Fraser Island Great Walk

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Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Hikerman » Sat 11 Dec, 2010 10:09 pm

Hi all

My wife and i have hiked a couple of the Great Walks and we are hoping to walk the Fraser Island Great Walk sometime in the new year (when its cooled down a bit)

Has anyone walked it and can recommend where might be a good place to start and finish? And what about getting in and out? We were thinking about doing three or four days as opposed to the full week hike as advertised on the DERM website.

Thanks
Happy Hiking

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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Earthling » Thu 16 Dec, 2010 1:30 pm

We are doing it over Xmas..24-30Dec. The logistics of getting in and out are absolute crap for a government walk...but hey its Queensland, expect anything different :roll:
Ive decided that for us entry will be by River Heads Ferry to Wanggoolba Creek. Im going to hold up a sign saying Dilli Village as the cars come onto the ferry and hopefully someone will give us a ride, has always worked overseas...not sure here though (possibly if no lift onto ferry, maybe even offer cars to drive you to Dilli Village for $50...better than $105 for a Taxi). Then walk the walk all the way through to Happy Valley (7days) and again try and hitch a lift back to Wanggoolba Creek Ferry back to the mainland. Should be good.

If we dont get that initial lift off the ferry, we will walk 5kms to trail and head to Central Station, then keep walking along the track through to Dilli (2 days) and get a Taxi for $105 to Happy Valley. Then walk south back to Wanggoolba Creek Ferry (5 days).

Alternative is to book and pay for a taxi whichever way you want to go. EXPENSIVE!!!
Wanggoolba Creek to Dilli $105
Happy Valley to Wanggoolba Creek $140
Taxi Ph 41279188
Then also add ferry costs...

Theres also a Car Security Compound at River Heads (private) for 6 nights $80 Ph 0409796249 ask for Shane

Heres a map:
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser ... nd-map.pdf
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Hikerman » Thu 16 Dec, 2010 11:11 pm

Earthling
Thanks for the reply and the great info.

Hope you have a fantastic and safe Christmas
Hikerman
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Lizzy » Sat 18 Dec, 2010 7:01 am

Hey Hikerman,
I did a 3-4 day walk there years ago so not sure if this is any use....
We caught a commercial 4WD bus tour from Hervey Bay over to Fraser Is did half the tour (which was great cuase we got to visit the Mahino Wreck & coloured sands) then we jumped off the bus on the beach not to far from Lake Wabby I think. Happily strolled along & camped for the next few days and jumped on the bus again at Lake Mackenzie I think. Worked well for us- beautiful swimming in those lakes but watch the march flies- they could have flown away with our packs there were so many of them especially near the beach
Cheers
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby north-north-west » Mon 20 Dec, 2010 4:43 pm

Yes, I did something similar about twenty five years ago. The commercial tours seemed to be fairly good value and it was easy enough to get away from the mobs. Probably all changed (for the worse) now. :roll:
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Pteropus » Tue 21 Dec, 2010 9:13 am

Hi Hikerman
I too am doing part of the Fraser Island Great Walk between Christmas and New Year. A mate has organised it and I have yet to look at the itinerary he sent me so I do not know that much about it. I can post about the experience in the new year though. I imagine that Aeroguard will be an essential item for the trip...
Cheers
Andrew
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Hikerman » Tue 21 Dec, 2010 10:59 am

Pteropus
Thanks for the post. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip.
Have a safe walk
Merry Christmas
Hikerman
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Pteropus » Tue 21 Dec, 2010 7:34 pm

Pteropus
Thanks for the post. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip.
Have a safe walk
Merry Christmas


Cheers mate! However, the weather forcast for the Queensland coast over the Christmas/New Year period is for very heavy rain and more flooding, so my friends and I may cancel. Merry Christmas to you too!
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Pteropus » Fri 24 Dec, 2010 10:49 am

My own Fraser trip just got canceled due to the wide spread rain and flooding. I do hope to do it later in the year though.
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby melot » Sun 26 Dec, 2010 10:02 pm

Hubby and I walked from Dilli Village to Lake Wabby over 5 nights/6days in June '07, then back to Eurong along the beach for a night of relative luxury. We caught the ferry from Hervey Bay to Kingfisher Bay resort then a prearranged Fraser Is 4WD taxi to Dilli Village.... also prearranged a food drop by the taxi serviceto Central Station, allowing some fresh food & alcohol along the walk. The taxi service also rents holiday homes @ Eurong which might have been a better option than the Eurong Resort. We had quite a bit of rain at the first half of our walk - by Central Station we seemed to have wet sand through much of our gear, but then it fined up and so did our spirits. It was a fantastastic walk, heaps of variety and not too busy in mid-winter, and the only sign of dingoes was footprints. The taxi service was very helpful. I had contacted them by phone from Brisbane, and would use them again. Many walkers would take less time than we did to go from Dilli to L.Wabby, but we are now "seniors" and turtle-slow, but steady.
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby Earthling » Mon 03 Jan, 2011 7:05 am

10" rain in 4 days...wet wet wet.
Ive certainly found where my gear is good in wet weather and where it needs improving.
We looked at the weather map and saw wet weather but wanted to go anyway.
Montane Atomic DT Jacket did not win the wet gear of the year award of 2010. It won the Im soaked through and all wet award.
Star performer was the TarpTent RainShadow 2 Kept us both dry and safe. Even when sitting in a small depression between some shrubs whilst 80-100k gusts came blasting at the front from the north (after setting the rear to the south the wind swung during the middle of the night) near the top of Badjala Sandblow. Sandblast was a problem and small particles did get in as well as some tiny rain particles forcing there way trough the noseeum mesh. It was either that or camping at Valley of the Giants with branches and the odd tree falling around us as of the strong winds. Easy option. Nice view from the tent that night...always nice having a storm lash around you whilst your safe, warm and fulltummied looking down over a very large sandblow with an ocean backdrop :D

We came in at Wanggoolba creek as planned and managed to get a free ride from Peter a tour operator who took us as far as Pile Valley just after Central Station to begin our walk. We then walked South through to Dilli Village. Boxing day we walked along the beach and hitched a ride to Eurong where after gorging on chips and pizza we got the Taxi for $65 to Happy Valley and stated walking the remainder of the trail. However...on the 5th day after the night at Badjala Sandblow and constant steady rain throughout the day we were heading to Lake Mckenzie that night for an early exit the next day trekking out to the ferry, when at Lake Wabby another Tour Operator stopped and said "Gday, do you wanna lift?" Debbie had been saying all morning that she wanted a lift out, whilst I tend to be a bit more pigheaded and always want to finish what I started upon. However, when he asked I looked at Debbie, weary, wet, bugging out at leaches, spotted from the mossies and Sandflies, blisters on both feet and thought its up to her. She wanted to opt for the ride. Sooo a day on a 35 seat 4wd Bus with a joyous smorgasbord free lunch..ooooo yeah...and some good company from overseas backpackers and the single Ozzie backpacker and a ferry ride at 5pm.
We ended up experiencing a lot of the goodness the track has to offer, and seeing things most people wouldnt (as they are too sane to go trekking in wet conditions :D ) whilst seeing those remarkable island tracks and some good company to boot!
A great trip and one I would highly recommend.

Hindsight 101:
Waterproof Camera with HD - Panasonic DMC-ZS5 and water dont mix
Inner waterproof Bag - Pack covers just dont cut the mustard in really wet weather, Pods kept warm and S/Bag dry
One piece tent pegs - Easton Stakes with their two piece configuration just dont work that well when the top pulls off....
2 x sand/wind pegs - a Spyderco and a tree branch are a close second
Outer Jacket must be waterproof - the Montane Atomic DT Jacket is meant to be a great UL jacket. However with its Entrant DT, backpack straps over a couple of days wears it enough that water just comes on in....research that one some more.
Prepare your own food - I prepared snacks and B/Fast for myself, however lunch and dinner were [repared by the other half.....dried peas and beans with rice noodles gets sickening after a while....ground hyrdated bean paste on crackers...its food and you can live on it, but it tastes like *&%$#!.

Regarding logistics, in future I would look at making the whole trek a 2 week adventure with entry and exit via Hook point at the bottom of the island. I would take a couple of days to trek up to Dilli Village, do the track in 7 days and then have 4 days to casually walk south along the beach back to hook point, allowing for a day off somewhere along the fortnight. Food drop points would be 2 at Dilli Village, 1 at Central Station and Happy Valley. That way you would only carry a max of 5 days food and get to expore the island and see its differnt facets even more.

Either ways go do it...its well worth it.
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Re: Fraser Island Great Walk

Postby isoma » Sat 08 Jan, 2011 1:03 pm

Pity about the weather guys ...
We did a Fraser trip close to 10 years ago now. Parked at Inskip Point and caught the ferry over to the southern tip. We quite naively thought we'd be able to get a lift or one of those 4wd taxis from there to Dili village where our hike was to begin. Needless to say, we ended up walking the 20-25 km of beach to our "starting point". It did, however, allow us to have a great campsite in the dunes for a night and turned what was meant to be leisurely 5 day trip into a bit more of an energetic exercise. We did what was then known as the Southern Lakes circiut which is probably now just part of the Great Walk. Campsites at Lakes Boomanjin, Benaroon and McKenzie. On our way through Central Station we organised a 4wd taxi from Lake Wabby back to the ferry. I do remember it being outrageously expensive ( especially for a uni student) but we had no other reliable option.
From what I understand this is the most scenic part of the island and while I'm sure that the above circuit (minus the beach walking) could be done in just a couple of days I would definitely recommend taking it easy and bringing along a good camera ( I think I even carried a tripod).
I don't remember the march flies or midgies as being all that bad. Hinchinbrook on the other hand ...
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