How to Get to Fraser Island (K’Gari) – and Is it Worth It?

After spending five weeks road-tripping from Cairns to the Whitsundays, I had one final problem to solve: how to get to Fraser Island (K’Gari).

During my journey south, I had already met torrents of people travelling in the opposite direction (south to north).

When I asked them their favourite place on the east coast so far, the resounding answer was K’Gari.

K’Gari seemed to hold the key to every adventure traveller’s heart: camping, stargazing, wild swimming and sightings of wild animals.

Best of all, the island is only accessible via a four-wheel drive, so you get to experience driving off-road.

When I was planning my Fraser Island trip, I found it difficult to find a clear answer to how to get to Fraser Island (K’Gari).

That’s why I’ve created this blog post, to break down all of the different ways to visit K’Gari – and why you might choose one over the other.

While you’re here, feel free to open up a new tab with my backpacking Whitsundays budget guide or Cairns travel itinerary to plan more of your east coast trip.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a qualifying purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you – thanks for your support.

Where is K’Gari (Fraser Island)?

K’Gari (Fraser Island) is an island located off the east coast of Australia.

It is just under 300 kilometres north of Brisbane, making it a popular stop on a road trip from Brisbane to Cairns.

If you are taking a vehicle to K’Gari, you can access the barge at Inskip Point, which is a 15-minute drive away from Rainbow Beach.

The passenger ferry departs from Inskip Point or River Heads (a 20-minute drive south of Hervey Bay).

Inskip Point

Tours to Fraser Island depart from three main places on the Queensland coast:

• Rainbow Beach: Most tag-along and coach tours depart from Rainbow Beach due to its proximity to the Inskip Point barge.
• Hervey Bay: There are fewer tours from Hervey Bay, but it’s still a good option.
• Noosa: Noosa is far more ‘happening’ than the other two places. However, tour options are more limited.

I chose Rainbow Beach as my departure point. It may be small, but it has a decent selection of hotels and a long sandy beach where you can go bodyboarding or surfing.

It’s also home to the Carlo Sandblow, a sand dune with ridiculously nice sunsets.

Rainbow Beach and Carlo Sandblow

I stayed at Freedom Backpackers Hostel, and it was just what I needed: centrally located and friendly. It also has two kitchens and a café.

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Is Fraser Island Worth Visiting?

K’Gari is one of the most popular destinations on the east coast of Australia.

However, it’s still not as well known as the Whitsundays, so it doesn’t feel overcrowded.

As someone who craves adventure and hands-on experiences over ticking off a list of things to see, Fraser Island surpassed all of my expectations.

By staying overnight, I had plenty of time to spend at each location (at least an hour or two) on Fraser Island, going wild swimming in Lake Mackenzie, exploring the 75 Mile Beach at sunset, stargazing on the beach, and floating down Eli Creek on an inflatable.

Lake Mackenzie

I also got to experience camping.

This was my first time camping in Australia, and as a tour group, we shared a barbecue, games and stargazing on 75 Mile Beach.

My campsite on Fraser Island

If you like any of the following, you’ll probably enjoy a trip to Fraser Island…

• Camping: To stay overnight on Fraser Island, most people camp. You can bring your gear or go stay in a pre-erected tent.
• Stargazing: The island has very low light pollution, making it great for stargazing.
• Wild swimming: You can’t swim in the ocean, but Eli Creek and Lake Mackenzie are great wild swimming destinations.
• Wildlife: Fraser Island has wild dingoes, possums, wallabies, owls, snakes and more.
• Shipwrecks: Visiting the shipwreck SS Maheno is a popular activity on K’Gari.
• Driving a four-wheel drive: The only way to get around is via dirt tracks and the sandy 75 Mile Beach.

K’Gari is also easy to get to, as there is an international airport in Brisbane.

From Brisbane, you can take the Greyhound bus from Brisbane to Rainbow Beach in 5 hours and 15 minutes.

Things to See on Fraser Island

How to Get to Fraser Island (K’Gari)

There are five main ways to get to Fraser Island (K’Gari).

Out of these, hiring a four-wheel drive (or taking your own four-wheel-drive vehicle) gives you the most freedom. However, you must be an experienced driver and confident navigating the quickly changing tides.

Therefore, joining a tag-along tour is the best option for the average person. These multi-day tours travel as a convoy of four-wheel vehicles, with guests permitted to try driving.

If you don’t care about the driving aspect, you can join a multi-day coach tour for two to three nights.

Finally, if you are short on time, you’re left with the option of taking a day tour (normally by coach) or taking the passenger ferry.

Let’s jump into each option in more detail…

1. Explore K’Gari with your own vehicle

Best for: Exploring at your own pace (suitable for experienced drivers only)

Exploring K’Gari with your own vehicle is by far the best way to visit the island.

However, ask yourself these two questions first:

1. Do you have experience driving a four-wheel drive?

Driving a four-wheel drive is very different to driving a normal two-wheel-drive vehicle, as all four wheels are powered.

You need to know how to change your driving style based on the terrain. Furthermore, if your vehicle gets stuck, you need to know how to get it unstuck.

Before driving on the sand, you will also need to deflate your tyres (and re-inflate them when you’re back on a tarmac road).

2. Are you comfortable navigating the island’s changing tides?

On K’Gari, the general advice is to stay away from the beach for two hours on either side of high tide.

Therefore, you need to keep track of the tide times on the island and plan your activities around this.

If you’re still happy to drive, then continue reading. Otherwise, skip to the next section for other ways to get to Fraser Island…

How to take a vehicle to Fraser Island

If you want to take your own vehicle to Fraser Island, you need to purchase a Vehicle Access Permit (VAP).

You can buy a VAP on the Queensland National Parks website.

To transport your vehicle to K’Gari, head to either:

• Inskip Point: a 15-minute drive from Rainbow Beach. The barge takes 10 minutes to reach the island.
• River Heads: a 20-minute drive from Hervey Bay. The barge takes 30+ minutes.

You can book the barge in advance online: Mantaray Barges operates the barge from Inskip Point and SeaLink operates the ferry from River Heads.

Fraser Island Without a Tour: How to hire a four-wheel drive for Fraser Island

There are plenty of companies in Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay that offer four-wheel drive hire for K’Gari Fraser Island.

The best-rated companies (according to Google Reviews) include:

• Fraser Dingo 4WD Adventures – Hervey Bay
• Aussie Trax – Hervey Bay
• Atlas – Booral
• Rainbow Beach Adventure Centre – Rainbow Beach
• Rainbow Beach 4×4 Hire – Rainbow Beach

Many of these companies also offer a 4WD hire package with camping included. However, it’s usually cheaper to arrange your own campsite.

My tent on Fraser Island

There are 45 camping areas on Fraser Island. You need to purchase a camping permit and book a campsite in advance on the Queensland National Parks website. It’s pretty straightforward.

If you don’t want to camp, you also have the option of staying in one of a small handful of hotels on K’Gari.

Out of these, the most popular are Kingfisher Bay Resort (on the west coast) and K’Gari Beach Resort (on the east coast).

One of the ferries goes directly to Kingfisher Bay Resort, so many people stay there for their first night and then move to K’Gari Beach Resort for their second night.

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2. Join a Fraser Island tag-along tour

Best for: The thrill of driving on Fraser Island within the safety of a tour group

For the average person, a tag-along tour is the best way to visit Fraser Island (K’Gari).

These tours came about as a solution for tourists who want to try driving on Fraser Island without hiring a vehicle or monitoring the tides.

If you’re not experienced in driving a four-wheel drive, the tours offer some training before letting you get behind the wheel.

Most tag-along tours last for two to three nights and cost $500 – $700.

Budget tag-along tours stay at one of the island’s campsites, whereas more luxurious tours stop at one of the island’s hotels.

By far the most popular company for tag-along tours is Dingo’s, which runs a 3D2N tour or a 2D1N tour from Rainbow Beach.

I tried booking the Dingo’s 3D2N tag-along tour a couple of months in advance, and they had already sold out, so it’s best to reserve your spot at least three months in advance.

In the end, I took the Dingo’s 2D1N coach tour, and I can confidently say I would re-book with Dingo’s in a heartbeat – it was well worth the money.

Our guide kept the tour very upbeat, all while making sure we stayed on schedule.

The camping accommodation also exceeded my expectations. It was more like glamping than camping. I shared my tent with three other people, and we had access to shared hot showers and proper toilets.

I also like that Dingo’s offers vehicle insurance as an add-on on their tag-along tours.

• Most popular: Dingo’s 3D2N (from $569 AUD) – from Rainbow Beach.
• Best for just one night: Dingo’s 2D1N (from $519 AUD) – from Rainbow Beach.

Don’t want to camp? I’d opt for the 3D2N or 2D1N tours by Fraser Dingo 4WD Hire tours (from $530 – $630 AUD) – they depart from Hervey Bay and include a beach house stay and pink vehicles!

3. Take a multi-day coach tour

Best for: Exploring K’Gari from the comfort of a four-wheel coach

If you don’t fancy driving on K’Gari, you can take a multi-day coach tour instead.

After leaving it too late to book a tag-along tour, I went with this option and had an incredible two days exploring Fraser Island.

These tours don’t use a normal coach; they use small four-wheel-drive coaches. This takes away any pressure associated with driving a four-wheel drive for the first time.

Travelling by coach also has its perks: there’s more time to make friends, take a nap, or admire the scenery.

Typically, coach tours stop at a campsite overnight. However, many also include a night at a resort if you fancy a more comfortable night’s sleep.

• Best overall: K’Gari Explorer 2D1N tour (from $665 – includes hotel accommodation) – from Hervey Bay
• Best for families: 3D2N tour with resort stays (from $773) – from Hervey Bay

4. Take a day tour

Best for: Exploring on a budget or with time restraints.

If you are short on time or travelling on a budget, taking a day tour to Fraser Island (K’Gari) is still a nice way to experience the island.

Day tours are generally very fast-paced. They often pack a lot into one day, such as visiting Lake Mackenzie, Eli Creek and the 75 Mile Beach.

There are two main variations of day tours: coach tours and boat tours, with the former being the most common.

If I was going to take a day tour, I’d rather go by boat. The coaches follow a very similar route, which can make things feel crowded.

Instead, boats avoid the crowds. For example, the Remote Fraser Island boat tour focuses on whale-watching, kayaking on creeks and swimming with turtles (in creeks, not the sea).

That sounds way cooler than spending the day on a coach (the reviews confirm this…), and it’s also less expensive.

Check the availability here:

• Best by boat: Remote Fraser Island boat tour (from $249 AUD) – departs from Hervey Bay
• Best by coach: K’Gari Explorer day tour (from $273 AUD) – departs from Rainbow Beach
• Want to depart from Noosa? Try the Discovery K’Gari day tour (from $299 AUD) – departs from Noosa or Rainbow Beach

5. Take the passenger ferry

Best for: Holidays at a popular island resort

The final way to reach K’Gari is to take the Mantaray Barges passenger ferry from River Heads to Kingfisher Bay Resort or Wanggoolba Creek. The journey takes 50 minutes.

The main problem with taking the passenger ferry is that the island is only accessible by four-wheel drive. Therefore, once you arrive at Kingfisher Bay Resort or Wanggoolba Creek, you can’t travel onwards.

The main reason to take the passenger ferry is if you fancy a holiday at Kingfisher Bay Resort, a popular resort on K’Gari.

There are four daily departure times to Kingfisher Bay Resort. The passenger ferry can’t be reserved online, so you need to call the office to make your reservation.

Taking a Fraser Island Whale-Watching Tour: Is it Worth It?

A quick Google search will quickly reveal that K’Gari is one of the best places in Australia to go whale-watching.

On the west side of Fraser Island, migrating humpback whales gather to rest on their journey from the Antarctic to the Great Barrier Reef. Mike whales are also regularly seen in these waters.

If you’re visiting in peak whale-watching season (July to October), then these tours should be very tempting.

However, outside of peak season, your chances of seeing a whale are pretty low – and many of the tours stop operating.

As with any wildlife-watching tour, you’re not guaranteed to see a whale even if it’s prime time. So, taking a tour is very much a gamble.

If you’re willing to take the gamble (I would be), most whale-watching tours depart from Hervey Bay.

Check the availability here: Remote Fraser Island whale-watching tour (from Hervey Bay)

Best Time to See Fraser Island (K’Gari)

The best time to visit K’Gari is from September and December, the spring months.

During spring, the weather is generally warm and sunny with minimal rain.

However, you can visit Fraser Island at other times of the year without any problems. Often, it comes down to luck: if it rains, you just got unlucky!

I visited K’Gari in January, which is in K’Gari’s summer (and technically the wet season). However, it was hot and sunny the whole time.

The rainy season is from January to March. However, it’s also the hottest time of year and sunny most of the time. This is a very busy period for Fraser Island.

May to August is winter. Temperatures can drop to around 15°C at night, but the days are moderately warm (up to 23 – 25°C).

For whale watching, aim to visit from July to October.

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I hope you found my guide to how to visit Fraser Island (K’Gari) useful.

If you’re still looking for tips to help you plan the rest of your east coast trip, then continue reading. Otherwise, have a great trip!

Suggested reading:

• Cairns travel itinerary – for 2 to 7 days
• The best things to do in Cairns CBD
• Underrated: Cairns to Mission Beach road trip
• Backpacking Whitsundays budget guide (and how to visit Whitehaven Beach from Airlie Beach!)
• Ranked: the best backpacker Whitsundays tours

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