PARADISE ON FOUR WHEELS

Ten days exploring magical K’gari

- DAN GREC

At the top of the bucket list for every four-wheel driver, Fraser Island off Australia’s East Coast easily boasts the best beach driving in Australia. For decades many have referred to the island as paradise, and now that it has been re-named back to the Aboriginal name ‘K’gari’, it should be no surprise the name translates to ‘paradise’.

K’gari is the world’s largest island made entirely from sand—27 cubic miles of the stuff. Much more than just sand, however, K’gari also boasts huge inland rainforests, unique wildlife, old-growth forests up to 1,000 years old, and more than 865 species of plants. This incredible island paradise was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992, and most importantly for us, the entire island can be explored in your own four-wheel drive.

Always on the lookout to include family, Katie and I meet up with my Uncle Ron, and together we load up on all the supplies we can carry in Hervey Bay, a few hours North of Brisbane. We have planned ten days on the island, including a criss-cross route from south to north with the aim of visiting all the highlights and out-of-the-way corners the island has to offer.

Ferry to paradise 

K’gari sits barely half a mile off the mainland, and multiple barges and ferries make the crossing continuously, transporting an armada of well-equipped 4x4s and madly grinning people. Many of the decked-out vehicles could easily be on the cover of a magazine, and they’re all packed to the brim, ready for adventure.