Fraser Island History and more

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Fraser Island - so full of history and beauty.

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). Click for more information

1836 - Eliza Fraser. 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. Read more about Eliza Fraser ...

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.

1935 - The Maheno. The "Maheno Wreck" is situated on the island's ocean side, approximately 64 kilometres from Hook Point, the southern most tip of the island. In 1935, this once luxury ex-Trans Tasman liner, was being towed to Japan for scrap when her towrope snapped during a cyclone. The ship was driven ashore by the strong winds and has remained there ever since.

The Stirling Castle and the Maheno are not the only vessels to have come to grief on Fraser Island. Read more about Fraser Island shipwrecks here ...

Places of beauty

Central Station was so named because it was once a forestry camp and headquarters for the railway that served the areas where logging was conducted at the northern end of the island. Today it serves as the main information centre for the island. This is among the best of Fraser Island's rainforest areas and includes picturesque walks along the palm and fern studded banks of Wangoolba Creek.

Among the ferns is the angiopteris fern, an ancient species boasting the largest single fern fronds in the world. There are picnic areas provided and nearby there are huge stands of Kauri and Hoop pine decorated with large Staghorns. This would be one of the island's most popular stopover spots.

Lakes
Fraser Island has over forty freshwater lakes. Some of these are unique perched lakes which are created when water is held by impermeable rock in depressions between sand dunes and located well above the sea level. The largest of these being Lake Boomanjin which is also the largest perched lake in the world.

Two other type of lakes occur on the island, window and barrage. A window lake is where the ground drops below the water table. Lake Yankee Jack and Ocean Lake are good examples of window lakes. Lake Wabby although a window lake is also classed as barrage lake which is formed by a sandblow blocking a natural spring and creating a damming action.

Most of the lakes are deep enough to swim in and some contain freshwater turtles and tiny fish. The most beautiful of them, by common consent, are the twin Wabby Lakes followed closely by Lake McKenzie which is probably the most popular. Each lake has its own individual character, some with pure white sand and crystal clear water, others stained red with tannin or set among sand dunes and beautiful forests. All are worth a visit including Lake Birrabeen and Lake Bowarrady to name a few.

Creeks
Hundreds of creeks and streams flow through the lush tropical forests down to the sea on both sides of the island. The water is pure and clean from being filtered through the fine sands of the island. Of all the creeks and streams on the island, Eli Creek on the eastern side and Wangoolba Creek at Central Station are exceptional. Eli Creek is the largest of the freshwater streams flowing into the ocean. With its cool clear water surrounded by lush rainforest, it is a popular swimming spot for visitors.