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Enjoying Without Destroying [Experiencing Fraser Island]
Unfortunately, some visitors to the island treat it like they might treat a theme park..
Enjoying Without Destroying - Experiencing Fraser Island
We recently arrived back onto mainland Australia having spent 2 months living on Fraser Island. We feel so privileged to have lived there, the sound of the waves hitting the beach, our daily soundtrack, and a swathe of shining dots, the sky we slept beneath.
We saw snakes, dingo's, cicada beetles and goanna's regularly; we shared our camp ground with an array of wildlife, all of which we had to get used to.
Most backpackers get a brief (often hungover) glimpse of the island via the super popular 4x4 tag-along tours. Many love it not just for the drunken antics but for the obvious beauty of champagne pools, Eli Creek, and Lake Mackenzie. Other tourists also love careering along the beaches, which are very much a highway in the busy season, setting up camps alongside the shoreline.
But unfortunately, some visitors to the island treat it like they might treat a theme park; everything there to entertain them when in reality it is place of spiritual and cultural heritage, not a playground. It's as if the natural wondrous beauty of the place comes second to the loud drunken sometimes damaging fun they all try to have whilst there. What is it about being on a remote deserted tropical island that makes anyone want to sink a carton of drink and then throw the beer cans into a bush?
The incredibly long '75 mile beach'
Backpacker tours only really cause issues due to the high volume of people coming onto the island, every day. Groups of excited young people, all making friends and skulling a few stubbies, they are frequently told how to behave on the island, by the tour guides, many whom adore the island and treat with the respect it deserves. I'm not saying its as simple as a bit of littering or some drunken noise, but its how the tourists somewhat tarnish Fraser. However it is essential to the protection of places such as Fraser, that people are able to visit and see them, and that in turn, there are rangers patrolling and watching out for the island and its animal inhabitants. It just seems that some visitors could treat the island with more care, and not ruin it for those who want to witness its beauty.
There have been a few incidents over the years due to idiotic drunkenness, such as some backpackers who were found swinging a snake around. Not only dangerous and beyond stupid, but also, very cruel. Fraser is the home of these snakes and dingo's, they were here first; it is their one and only home, not a zoo.
The resident Python we named Pippy!
The dingo's across the island are all tagged and if you approach a dingo and don't follow the guidelines on how to keep these wild animals, wild, then they will attack people, and are almost always tracked down and destroyed as a result. Don't leave food within their reach, don't allow your children to approach them, in fact, don't approach them at all. If they want to come over to see you, maintain a strong stance, keep eye contact, and don't show too much interest (or conversely, fear).
Dingo's might appear cute or like any old dog that you might approach in the street, but they have killer instinct. If you get bit by a snake or attacked by a dingo, chances are, you did something bad to begin with. Or maybe you were just unlucky. Either way, your actions in the island environment have a big impact on the safety of both you and the animals.
So basically, the easiest way to not be a douchey tourist, is to observe and appreciate the nature that places like Fraser posses, but don't interfere; don't bring selfish or brash human thinking into the animal kingdom.
I guess its a statement you can apply to so many places across the planet, that in visiting them we bring with us the things which eventually ruin the beauty we came to marvel at in the first place. It doesn't have to be that way. We just need to bring some sense, respect and thought along with us, to keep the beauty alive, not be part of its destruction.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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Fraser Island - 13 Must See/Do's
Planning on visiting Fraser Island? Here's all the info you need plus some insider tips on secret spots to explore!
Fraser Island - 13 Must See/Do's ☠
Our home and place of work for 2 months, we managed to explore in great detail the surrounding area. We didn't have a 4x4 during this time, but we managed to hitch-hike up and down the beach and hop on a few tours when they had spare seats. We loved spending our free time watching the wildlife around us and keeping an eye out for all the deadly creatures too :P
If you plan on visiting Fraser Island, this page will give you all the info you need plus some insider tips on secret spots to explore!
Visit the SS Maheno, a shipwreck about half way up the famous 75 mile on Fraser's east coast. It was washed ashore in 1935 by a cyclone, and has been slowly rusting away with the relentless forces from the south pacific ocean, be sure to check it out before its gone!
Go bird watching, the camp sites are frequently visited by many kookaburra's, most of them eyeing up the tour groups lunch's.. There are many different bird species on the island and a few eagles to spot if your lucky!
Go sand-boarding ✌ the island is full of sand blows, and some of them contain some insanely high dunes! Just remember to take some water with you or you'll end up like some of the dry sun bleached bones that scatter the empty dunes.
Look up. We ended lots of our nights down on the beach in the dark looking at the stars, here's a glimpse of what the sky looked like.. Of course you can never capture the true beauty of the night sky, it has to been seen with your own eyes! I can only imagine how amazing it would be during the time of year when the Milky Way is visible...
Spot the Fraser Island Dingo! Interesting fact - Its genetically unique because of its isolation from the mainland. But the sad fact is that increased tourism is also increasing the death rate for these endangered dogs, if you do see one, try your hardest to keep your distance and not to feed them.
Go surfing! Despite what they say, you can actually swim in the waters, just be sure not to go out too far... Yes there are sharks commonly spotted in these waters but they have no reason to come into the rough shallows and for that same reason the jellyfish are usually not on the east side of the island either. Just keep your wits about you, and have fun!
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Take a scenic flight! Air Fraser run a daily service that picks people up along the beach and gives them a 15 min flight over the island for around $80, if you've never been on a plane this small before then its worth it just for that!
Relax at Lake Mckenzie, arguable Fraser Islands best lake, and for good reason! The waters are crystal clear and the sand is silica white.
Get a wild fish pedicure at lake Wabby! This lake is only accessible via a 20/30 minute walk, but once you get out onto the sand dunes where the lake is located the views will blow you away! The dark emerald green lake is home to some quite big catfish and loads of little fish that will come over and eat up your dead skin if you sit still.
Spot some monitor lizards! Or as Australians call them, 'goannas'. These guys live all around the camp sites, you can easily spot 3/4 a day!! For people not used to them they are fascinating, but to the locals they are pests.
Explore the beautiful west coast of Fraser, there are no waves and no endless stream of vans driving on the beach.. It's about an hour drive through rough terrain and soft sand to get across the the other side, but if you manage it, its really worth the drive!
Spot a python! If your camping on the island you might be lucky enough to spot one, this dude was sat on a picnic bench for days just chilling.
Drive the 75 mile beach, the extremely popular drive up and down the which is often refered to as a highway because of the number of cars driving on it gives people a chance to stop at some amazing spots and also test their off-roading skills on the sand!
Read more about our time on Fraser or check out some more awesome photography!
Getting to Fraser Island
From Hervey Bay:
- You can hop on the the Kingfisher Bay ferry, return tickets cost $58 on foot or $175 for a vehicle. Try hitching a ride at the ferry terminal in a car with spare seats, or gather a group of friends and a car to lower the cost of the ticket.
- Feeling luxurious? Check out Air Fraser, a small family run air charter service that will take you on a breath-taking flight over the island and land you on the beach! Prices start at $150.
From Rainbow Beach:
- Gather some friends, hire a 4x4 from one of the many local hire companies and hop on the Manta Ray Barge which leaves from Inskip point every 30 minutes from 6am till 5.15pm. Return tickets are $120 for a car and this based on the car, not the amount of people inside it!
- Hitch-hike your way onto the island, this is a great way to see the island and pay nothing! Just be sure to grab a dingo stick while your exploring the island (just incase).
- Hop on one of the many tour groups that explore the many highlights of the island over 2/3 days! Depending on what your style is there are different tours for everyone, Pippies and RBAC host crazy drunken nights (just remember to respect the island) and company's like Drop Bear and Cool Dingo have a more relaxed vibe.
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, one half of NomaderHowFar. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, forcing Hannah to do crazy things, and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know us here!
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Paradise Lost (Leaving Fraser Island)
We have returned to the life of travel, having lived on a farm for 3 months and an island for 2!
Paradise Lost - Leaving Fraser Island
Its 10am, a warm 28 degrees in Rainbow Beach, Australia.
Myself, Taran and Sean (our mate from England whose currently visiting and travelling with us) are sitting beside a pool, taking cover in the shade after a few too many rays yesterday. Only 24 hours ago we were still on Fraser Island, a special place that had become home over the last 2 months. We lived in a safari tent, just up from a beach, on the grounds of an extremely popular holiday resort (and the only privately owned campsite on the island). We worked hard for 2 months, pulling a few long stretches with very few days off, and do you know what, it simply got old. Living on a tropical island got old.
The only place we could get signal...
We just couldn't do it any more. Maybe it was the fact we had come from a farm, another remote living situation, straight into an intense workplace, also in a super isolated spot.
We just got to a point within our 5th month of being away from civilisation, where we just needed to re-join it. Not least to come back to our passion of doing this blog. We had half-decent internet at the farm and we didn't feel entirely disconnected from the website, but there's a lot that goes into this blog, and only now, having come back to 'mainland' (as it will always now be referred to since island living) can we fully absorb back into the swing of it.
Not to say we wont be doing some full on travelling having worked hard for 5 months. We are off to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays in the coming days, to experience the extreme beauty that is Whitehaven Beach.
But for a brief moment, we are resting up, enjoying the chilled vibes of Rainbow Beach, whilst being able to just decompress a little. It definitely does something to you, being isolated, spending all your days with a tight-knit group of individuals. When you re-join the masses back on mainland, its jarring, comforting and bizarre all at the same time. We suddenly have free time again, time stretching out ahead of us that is ours, that we can mould and plan as we wish. We are away from the stresses of working in a busy resort during peak season, finished with what was a more difficult phase of our 10 months in Australia.
Some evenings, after a packed day, I'd lay down to read or relax after work, and sink into a deep sleep. Then at 6am I'd groggily wake up for another 12 hour day, feeling a bit of a dread for what I knew would be another crazy day. It was draining, but also fulfilling and fun too. The team were such a great lot, all working hard together to get through our hectic days. We could all relate with missing our families and friends; island life isn't really conducive to messaging let alone skyping home. So that added to the homesickness I felt for the last month or so, which prompted us to hand in our notice a few weeks before we had originally planned to leave.
It feels like the right decision to have made, as I sit here feeling reinvigorated and back in touch with the creativity that has been absent for a while now.
Admittedly, our bank accounts aren't as bursting as we'd of hoped, nonetheless there a bit fuller. Enough to travel some more, relax a lot more and blog a hell of a lot more...
Now check out our best photographs from Fraser Island!
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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![The far from perfect life of a working traveller [Fraser Update]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/535a8b5ee4b00a1a8a7975e6/1448758709313-Y3GVPFJ26PT7072U8JTP/image-asset.jpeg)
The far from perfect life of a working traveller [Fraser Update]
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect...
The far from perfect life of a working traveller - Fraser Update
A month or so ago, when we applied for jobs here on Fraser Island, we didn't know what to expect, but we hoped for a nice team, opportunities to see all that Fraser Island had to offer, and to save up for future travels. So far we haven't seen beyond our own slice of beach and we've been working on our days off...
Chilling round the fire with our fellow islanders.
Truth: jobs when you travel can be just as stressful and frustrating as normal jobs! Shock horror....
Don't get me wrong, if it was terrible here, if we weren't living on a beautiful island, with the promise of experiencing it somewhere on the horizon, we would have left by now. We hope to see much more of it, maybe even coming back and renting a 4x4.
But the problem is we've come into new jobs right at the start of the peak holiday season in Australia. We've been learning the ropes of a new job, new team, and also witnessed one person start and last a grand total of 2 days before they were sent packing... The boss doesn't suffer fools or people with attitude.
The crazy big 'Bull Ant'
So we have been plodding along, keeping our heads down, working hard and trying to quell the pangs of cabin fever that are inevitable when you work 10 days straight without a break. We aren't the only people here who are working hard. The team are great and can all appreciate how stretched it is right now. But it should all improve once new staff arrive, as they are expected to in coming days.
This isn't the kind of blog post I thought I would end up writing whilst in Australia. But unfortunately jobs can suck no matter where you are in the world!
Life can suck even if its playing out on a sandy beach beneath endless blue skies in temperatures of 25 and above. Or maybe just up from a beautiful beach in a busy resort where you are on your feet without stopping for much of the day.
The awesome night sky out here!!
But what keeps us from giving up and giving in is that we know it isn't forever. Most things are tolerable if they are temporary. In fact it's a beauty of travel that no jobs last for too long. You never have to stay in a filthy cockroach ridden hostel for weeks on end, nor do you have to live in a two man tent for more than a month if you don't want to. We did both those things and came out fine.
Even this being the most testing and tiring episode of our travels will one day just be a memory, an experience that will we inevitably take some positives away from.
And that is the thought we just have to carry with us when we wake up and put on our uniforms! We are employed, earning, saving and are probably the envy of some backpackers, who are scraping by on their last dollars and willing to do anything.
You just have to take it day by day, whilst also remembering why you are doing what you are doing.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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Living And Working on The World's Largest Sand Island! [Fraser Life]
Just 2 weeks ago we got some awesome news, we had secured paid work on Fraser Island!
Living And Working on The World's Largest Sand Island! - Fraser Life
Just 2 weeks ago we got some awesome news, we had secured paid work on Fraser Island! Now we sit here a few days in, having seen our first Dingo, amazing night skies and having hanged with a sleepy python.
We only got here last week and yet we continue our record of managing to see all the famous Australian animals some people manage to evade the entirety of their time here.
Back to where this all began...
Having accepted this hard-fought for job opportunity, we would be leaving our farm-life and pretty much beginning new work right away. It was a whirlwind of change, and it was a rushed goodbye. I would of happily stayed on the farm longer, in our lovely home. But another beautiful setting was beckoning us on.
Arriving on the island via a tiny plane, it was a pretty amazing way to show us the vast sand island that sits adjacent to Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay. A rickety 4x4 ride later and we found ourselves at our new home. Mixed feelings of apprehension and enthusiasm meant our first few work days were a bit intense. Lots of new things to learn as well as people. Hospitality is something fairly new to us both, although it suits us quite nicely.
I work in the store (which is also a coffee shop, cafe and reception desk). It is the centre of the camp's operations, and it is a super well-stocked shop, so you are never ever short of work to do. Taran is in the yard, doing maintenance and cleaning across the site. We no longer see each other all day as we did on the farm, so its always lovely to return to our little two room tent each evening. No TV's or luxuries here, just our laptops to play games and write blog posts on. No internet either. Well its available, either at cost, or at the top of a sand-dune out the front. But when its not easily there on tap you use it more wisely. And you don't waste time scrolling through nothingness!
Sharing our tent with a few ants and some spiders (which remain outside and are remaining alive to act as our fly-guard team) we live nearby the other workers caravans. It's a mostly British team, so I don't think we will ever feel lonely whilst we're here. I did have one moment not long after we started work, which bordered on panic. My brain was already working at full capacity trying to take in all my new surroundings and responsibilities, and suddenly, I found myself thinking 'I'm on an island. I'm trapped, I can't get off'. It sounds funny even to myself now, but at the time I was a bit overwhelmed.
Travelling has been all about changes, making transitions and starting over, and each new change has brought us new skills, knowledge and fun! Sometimes we've approached a new change with too much fear or too much excitement, neither emotion based in reality. You usually find something much different, sometimes worse, but mostly better.
Nothing has been a waste of time on our trip so far. Everything has been purposeful. Even the weeks on end where it seems like you are doing little to nothing, those weeks make the ones where you work yourself silly much more bearable.
We hope to see all of this sandy paradise bit by bit over the next 3 months, all the while just enjoying our good fortune. Living on a remote farm to living on an island, we aren't doing this Australia thing in half-measures. And we've never been happier.
Thanks for reading!
Hannah and Taran here. We hail from Southern England, where we met online and are now realizing our mutual passion for travel here at NomaderHowFar. We discuss Nomadic Living, Simplifying your Life and Long-term Travel, to empower, motivate and inspire our readers. Get to know us here!
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Taran & Makoto here, together we form Nomader How Far photography.
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