Bundaberg

On our way from Rockhampton to Hervey Bay, we took a stop in Bundaberg at the famous Rum factory. We were one of the last clients visiting the factory and the very last ones leaving the parking lot late afternoon. We couldn’t take advantage of the rum tasting though. I was still required to drive and my wife was still breastfeeding, so we left the top spot for rum in all of Australia with two t-shirts rather than a taste or bottle of rum.

Hervey Bay

When we arrived in Hervey Bay and checked into our motel, we were lucky. The motel owners also acted as agents for various Fraser Island Tour Operators. Since touring the island with a one year old was not recommended or even declined by some tour operators – we called a handful on our way to here -, we decided to rent another 4×4 vehicle and do it self-driving style.

Why you wonder, did we have to rent another one although we had our Mitsubishi Pajero from Europcar? Well, most of the regular rental cars – even 4x4s – are not allowed to go beyond certain limits. In our case, our rental contract excluded everything north of Cape Tribulation and a few of the Islands, including Fraser.

Fraser Island

The next day, we took over our rental 4×4, a very run-down Toyota Landcruiser, and headed off to River Heads to catch the first ferry to Fraser Island.

We decided to tour Fraser Island in ‘reverse mode’. So we would cross the island to Eurong and drive north on the beach till we reached our north-most destination “The Pinnacles – Coloured Sands”. We had sandwiches for lunch and marveled at the different shades of yellow, orange, taupe and light reds of the sands.

The Pillars / Coloured Sands on Fraser Island

Then we turned back south and stopped by the famous S.S. Maheno wreck.

Afterwards we headed for Eli Creek, where we enjoyed the cool fresh water and then went on to Lake McKenzie, where we just dipped our toes because it was time to return for the last ferry.

Recommendations for Fraser Island

The Fraser Island tour was a bit of a rush. Not as relaxed as we would have liked it to be. If you allow me to make a recommendation to you: Plan at least three days/two nights on Fraser Island. Stay in Eurong. It’s expensive, but the hassle and lost time going back and forth to the mainland prohibits reaching some of the more remote sights of the Island.

Plan enough time to swim and hang lose at some of the sweet water lakes or Eli Creek. It’s a very unique experience. If you are interested in four wheel driving and on the adventurous side – rent your own vehicle. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive than a bus tour, but it brings you so much closer to the real Fraser experience. If we were able to do it with our one year old on the back-seat, you can do it without problem, too.

Our challenge at that time – was Debbie: The cyclone was expected to land fall in two days, so there was no way we are going to stay on Fraser for much longer. Hence, the next day we packed up in Hervey Bay and decided to visit Lake Lenthall on our way to the Noosa Heads area, where we hoped to stay safe during the landfall of Debbie.

Lake Lenthall

Lake Lenthall is another dam used for fresh water conservation. To get there is a small challenge, if you don’t have local know how and have to use Google Maps or any other GPS tool. Don’t use GPS in this case. You’ll end up dead-ended in private property or take a major unnecessary detour to the south via Maryborough West, when you are approaching the lake from Hervey Bay.

Here is the fastest way to get there from Hervey Bay:

Leave Hervey Bay west-bound till you reach Bruce Highway (A1).
Turn south on Bruce Highway for about 8km. On the right hand side, you will see a very small green sign (like the ones used in the national parks) to Wongi State Forrest.
Turn right at this sign. This turn off is a few hundred meters north of Duckinwilla and it is not easy to spot.
Follow the track which leaves Bruce Highway on a 90 degrees angle. There are also tracks running parallel to Bruce. Do not take these.
Drive on for a few hundred meters and turn on your satnav or Google Maps again.
Now you have a good chance, it will calculate the fastest route to the lake.

When we did the tour, it was pouring rain again for most of the time. The gravel roads became muddy and challenging at times, but we managed to get to Lake Lenthall without problem.