In addition to the wildlife, it is not difficult to spot electric rays, sharks and dolphins in the waters surrounding the boat. The migration routes of humpback whales swimming in the island also pass by Fraser Island - these animals can be observed from August to October.
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The world of birds will also not disappoint ornithology lovers. The Fraser is home to approximately 354 species of birds, 18 of which are considered raptors. You can also see such rare birds as the spiny-legged owl and the ground parrot.
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Since the tourism infrastructure of Fraser is quite developed, tourists, in addition to comfortable beach holiday, a variety of sports entertainment is offered, some of which are extreme. For example, surfing or bodyboarding along sand dunes followed by a noisy dive into the lake. To the program active entertainment Also included is a 4WD ride along the coast, where you can admire the Cathedral Rocks - amazing and majestic piles of multi-colored sand. Mini planes fly over miles of beaches, and small boats float tourists down the rushing Ely Creek straight to the ocean. Many travelers come to Fraser Island just to go sailing and observe marine life in their natural environment.
Sightseeing tours on the island usually include Happy Valley, where the wreck of the Makhino ship is located. This hulk was built in 1905 and served first as a transatlantic liner and later, during the First World War, as a floating hospital. The ship was later washed ashore on Fraser Beach during a cyclone.
To preserve the island's ecosystem, the population of Fraser actively promotes wild or green tourism, which involves overnight stays and living in the open air or in a tent and moving around the island in an off-road jeep. This method of travel allows you to admire the untouched beauty of Fraser's nature without harming the ecology of one of the most amazing islands in the world.
A charming island lost in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean near eastern shores Australia, got its name thanks to the married couple James and Eliza Fraser. Before European colonization, several thousand Aborigines lived on the island, who called it K'gari, which translated from the Butchulla language means "paradise" or "heavenly." In 1836, the ship "Stirling Castle", captained by James Fraser, was wrecked off the shores of the island, and the surviving sailors landed on the shore. The local residents were quite hostile towards the strangers. The relationship between the natives and Europeans was very aggressive.
Fraser is the world's largest sand island. Its length is just over 110 km, and its width is from 7 to 23 km. Administratively, the island belongs to the Australian state of Queensland. At the end of the last century, in 1992, Fraser received the status of a nature reserve, and was designated as world heritage UNESCO. Today the island is very popular among tourists.
One of geographical features Fraser has many fresh lakes, which is quite unusual for a sandy island, which is washed on all sides by ocean waters. The most large lake covers an area of about 200 hectares, its name is Lake Boemingen. Its cool, blue-blue water is refreshing and makes it possible to forget about the hot Australian sun for a while, which is why tourists often relax on the shores of the lake. In addition, Fraser has the famous majestic sand dunes, the height of which reaches 240 meters. The island attracts tourists with its beauty, mild climate, well-developed infrastructure and many archaeological artifacts that have cult significance for the local population.
Great Sandy National Park is open in the northern part of the island. West Coast covered with swamps and dense mangrove forests. The east coast has more than a hundred kilometers of beautiful sandy beaches, somewhat reminiscent of the famous Brazilian Copacabana.
The island's flora and fauna are diverse: evergreen jungles grow on sandy soils, and several species of turtles live in warm fresh lakes. In the forest there are bats, including flying foxes, opossums, wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, and dingoes. For those who like to watch animals in their natural habitat, canoe trips will be interesting, during which tourists will see dolphins, sharks, and electric stingrays. From late summer until October, you can watch the migration of humpback whales swimming in South Antarctica. Ornithologists and those who love birds will be interested in local rare feathered representatives: the spiny owl, the ground parrot. Currently, the island is home to 354 bird species, 18 of which are raptors.
Lovers extreme sports can try their hand at surfing or choose unusual entertainment– bodyboarding on sand dunes, from which you can immediately jump into the lake, exploding water surface thousands of refreshing sprays.
Local residents are making every effort to promote green tourism. To preserve the island’s ecosystem, “wild” tourism is actively promoted here. Of course, lovers of a comfortable stay can stay in one of the cozy hotels with excellent service. But most tourists still want to get to Fraser to challenge wildlife: pitch a tent in the dense jungle, swim in lakes, travel exclusively by off-road jeep and observe the natural, untouched beauty of one of the most mysterious and amazing islands planets.
Fraser Island
I'm posting photos from Fraser Island, where we went at the end of December. This is the biggest sand island in the world - its dimensions are 120 km long, 24 km wide. There are no roads on the island, so the most popular way to get around here is by jeep.
— homo-ludenus, 23 Jan 2014, 08:00
Fraser Island
The next day we took a ferry to Fraser Island, where we had booked a two-day tour. The island itself is sand dunes; there are no usual roads there (especially asphalt ones), so movement is only possible in all-wheel drive vehicles specially prepared for sand.
— happy-yozhik, 15 Apr 2013, 23:41
The largest sand island in the world
Fraser Island is entirely given over to the island of the same name. natural Park- a unique combination of dunes, tropical rainforest, crystal clear cries (please, without bad associations - hereinafter the cry is from the Australian “creek” - river, stream, etc.) and the habitat of an isolated population of red dingoes.
— kaihopara, 22 Apr 2012, 01:01
Fraser Island, day three
So, in the morning we found the sun shining in all its subtropical glory and were terribly happy, because that day we had to swim in the Champagne Pool and walk along the stone booms protruding into the ocean, from which you can see how the latter “breathes”.
— raevskaya-o, 17 Apr 2011, 04:00
Fraser Island, day two
On the second day a visit to the green Lake Wabby was planned. We thought for a long time about how to get there without getting too shaken up. Deep sand, ditches and ruts, knee-deep mud, tree roots and stones - on the first day we got a real forest 4WD track.
— raevskaya-o, 14 Apr 2011, 00:53
Fraser Island, day one
Every trip to Fraser Island is a holiday for me, I don’t even know why. Staying on this island gives you a feeling of complete isolation from reality, even though there are usually tons of people there. In general, relaxing there is simply magical! What exactly do I like?
— raevskaya-o, 6 Apr 2011, 21:56
Trip to Fraser Island
Fraser Island is one of the must-see places in Australia. This is the world's largest sand island. Located near the east coast of Australia, 300 km from the city of Brisbane. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as unique natural monument.
— whiskeymaker, 2 Nov 2010, 11:00
Australian paradise
Australia is a grateful island, as if created for a person to relax, immerse himself in meditation and thank the heavens for their generosity. My report about how great it is to relax as a civilized savage on the diverse Fraser Island.
— rothaarige-live , 22 Sep 2010, 21:35
Fraser Island: SS Maheno
Just a little text and pictures about the motor ship Maheno, the remains of which have been lying there on 75 Mile Beach for 75 years. As it turned out, there is no romantic story connected with the wreck of this ship, but it lived a rather long and eventful life.
— raevskaya-o, 6 Feb 2010, 00:56
Fraser Island: Lakes
Everything that I wrote about earlier about Fraser Island is an integral part of it, but this is not the main thing. Why you need to go there is to swim in fresh lakes, of which there are a huge number. They are all different and very warm, in general, it’s a pleasure to lie in them for hours, which is what we did throughout our trip.
— raevskaya-o, 2 Feb 2010, 00:19
Fraser Island: 4WD
You can get to Fraser Island only with an SUV - by renting it or purchasing a tour, again on a variety of 4WD wonder cars. Now I will show you why this is so...
— raevskaya-o, 30 Jan 2010, 23:30
Fraser Island: Dingo
Today I’ll tell you about the wild dogs dingoes, to whom humanity has given a huge gift by bringing them from South-East Asia to Australia around 4,000 BC. The dogs were so happy about this that they settled almost throughout the entire continent, including islands except Tasmania.
— raevskaya-o, 29 Jan 2010, 04:37
Fraser Island (also known as Great Sandy Island) is an island off the east coast of Australia in the state of Queensland. The island is mainly covered with sand, with dunes up to 260 meters high. In addition to the sands, there are more than 40 fresh lakes, as well as mangrove forests and swamps.
— australia-best , 25 Sep 2009, 10:04
Lakes in Fraser Island
The lakes on the island are absolutely amazing. Firstly, they are fresh and there are a lot of them. Actually a lot, more than fifty pieces. Not so much big island. Right next to Australia. Given that in Melbourne people are not allowed to water their small areas near their houses with tap water, there is no point in wasting such a valuable resource.
— tas-s , 18 Sep 2009, 14:55
Fraser Island: Sequel
The first coastal dune protects the island from the constant wind carrying salty fog, and immediately behind it the nature of the vegetation changes dramatically. Eucalyptus and acacia trees appear, not very tall yet, but this is already a real forest.
— tas-s , 18 Sep 2009, 08:43
Fraser Island. Botany, ecology, etc.
Fraser Island is located off the east coast of Australia and is separated from the continent by a not very wide strait. It was formed from sand that ocean currents moved along the Australian coast, which is why its shape is elongated from north to south.
— tas-s, 17 Sep 2009, 07:24
Dingo
The theme of wild dingoes runs through all sources of information about Fraser Island. Every brochure, every guidebook, and numerous warning signs at campsites will feature dingoes. They even came up with a special term - to be dingo-safe.
Fraser Island
Fraser Island (English: Fraser Island or Great Sandy Island) itself is one of the attractions of Australia. This large island, consisting entirely of sand, has no analogues in the world. In 1992 he was included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.
The island's area is 1840 square kilometers and is geographically part of the state of Queensland. Fraser Island stretches along the coast of the Coral Sea. Scientists claim that the island was formed by huge sand dunes that formed more than four hundred years ago.
Among the local aborigines, the name of the island originally sounded like Kagri, which translated into Russian means “Paradise”. It was renamed in the last century; today’s name is similar to the name of Captain Fraser, who crashed his ship not far from the island.
Fraser photo
For several years, Captain Fraser and his wife lived on the island with the rest of the surviving crew. In 1840, European colonialists came to the island and formed a new settlement. A war broke out between the aborigines and Europeans, during which almost the entire local population was exterminated. Today, only 400 people live on the island, eleven of them are surviving descendants of the Aboriginal people.
The whole nature of Fraser Island is unusual and attractive. For example, here you can see high sand dunes rising almost 150 meters. One of the main natural attractions of the island is its sandy lakes; there are more than forty of them. Basically, these are small lakes from which streams flow into the Coral Sea.
There are also several large lakes eg Lake Boemingen. The area of this lake occupies more than 200 hectares. A small river called Ely Creek also flows through the island. Tourists visiting the island always wonder why the lakes and rivers are not absorbed into the sand? The fact is that at the bottom of these lakes there is a dense “bed” of peat, which forces them to remain on the surface. This is truly a unique phenomenon.
Tourists are attracted to Fraser Island primarily by its magnificent sandy beaches. They are surrounded by exotic vegetation, which can also be considered a local landmark.
Near the beach there are small groves of palm trees and eucalyptus trees, and if you go inland, you can find untouched tropical forest with thickets of lianas and eucalyptus trees. The record-breaking eucalyptus grows in this forest; its height is 70 meters. This eucalyptus gave rise to the declaration of a forest on the island security zone. In this reserve you can observe more than eight hundred species of tropical plants, as well as animals inhabiting these places.
The island is home to wild Dingo dogs, although their numbers are decreasing year after year. This happens because they interbreed with domestic dogs, and the purity of the species disappears. In this regard, on the island local residents It was forbidden to have dogs.
As for other representatives of the animal world, here you can find such exotic animals as possums, echidnas, fruit bats, or flying foxes. There are still horses on the island that were once brought here by Europeans, however, they are all wild.
Among the reptiles on the island, there are combed crocodiles, many different lizards and snakes. One of the rarest animals here is the marsupial wallaby. This is a type of kangaroo that is smaller in size.
The coastal waters of the island are home to tiger sharks, humpback whales, dugongs, dolphins and many rare species of jellyfish and fish. Among the rare bird species, it is worth noting the ground parrot, honeycreepers, kingfishers, seagulls, and cockatoos.
Fraser Island is located in Queensland, north of Brisbane, and is a 123-kilometer-long sand spit separated from the mainland by a wide strait. You can get there only by a double-decker ferry, from the upper deck of which you can enjoy an unforgettable view of the world's largest sand island. To preserve the nature of the island, it was created here, covering its entire territory. There are no permanent settlements on the island. In 1992 it was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List.
The island got its name from the captain of the British cargo ship Mobile Castle, which was wrecked at the northern tip of the island in 1836. Local aborigines from the Badtjala tribe rescued the captain and tried to do everything possible to cure him. But, despite their efforts, the captain soon died. His wife lived with her rescuers for about six months, after which she was found in good health by the British and taken home.
And the island owes its formation to the ocean waves and their tidal regime. By the way, it is the last factor that is felt first when driving along the ocean coast. Under the wheels it is absolutely smooth, without the slightest potholes or ruts, but not an asphalt road, but a sandy road. Or rather, not even a road, but simply a wide, several tens of meters long shore. Closer to the ocean there is sand with water, and closer to the center of the island it is dry and crumbling. Tidal fluctuations in the ocean, as is known, occur twice a day -. And most importantly, every day has its own schedule. And to make it easier, tourists are given special leaflets indicating the time and height of the maximum and minimum sea level marks.
Another treasure of the Fraser, unique not only in shape and color, but also in composition and animal population, are fresh lakes lying among the dunes. There are more than 40 of them, which is half of all inland lakes on the planet! Among them are the world's largest lake of this type in size - Bumanyin (200 hectares) and the highest - Boomerang (120 m above sea level). All lakes are completely different. Some are surrounded by dense forests with rich undergrowth, for example a lake, where tourists especially like to come around Christmas. On the shores of other lakes, on the contrary, there are areas of bare dune sand. However, both are poor in nutrients, hence life.
A lot of surprising things can be found, if desired, right next to the path on seemingly bare ground. From time to time you notice small green circles, two centimeters in diameter. If you carefully pick up one of them with a knife, it will rise and turn out to be... a lid that hinges back, as if on a good “hinge,” and closes the entrance to the house of a hunting spider with smooth inner walls. Most likely, you won’t find the spider in the house: sensing that the “prey” is too large, it will quickly crawl through the “back door” into the hole, further into the ground, before prudently slamming the “door”.
King parrots and yellow-tailed black cockatoos can be found in the treetops. An emerald pigeon feeds on fallen fruit on the ground. The brush-tailed glider and sugar glider also live here (although you can only see them on a specially organized night excursion).
Dingoes, these amazingly beautiful lean dogs of red color, with white paws and a narrow “fox” muzzle, are found everywhere. These dogs are very attractive, and their puppies, like any puppies, are also very touching. Therefore, the simple human desire of tourists to give the dingo something from their supplies in response to their pleading look is understandable. Some dogs constantly live in the vicinity of tourist sites and have already forgotten how to get their own food. Such dingoes, if they are denied a handout, become aggressive and can even bite. They become especially demanding during the period of feeding puppies, i.e. in winter (in Australia this is June - August). It is for this reason that they cause concern to the rangers. The most aggressive dogs have to be caught and destroyed.
In this regard, at all tourist stops (and several thousand of them come here every year - mainly in the Australian summer) special posters are hung: “Bt§oe8”. They inform visitors about the importance of conserving the dingo population on Fraser Island. After all, in all of this, this is practically the only absolutely pure community of dingoes that have no contact with domestic dogs. It also explains why feeding dingoes is so dangerous: dangerous for visitors.
Catching aggressive dogs is part of the rangers' job national park. They are also responsible for all information and environmental services. In addition, they must be able to provide first aid and, if necessary, quickly evacuate the victim. Rangers regularly monitor the condition of the sites and ensure that tourists comply with the established rules of conduct. They are engaged in supplying campsites with firewood, showing slide films in the evenings, holding various holidays, etc., etc. In short, the Fraser Island rangers are as wonderful a landmark of this corner of Australia’s nature as its yellow dunes and coffee rocks, tree ferns and blooming orchids, emerald doves and the wild dingo.
