Queensland’s Fraser Coast is the coast north of Sunshine Coast - famous for its Bundaberg Rum (aka Bundy Rum) Factory, Mon Repos Turtle Rookery, some great whale watching at Hervey Bay, and Fraser Island - the world’s largest sand island which you can 4WD.
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Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Coast Holidays - Great Sandy National Park North of Noosa National Park on Sunshine Coast, is the southern section of Great Sandy National Park and Rainbow Beach which is famous for its coloured sands. North from here is the quiet town Maryborough with its beautiful Victorian buildings, Bond Store Museum, Brolga Theatre and the Queens Park with a miniature railway. You can stay at the Criterion Hotel, Royal Centrepoint Motel Parkway Motel, Blue Shades Motor Inn or Wallace Caravan Park and Units.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Coast Holidays - Hervey Bay Australia Further north on the Fraser Coast is Hervey Bay, most famous for whale watching between July and October. Other things to do in town are the Hervey Bay Natureworld with the usual array of Australian animals, shows and tours; Neptune’s Reef World with marine creatures in an aquarium and Hervey Bay Historical Museum. There is a 10km Hervey Bay Esplanade Track to the famous Urangan Pier, and the Scrub Hill Community Farm which runs bush tucker tours. Tom’s Tours is another excellent tour to learn about Aboriginal culture.
Fraser Island Great Barrier Reef - Fraser Coast Holidays Hervey Bay is also the gateway to Fraser Island – world's largest sand island which forms the northern section of Great Sandy National Park with sand dunes, rainforests, freshwater lakes, bushwalking tracks and drivable (4WD only) beaches with wild dingos. In the southern part of the island there are several short bushwalks from the Central Station to Lake McKenzie, Lake Wabby, Lake Boomanjin, Lake Birrabeen, and Kingfisher Bay where there are shops and petrol stations.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Island Information - Fraser Coast Holidays You can drive along the eastern coast on beaches, where there is Happy Valley - a town with shops and a petrol station; Eli Creek, Maheno Wreck (there are many shipwrecks along the coast of Fraser Island – just like along some coasts of mainland Australia); and north of it are the colourful pinnacles. Further north are Waddy Point with great views over the ocean (great for whale watching between July and October), and Orchid Beach, the northernmost accessible settlement on the island.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Island Tours - Fraser Coast Holidays
There are several tours that can take you around if you don’t like to drive a 4WD. Trailblazer Tours, Fraser Experience and Fraser Venture all depart from Hervey Bay. If you want to make it cheaper, you can join some self-drive tours organised by A1 Fraser Roving, Koala Beach Resort or Colonial Log Cabins (you still don't have to drive yourself - there are about 10 people in the group).
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Coast Holidays - Childers Queensland Back on the Fraser coast on the mainland, north-west of Hervey Bay is Childers, a small town with historical buildings and the Childers Pharmaceutical Museum and Art Gallery. Childers is popular with backpackers staying here while working fruit-picking on the surrounding farms.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Coast Holidays - Childers Backpackers Fire Memorial In 2000, a fire killed 15 backpackers at the Palace Hostel – today there is a Childers Backpackers Fire Memorial with photos and the story. You can stay at the new Palace Backpackers, Federal Hotel, Sugarbowl Caravan Park or Childers Tourist Park & Camp.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Fraser Coast Holidays - Bundaberg Australia North of Childers is Bundaberg – a centre of the surrounding sugar cane country, with the Fairymead House Sugar Museum and Hinkler House Museum (both in the Botanical Gardens); and the Alexandra Park and Zoo where you can see Australian animals.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Bundaberg Rum, aka Bundy Rum But Bundaberg is most famous for Bundaberg Rum Distillery - one of the highlights of Fraser Coast, where you can go on a tour and sample Australia's own sugar cane rum. You can go diving with Salty’s or Aqua Scuba. Places to stay include Grand Backpackers, Federal Backpackers, City Centre Backpackers and Bundaberg Backpackers and Travellers Lodge.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Mon Repos Beach and Accommodation Mon Repos Another famous place on the Fraser Coast is Mon Repos Turtle Rookery south of Bundaberg. Mon Repos is the most accessible turtle rookery in Australia where large female loggerhead turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs between November and February, and the young hatch between mid-January and March.
Courtesy of Tourism Queensland
Access to the beach is controlled by park rangers during the season, but they allow visitor groups to watch turtles during the night after 7pm. You can stay at the nearby Turtle Sands Caravan Park, only a short stroll away from the turtle beach. Fraser Coast is not a bad place to spend a week or two.
Here's a Fraser Coast map, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
