Fraser Australia. Fraser island and sand dunes

Fraser(eng. Fraser island or Great Sandy Island) is a sandy island off the east coast of Australia.

Discovery history

In 1770, the English explorer James Cook discovered the east coast of Australia. About 150 kilometers north of modern city Brisbane he passed big Island with a sandy coastline, which today is visited by up to 300,000 tourists a year. But then Cook paid no attention to him. He and his companions considered that this was not an island, but a peninsula. Finally, a few years later, a researcher set foot on this sandy shore. Matthew Flinders... He wrote: "Nothing [could be] more barren than this peninsula.".

If Cook and Flinders dared to traverse several kilometers of golden beaches and dunes, their opinion of the island would change completely. They would discover a world of pristine rainforests and transparent lakes, sandy cliffs of a wide variety of colors, and hundreds of animal species. In 1992, the world's largest sandy island, known as Fraser, was inscribed on the List world heritage.

Island geography

Fraser Island is 120 kilometers long, 25 kilometers wide, and has an area of ​​160,000 hectares. The sandy hills rise nearly 240 meters above sea level, making it the world's tallest sand island. The huge masses of sand that formed the island are believed to have been washed out of the Great Dividing Range - mountain system, which stretches along the entire east coast of Australia. For a long time, heavy downpours washed rock particles from these mountains and carried them into rivers and then into the sea. Ocean currents turned stones into sand and gradually carried it northward. Grains of sand accumulated on the rocky areas of the seabed, and over time, Fraser Island appeared in the sea. Since then, the Pacific Ocean has continued to reclaim new sand. The winds carry it inland, forming dunes. The dunes, in turn, "creep" further, one meter a year, filling everything in their path.

Island freshwater lakes

Surprisingly, there are 40 freshwater lakes in the depressions of the sand dunes on the island. Some of these pools of water are called "hanging lakes" because they are found in large depressions at the top of high dunes.

Why doesn't water seep through the sand? It is retained by organic deposits, or peat, - the remnants of rotted leaves, bark and branches. The island also has “window lakes”, which form when a depression in the sand is below the water table. Seeing through loose rocks, water filtered by sand accumulates in transparent lakes. The lakes on the island are replenished by rainfall, which falls up to 1,500 millimeters per year. Water, flowing out of the lake or seeping through the sand, forms streams that rush into the sea. One of these rivers carries over 5 million liters of water per hour to the Pacific Ocean.

Forests

Due to the abundance of moisture, Fraser Island has a lot of greenery. Wet rainforests do not usually grow on barren sand. But Fraser Island is one of the few places on earth with lush forests among the sand. Indeed, once the forest was so dense that lumberjacks could operate there for 100 years. Eucalyptus, agathis and tallow were the special pride of foresters.

In 1929, one of them said: “Travelers can see a living wall of huge trees up to 45 meters high. The trunks of these forest giants reach 2-3 meters in thickness "... Some trees, such as the syncarpia, were cut down for the construction of the Suez Canal. But today, logging on Fraser Island has stopped.

The tragic story of Fraser Island Paradise

The island got its name in connection with the tragedy that happened there. In 1836 the captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza were shipwrecked in the brig Stirling Castle and landed on the island. Obviously, James was killed by the natives, but Eliza still managed to escape. In memory of this event, the island was renamed from Big Sandy to Fraser Island.

The indigenous inhabitants of the island also suffered a hard fate. Previously, more than 2,000 Aboriginal people lived here. They were strong, strong people. They called their island Kgeri, or Paradise... As the legend says about the building of this island, it was the most beautiful place on earth. Unfortunately, many islanders died from diseases introduced by Europeans. In addition, at the beginning of the 20th century, most of the remaining aborigines were sent to reservations on the mainland.

Fauna of the island

Today the island is a wildlife sanctuary. Its most famous inhabitant is the dingo, a wild Australian dog. Fraser Island Dingos are considered the purest in eastern Australia, as they do not interbreed with mainland domesticated dogs. Dingos are similar to domestic dogs, but they are not tame at all, and therefore you need to be careful with them.

More than 300 bird species can be seen on the island. Brahmin kites and white-bellied eagles soar over the beaches, and rainbow-blue forest kingfishers swiftly sweep over the lakes. Frequent guests are such migratory birds as Mongolian plovers, which hatch chicks in Siberia, and fly to the south for the winter. They stop at Fraser Island before continuing on their journey. Over 30,000 gray-headed flying foxes - the so-called raven-sized bats - come to the island during the eucalyptus bloom to enjoy the flower nectar.

The waters around the island are also teeming with life. Here you can see humpback whales sailing from the icy Antarctic to the Bolshoi Barrier reef for mating and giving birth to cubs. Before heading back, the whales make an amazing show: they jump out of the water and fall noisily, raising columns of spray that are visible from several kilometers away, as if they are giving a farewell salute to the beautiful island.

Fraser Island is located in the state of Queensland, north of Brisbane, and is a 123 km long sandbar, separated from the mainland by a wide strait. You can get there only by a two-story ferry, from the upper deck of which you can enjoy an unforgettable view of the world's largest sandy island. To preserve the nature of the island 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 name of the captain of the British cargo ship "Mobile Castle", which crashed off the northern tip of the island in 1836. Local Badtjala aborigines rescued the captain and tried to do everything possible to heal him. But, despite their efforts, the captain died soon after. His wife lived with her saviors for about six months, after which she was found in good health by the British and taken home.

And the island owes its education, ocean waves and their tidal regime. By the way, it is the last factor that is felt in the first place when driving along the ocean coast. Under the wheels is absolutely smooth, without the slightest potholes and potholes, but not asphalt, but sandy road. Rather, not even a road, but just a wide, several tens of meters shore. Closer to the ocean, sand with water, and closer to the center of the island - dry and crumbling. The tidal fluctuations of the ocean, as you know, occur twice a day -. And most importantly, every day has its own schedule. And to make it easier in it, tourists are given special leaflets indicating the time and height of the maximum and minimum sea level marks.

Another treasure of Fraser, unique not only in shape and color, but also in composition and animal population, are freshwater lakes lying among the dunes. There are more than 40 of them, which is half of all the inner-junction lakes of the planet! Among them - the largest lake of this type in the world - 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, kutsa, tourists especially like to come around Christmas. On the shores of other lakes, on the contrary, there are areas of outcropped dune sands. However, both of them are poor in nutrients, and therefore life.

A lot of surprising, if desired, can be found right next to the path on the seemingly bare ground. From time to time you notice small, two centimeters in diameter, green circles. If you gently pick up one of them with a knife, it rises and turns out to be ... a lid that folds back, as if on a good "loop", and closes the entrance to the hunter spider's house with smooth inner walls. The spider itself is most likely not to be found in the house: sensing that the "prey" is too great, it will quickly crawl through the "back door" into the burrow, further into the ground, before prudently slamming the "door".

Royal parrots and yellow-tailed black cockatoos can be found in the crowns of trees. On the ground, an emerald dove feeds on fallen fruits. And also the brush-tailed possum and the sugar glider live here (however, you can see them only on a specially organized night excursion).

Dingo, these amazingly beautiful lean dogs of red color, with white paws and 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 dingo something from their supplies in response to their pleading look is understandable. Some dogs constantly live in the vicinity of tourist camps and have already forgotten how to get their own food. Such dingos, if denied a handout, become aggressive and even bite. They become especially demanding during the period of feeding the puppies, that is, in winter (in Australia it is June - August). It is for this reason that they disturb the Rangers. The most aggressive dogs have to be caught and destroyed.

In this regard, at all the parking lots of tourists (and there are several thousand of them coming here every year - mainly in the Australian summer) special posters are displayed: "Btgoe8". They educate visitors about the importance of preserving the dingo population on Fraser Island. Indeed, in all this is practically the only absolutely pure community of dingoes that do not have contact with domestic dogs. It also explains why it is so dangerous to feed the dingo: dangerous for visitors.

Catching aggressive dogs is the task of the rangers national park... They are also responsible for the entire information and environmental service. In addition, they must be able to provide the first medical assistance and, if necessary, quickly evacuate the victim. Rangers regularly monitor the condition of the parking lot and ensure that tourists comply with the established rules of behavior. They are engaged in supplying campfires with firewood, showing slide films in the evenings, organizing various events, etc., etc. In short, the Fraser Island Rangers are just as great an attraction in this corner of Australia's nature as its yellow dunes and coffee rocks, tree ferns and orchids in bloom, emerald doves and the wild dingo dog.

Fraser Island

Fraser Island or Great Sandy Island itself is one of the landmarks of Australia. it large island, entirely composed of sand, unparalleled in the world. In 1992 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The area of ​​the island is 1840 square kilometers, geographically it belongs to 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 which took shape more than four hundred years ago.

The local aborigines had the name of the island originally sounded like Kagri, which means “Paradise” in Russian. It was renamed in the last century, its current name is consonant with the name of Captain Fraser, who crashed on 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 members. In 1840, European colonizers came to the island and formed a new settlement. A war broke out between the aborigines and the Europeans, during which almost the entire local population was exterminated. Today, only 400 people live on the island, eleven of them are the surviving descendants of the aborigines.

The whole nature of Fraser Island is unusual and inviting. For example, here you can see high sand dunes, rising to 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 several large lakes e.g. Lake Boemingen. This lake occupies more than 200 hectares in area. There is also a small river running through the island called Eli Creek. Tourists visiting the island always wonder why the lakes and rivers are not soaking into the sand? The fact is that at the bottom of these lakes there is a dense "bedding" of peat, which makes them stay 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 palms and eucalyptus trees, and if you go inland, you can find an untouched rainforest with thickets of vines and eucalyptus trees. A record-breaking eucalyptus grows in this forest, its height is 70 meters. This eucalyptus gave reason to declare the forest on the island a protected area. In this reserve, you can observe more than eight hundred species of tropical plants, as well as animals that inhabit these places.

Wild Dingo dogs live on the island, however, their number decreases year after year. This is due to the fact that they interbreed with domestic dogs, and the purity of the species disappears. In this regard, on the island local residents 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. On the territory of the island there are horses that were once brought here by Europeans, however, all of them are feral.

Among the reptiles on the territory of the island are found crested crocodiles, many different lizards and snakes. One of the rarest animals here is the wallaby marsupial. It is a smaller kangaroo species.

The island's coastal waters are home to tiger sharks, humpback whales, dugongs, dolphins and many rare species of jellyfish and fish. Of the rare species of birds, it is worth noting the earthen parrot, honey plants, kingfishers, gulls, cockatoos.

Fraser is a sandy island off the east coast of Australia, separated from the mainland by vast swampy areas. The aborigines who inhabited this island before the arrival of the Europeans named it Kgari, which means “paradise”. And they can be understood - the place is truly heavenly: white sands, mangroves, lakes and exotic flora and fauna.

The island received its modern name by the name of Captain Fraser, who was wrecked off these shores and, together with his wife, was forced to settle there.

Fraser is the world's largest sandy island. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique natural site.

How to get there

The nearest international airport to Fraser Island is in Brisbane. There are no direct flights from Russia, a round-trip flight with one stop costs from USD 1,017 per person. Further from Brisbane - to the small town of Harvey Bay on the coast. There are many ways: a plane, several trains, buses or a rented car.

The fastest way is by plane. The journey will take just over 2 hours, the ticket price is from 110 USD per person one way. You will spend about the same amount on a train ticket, which takes 4.5 hours. A slower train (6.5 hours one way) will cost half the price. Most a budget option- this is a bus, a one-way ticket costs from 30 USD per person.

Harvey Bay has quays from which barges depart several times a day for Fraser (approximately 6:00 am to 6:45 pm). The ticket costs about 60 USD per person, you can buy them at the pier.

A barge ticket alone is not enough to get to Fraser Island. You also need a special permit - "permit". It is issued by default if you rent a Jeep in Harvey Bay, or if you have a reservation at any of the hotels on the island.

Find flights to Fraser Island

Hotels

There are several hotels and guest houses for tourists on the island. The average cost of a night in a hotel is about USD 100 per night for a double room. Hotels are usually located in a picturesque location with a swimming pool, garden, gazebos and other amenities. Guest houses a little cheaper: from 70 USD per night for a double room, the location is also great, but there may not be a swimming pool or area with a garden.

Fraser Island beaches

The Fraser Coast has over 100 km of sandy beaches. Most of them are wild, but even on the popular beaches there is practically no tourist infrastructure. Swimming in completely deserted places is not recommended, since they are not deserted by accident: there may be sand dunes, dangerous currents, jellyfish, dingo dogs and other not very pleasant neighborhood. The most popular beaches among tourists are Orchid, Indian's Head (it is so called for its intricately cut coastline), Cathedral, Quartz Sand Beach and Happy Valley beaches.

It is much safer to relax on the shores of freshwater lakes. There are more than 40 of them on the island, the most famous of them is the bright blue Lake Mackenzie. Nobody lives in it - the water in the lake is distilled. There are always a lot of people here (a lot by local standards - in any European beach resort the beaches are by no means more crowded), and if you want to enjoy absolute silence, you should arrive before 16:00, when the buses with tourists are already leaving.

Entertainment and excursions

First of all, people go to Fraser for rest on white beaches and observing wildlife. In the west - mangroves and marshes, in the east - sand, and in the north - impassable equatorial forests (in the same place national park Great Sandy National Park).

Not only vegetation is distinguished by a variety, but also animal world... Sea turtles live in local freshwater lakes, and the wild dingo dog lives in large numbers on land. She is not wild in the full sense of the word: once she was already domesticated, but after that she went wild again. Dingos can be found almost anywhere on the island, they live peacefully in their flocks and are never the first to attack people. But it's better not to bother them: they will certainly defend their territory. The local forests are home to about 350 bird species, many of which are protected, such as the earthen parrot and the needle-footed owl.

Day and night excursions can be booked directly at the hotel to explore the island's natural surroundings. Another option is to go to boat trip and get up close to sharks, dolphins, humpback whales and other marine life. At night you can see bats, foxes and many colorful frogs.

Humpback whales can be seen migrating from August to October on Fraser Island.

There are no cultural or historical sites on the island, but tourists are usually impressed by the huge pyramids of household waste, consisting mainly of fishing tackle and boat wrecks. In Happy Valley, you can still see the wreck of the Makhino ship, which sank off the coast of the island during World War I, and visit the abandoned McKenzie pier, where the Zed assault force was based during World War II. On Cape Lunar, there is a sacred place where women of the Aboriginal tribes gave birth to children.

Most of the activities offered on the island are active. You can ride jeeps along the sandy Cathedral Cliffs or fly over them in a mini-plane, raft down the Ely Creek and get off at open ocean, go sailing and fishing. The worms may have to be dug by ourselves, but this is very easy: after low tide, they lie right on the shore.

Fraser Island travel

The largest sandy island worldwide is the Australian Fraser. It stretches along the eastern coast of the country, and covers an area of ​​about 1840 square kilometers... Translated from the Aboriginal language, "Fraser" means "paradise" and as proof of this, on the island you will meet over 40 freshwater lakes, dunes and others natural monuments, many of which are under the protection of UNESCO.

Western Fraser Island in Australia is busy mangrove forests and swamps. To the east is a huge sand beach, the length of which is about 100 km. Pristine equatorial forests are the hallmark of Fraser's northern coastline.

It is not surprising that in such different natural conditions a variety of animals live. The shallow lakes are inhabited by turtles, and the wild dog Dingo has chosen areas of land. Going for a canoe trip, you can see electric stingrays, and in the surrounding forests there are about 350 species of birds, some of which are protected (earthen parrot, needle-footed owl and others). Cruise Along the shores of Fraser Island, you can see dugongs, turtles, dolphins, sharks, humpback whales up close. If you decide to explore the territory of the island at night, you will be able to observe the life of bats and foxes, sugar possums, frogs. In addition, there are kangaroos, wallabies, and echidnas on Fraser.

Travelers who find themselves on Fraser Island will hardly be bored, because it is literally dotted with interesting and memorable places... The best way to start exploring the island is to observe the herbs and flowers, which will help trace the evolutionary path of plants over 700 years. The sand dunes of Fraser will tell about the centuries-old climatic features of the region, giant hills of household waste, fishing nets and tackle, notches in trees, temporary dwellings testify to a person's stay in these places.

The best place telling about the life of the first settlers is the Arched Rocks, here tourists will see a platform where men gathered and played the ancient instrument of the didgeridoo to attract good luck on the upcoming hunt. In the depths of the colored rocks, the Moon Piglet is hidden - a sacred place where new members of the tribe were born. And history lovers will find the Happy Valley, which stores the wreckage of the ship "Makhino", which sank off the coast of the island during the First World War. No less interesting is the walk to the abandoned pier "McKenzie", which served as the stronghold of the assault force "Zed" during the Second World War.

After long walks and interesting discoveries, it is worth pampering yourself a little. An unforgettable vacation awaits guests of the eco-friendly boarding house, where you can enjoy a relaxing massage session, try cool cocktails and tasty and healthy food. In addition to him, on the territory of Fraser Island there are many hotels, individual guest houses, which are located in scenic spots, but only the daredevils who decide to spend a vacation in a tent camp can feel the unity with nature. The best hotels the island is considered Kingfisher Bay Resort, Cathedrals on Fraser and Orchid House.

You can try authentic dishes at Seabelle Restaurant Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island Retreat and Maheno Restaurant.

To visit this wonderful corner of the planet, tourists will have to overcome a difficult path. First you need to get to international airport and buy a flight ticket to the town of Hervey Bay. Once in the latter, it is enough to find the marina, from which ferries depart to Fraser Island. Flights are carried out daily, with a small interval in time.