Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island, is a mystical place with so many facets ... from the pristine rainforest, shimmering freshwater streams and landlocked lakes, to its long surf beaches, sentinel-like basalt headlands, and cliffs and gorges splashed in earthy hues.
The Island is located approx. 300km north of Brisbane. This precious part of Queensland's natural and cultural heritage attracts thousands of visitors every year, who relish the opportunity to spend time basking in the island's unspoilt beauty. Maybe you'd like to try your hand at landing the evening's dinner, wash away your cares in the island's soothing crystal clear waters, or explore the countless inland tracks criss-crossing this environmental paradise. From long surf beaches to bird watching, rainforest treks or a 4WD safari, you'll soon discover Fraser Island is everything its World Heritage listing promises and more.
Along with its natural features, Fraser Island can also boast of top class resorts and excellent tour operations and facilities. For more detailed information about the island and what it has to offer just take a short tour with the mouse button through the following sections and pages.
History of Fraser Island
1770 - Captain James Cook was the first European to 'officially' discover the island. Believing it to be a long headland attached to the mainland he called the area "The Great Sandy Peninsula". Cook named many other landmarks that still exist today such as Black Bluff Head, Indian Head (upon seeing numerous natives) and Breaksea Spit, which is a reef some 45km long running north of the Island.
1802 - Matthew Flinders spent a few days charting in Hervey Bay. He wrote that this peninsula was barren and unimpressive, and did not establish that the "Great Sandy Peninsula" was in fact an Island.
1822 - Capt William Edwardson was commisioned by the Governor of NSW, Sir Thomas Brisbane, to locate a new site on a river suitable for a new penal settlement. During his exploration of the Moreton Bay/Hervey Bay area, Edwardson discovered that the Great Sandy Peninsula was in fact an island and officially records this discovery in his report to the Governor on the 29 July 1822. The finding of this report corrected the misconception that Andrew Petrie in 1842 established that the Great Sandy Peninsula was an island. (At the time Petrie was acting under orders from Governor Gipps, to capture the escaped convict Bracewell and look for the graves of Captain Fraser and his companions).
1836 - After 6 weeks at sea, survivors of a ship "the Stirling Castle" wrecked 200km north of Fraser Island, land a few kilometres north of today's Orchid Beach tourist resort. Among the survivors were Capt James Fraser and his wife Eliza Fraser. Her dramatic account of the shipwreck nightmare and subsequent capture by the Fraser Island natives has been told worldwide
1842 - Andrew Petrie officially confirmed that the Great Sandy peninsula was an island, referring to it in his journal as "Fraser's Island". He was unable to locate the burial places of Cpt. Fraser and his crew but did note the wealth of Kauri pine trees on the island. It has never been established whether the island was named after the captain of the Sterling Castle or from the many infamous stories of Eliza's ordeal.
