Fraser Island Great Walk

Great Sandy National Park

Well marked bushwalk through some of the best parts of Fraser Island. Typically walked South to North- Dilli Village - Lake Benaroon - Central Station - Lake McKenzie - Lake Wabby - Valley of the Giants - finishing at Happy Valley, however some hikers walk it the other way around.

Lookouts
Swimming
Bird Watching
Toilets
4WD Required
Camping Permitted
Coastal
Rainforest
Swamp or Wetland
Eucalypt Forest

Getting there

Getting to Dilli Village- you can take the barge over from Inskip point to Hook point and walk 25km either up the access track or along the beach to Dilli Village. Alternative is booking the Fraser Island taxi service to Dilli Village or Happy Valley from wherever you get on Fraser. Taxi from Hook point to Happy Valley is $200 as of July 2022. 

Maps

A topographic map of the walk used to be sold but is no longer being printed so you have no choice but to print out the topographic map online available at https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/165432/fraser-gw-topo.pdf . Recommended to print in A3 size or larger and store in a waterproof map case.

Route/Trail notes

The track was very well marked with directions and km markers appearing often along the track. The track is obvious and very well maintained. All camping grounds were well maintained - basic toilet facilities and water. Dingo boxes provided at each campsite to keep all belongings. Points of interest include:

Petrie's camp

Old historical logging site. Nothing but a few bricks there. 

Giant Tallowwood and Giant Satinay

Recommend arriving at Valley of the Giants campsite early to have time to set up, store packs in dingo boxes and check out these awesome trees. Worth seeing.

Badjala and Wongi Sandblows

Best views on the hike. Worth lugging your pack up to see them. Tough climbs though with 20kg on your back! Makes the view that much sweeter.

Lake Boomanjin

Some of the signs are now underwater and you have to take your boots off to cross a few rivers along the coastline. 

Other Lakes

A few of the spots you go through get swamped with day-trippers and 4wd'ers throughout the day, then clear out in the afternoon so that you have it all to yourself. Great swimming, sunrise, sunset and moon photo opportunities. 

Optional- Hook Point to Dilli Village

According to rangers the access track hasn't been maintained since 2019 so may be ratty. Alternative is along the coastline, boots on or off, whichever you prefer. Watch out for washed up sea snakes and 4wd'ers as the tide comes in. 

Permits/Costs

You'll need to pay the cost of the ferry to get over to the island. $60 return for walk-ons. You'll need to organise a ride to the start, and then back to the ferry from the finish. Taxi options: $130 from Kingfisher Bay to Dilli Village, $160 from Happy Valley to Kingfisher Bay.

Ferry from Inskip Point to Hook Point charge $10 per person each way for walk-ons, but you might get lucky and they let you ride for free!

There is also the usual $7 per person, per night camping fee for being in a national park. Dilli village is $20 per person per night, but with hot showers, barbeques and grassed campsites it feels like a very luxurious way to finish the walk.

Other References

Further information can be found on the Parks website https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-kgari-fraser

The Rawtravel website also offers a good day-to-day breakdown of the walk https://rawtravel.com/walks/kgari-fraser-island-great-walk/ 

GPS Tracks

  • No GPS available for this walk yet.

Comments

Started at hook point, walk a few km and could hitchhike to Dilli Village, beautiful walk with amazing lakes to enjoy!
Took us 5 days to happy valley, every campground have metal dingo boxes what is very convenient because there are bush rats very intrusive
We couldn’t find any Rubish bins on the way so make sure you bring a Rubish bag
From happy valley we booked the Fraser Island taxi back to hook point for $230, they are very friendly and gave us good tips before we started
If you decide to start with the taxi they can do drop off of food for extra $30
Very enjoyable walk and perfect weather!!

Francisca Cortes on 16 Apr, 2023

Great walk north to south from Happy Valley to Hook Point.
Lost my camping mat partway through but had it returned to me by some lovely fellow hikers going in the opposite direction as they drove back south.
Rainy weather sucked due to lack of shelters, but were able to shelter at the toilet block at Lake McKenzie till it cleared up enough to pitch our tent.
Definitely best to walk with a partner or in a group, the hike is quite remote in parts, and there's not much reception on the island, even with Telstra.
Would 100% recommend in winter, summer would be too hot I reckon! A bit nippy at night but was fine with a light down jacket and fleece jacket. You get warm through the day walking.

Karla on 15 Jul, 2022

Completed the walk Happy Valley to Dilli Village. Taxi fare Kingfisher to Happy Valley was $160. Kingfisher to Dilli Village $130. QPWS cost $6.50 pp per night. Walk past central station camp if you can. Not maintained well at all. However it is only spot on walk for showers at $2. All other showers removed from other campsites. Not happy with the maintenance at all walkers campsites. Lake Bomajiin had only one site worthy of calling a tent site. Central Station had about 2. Lake Mackenzie and Lake Benaroon my picks as overnight stops. All alone when the daytrippers had gone. Found track easy to follow. Moderate/ Easy difficulty. Longest section Valley of the Giants to Lake Wabby at 16.1 kilometres.

Ken on 13 Jul, 2018

Where

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