Fraser Island is 3.5 hours north of Brisbane by car, and 4.5 hours from the Gold Coast. Fraser Island and Eliza One – is only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicle, or by air. There are barge services (we recommend Mantaray Barge Services, locally owned and operated from Rainbow Beach), from Hervey Bay, and Rainbow Beach to Moon Point and Inskip Point. See below for barge details.
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Once arriving on Fraser Island, it is a 1.5 hour drive to Eliza One, Orchid Beach. The Island’s only roads are inland sand tracks and the eastern beach. The eastern beach from Hook Point to Sandy Cape is the main highway for the island and driveable only on the hard sand below the high-tide line.
Always travel on the beach as close as possible to low tide, and not more than 3 hours either side of low tide. The western beach is almost totally undriveable because of the terrain such as mangroves, cliffs and creeks. We recommend your tyres are depressurised to between 18 – 25 psi depending on conditions, and recommend you buy a detailed map of Fraser Island. Police patrol the island and normal road rules apply, with a speed limit of 80kph on the beach.
BARGE TIMES:
From Inskip Point
(20 min. drive from Rainbow Beach) to Hook Point on the southern end of Fraser Island. Regular barge services opperate on demand, generally from 6am – 5.30pm. The trip takes 10 minutes- no bookings required. Phone: (07) 5486 3227 or 0418 872 599.
From River Heads
(20 min. drive from Hervey Bay). Bookings are required for these services: departs River Heads 7.15am, 11am, 2.30pm. Return: departs Kingfisher Bay 8.30am, 1.30pm, 4.00pm. The trip takes 45 minutes. Phone Fraser Island Barges: 1800 249 122 or (07) 4194 9222.
From Urangan
Bookings are required for these services: departs 8.30am, 3.30pm. return: departs Moon Point 9.30am, 4.00pm. The trip takes 60 minutes. Phone Fraser Island Barges: 1800 249 122 or (07) 4194 9222.