Out to the east of Australia there is a small island all by itself. This is Fraser Island and it consists largely of sand and not much else. It may have taken three quarters of a million years for the island to look like it does today, thanks to those sand drifts, but it has been worth the wait.

Only a few hundred people live on Fraser Island the whole year round, but its numbers are swelled thanks to the huge number of tourists that like to pay it a visit. If you want a taste of a real beach unlike anything you have seen before, you will love what you find here.

There are two ways to get to the island once you are in mainland Australia. The first way is to fly out from Maroochydore Airport on the mainland. Alternatively you can get a ferry. Whatever way you choose there is plenty to look forward to once you set foot on Fraser Island for the first time.

For one thing, you will soon see why the island has been given World Heritage Site status. This is a cornucopia of natural wonders. Just to give you one example, the island boasts more than one hundred freshwater lakes, and all on an island measuring just seventy five by fifteen miles.

It is small wonder then that some people visit the island to take on the Fraser Island Great Walk. This is an ideal trip to take if you have a week to spare, since that is the average time needed to complete the trip around the perimeter of the island.

You could head off in a 4x4 if you want but going on foot is arguably a better way to travel. There are no real roads on Fraser Island, making it perfect territory for keen hikers to get used to. With plenty of wildlife, birds and other sights and sounds to look forward to, it would be a shame to miss out on one of Australia’s greatest destinations, just because it isn’t on the mainland.