Day 1: Melbourne to Hervey Bay
Getting to K’gari/Fraser Island (from now on I’m just going to call it K’gari) is a process. The first step was flying to Hervey Bay, which is where the ferry to the island originates. Originally our flight was in the afternoon, so we needed to stay overnight in Hervey and catch a ferry the next day. Our flight was changed to an early morning flight but we opted to keep the first night in Hervey Bay.
Hervey Bay (pronounced like Harvey) is a destination in its own right, not just a jumping off point for K’gari. There’s a long beach great for walking. Or just sitting and looking at. There’s lots of shade along the shore.
We got a refreshingly cheap taxi from the airport. He almost dropped us at the wrong hotel — we were at The Beach Motel Hervey Bay, not the Hervey Bay Motel, how could you confuse those two? 😉. Glad I caught that. Though we arrived in the morning they were able to get us into our room right away, which was convenient. We set out to do errands first, hitting the supermarket for breakfast items for the island and the bottle shop (liquor store) for wine and beer and some spiced Australian rum for the island.
After that we headed for the beach to walk. We saw more colorful birds along the way: a noisy miner, some rainbow lorikeets enjoying a snack, and a blue heron down at the beach that was not bothered by our presence. We also saw a turtle on the beach.
The plant life was interesting too. The bottlebrush banksia blooms are cool and so are the spider lilies. We liked the orange berry and lavender flower combination too.
For dinner we walked down the street to the Badger and Browns Burgerie where we got … burgers. (They also have chicken and veg sandwiches and chicken wings.)
Day 2: Hervey Bay to K'gari/Fraser Island
The following morning we were out roadside for our shuttle to take us to the ferry. We ended up with a whole bus to ourselves, which made it easy to chat with the driver along the way. The shuttle dropped us at the resort’s mainland office where we checked in. Our bags were transferred for us. After waiting for everyone to arrive we got on the bus to head over to the ferry. The ferry carries vehicles too. There was plenty of seating.
Normally the water in the strait is blue, but they’d had a lot of rain recently and much of the water was brown. There was a clear dividing line in spots between the brown and the blue.
We pulled up to the pier on the island and there was a tram waiting to transfer us up to reception. Luggage was transferred separately. At check-in they handed us our keys and off we went!
The Kingfisher Bay Resort has a central hotel and main complex with bars, restaurants, a pool, a store, etc. There are walking trails, ranger guided activities, tours, and tennis. There are also villas and houses. We stayed in a resort room and were happy with our choice.
We were curious if the beach was more for lounging or walking. Given the dingo presence — they provide dingo sticks for self-defense at the beach — we did our lounging by the pool!
The resort rooms were in buildings of four connected by raised walkways, giving a treehouse effect. The central resort building was open and airy. There were boardwalks around for strolling, lighted at night.
It was 5 o’clock where we were when we sat down on our balcony with a beverage.
We had dinner at Sand & Wood Restaurant, which had a fairly standard Australian menu.
Day 3: Pool Day
Our first day we dedicated to lounging by the pool. Our balcony was quite large and covered, which was handy for avoiding sun and rain as needed. We enjoyed coffee there in the morning and drinks there in the evening. This was our view.
There were two pools, enough seating, and lots of shade. A monitor lizard walked across the pool deck while we were sitting there.
We also watched a local honeyeater go after a nearby banksia flower. Dinner was at Dune, the Asian-fusion restaurant.
Day 4: Beauty Spots Tour
Our one planned excursion here was the Beauty Spots Tour, a tour of the island via 4WD bus. It was a great way to see the island.
We were back in plenty of time to get cleaned up and have dinner. We did not like the Aussie spiced rum as much as we did the Fijian rum. Or Captain Morgan.
Day 5: Walk to the Northern Lookout
It rained this morning. A lot. It is a rainforest after all. This photo is looking across through the rain to another room acorss the gap.
It cleared up later and we took a walk to the northern lookout. The trail was inside the dingo fence but we were still a little nervous thanks to all the venomous snakes in Australia. The dingo fence encloses the main resort area and some of the walking trails.
We also wandered out on the beach for a little while. We saw a dragonfly, a crow with a snack, and a colorful crab. And crab tracks.
Day 6: Another Pool Day
On our last day we started with a walk around the wetlands to stretch our legs.
We checked out the beach again. It looked more appetizing in the sun.
We got a good look at a monitor lizard along the way.
We spent some time by the pool later, until we were chased undercover by rain. The ducks enjoyed the weather. Though not the children that were chasing them. We enjoyed a couple of leisurely beers under cover.
By the day we left the water was looking much clearer. We and our bags were transported (separately) down to the pier. Once back on the mainland, a shuttle arranged through the resort dropped us at the airport for our flight.
Essentials
Lodging
Our room at the Beach Motel Hervey Bay was spacious and clean and since it opened to the walkway on one side and a private balcony on the other, we had cross breezes with both doors open. So nice. We could easily have stayed longer.
Our room at the Kingfisher Bay Resort was also spacious. There was no kitchenette but we didn’t really need them. Just the fridge and the electric kettle were enough. Having the large deck was great. The resort was just what we were looking for: nice facilities and service without being overly fussy. We ended up staying for five nights — we’d planned on four — because they had a deal to pay for 4 nights and get the 5th night free. No brainer.
Dining
There are two restaurants at the resort. We alternated between the two. Both had good food and service, and menus with enough variety to not get bored over five nights.
At Sand & Wood, the standard Aussie restaurant, we had fish and chips, lamb shanks, burgers, calamari, and steak. All the food was good and the menu had a good variety with both larger and smaller plates.
At Dune, the Asian-fusion restaurant, we had wontons, spring rolls, duck pancakes, stir fry beef and kung Pao chicken. Our first night we tried eating with only the provided chopsticks. We survived, but the second night we asked for cutlery. Just not good enough with chopsticks! We found Dune more calm than Sand & Wood.
Transportation
We got a shuttle from our motel to mainland reception and from there to the airport to fly out. The resort arranged all of that plus the ferry to and from the island. Once on the island a tram met the boat to transfer guests to reception on the island. The resort handles luggage transport. The shuttle also runs back and forth to the beach, but it wasn’t a long walk so we never used it. If you have a car they have secure parking on the mainland. One of the reasons we chose the resort was that it allowed us to see more of the island without having to drive ourselves.
You can get to Hervey Bay (and from there to the island) via bus or train but the schedules just didn’t work for us, so we flew in from Melbourne and out to Brisbane.