For me, islands always make holidays more exciting. Ever since I was a child, when I cherished Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ books about a group of kids solving mysteries and finding hidden treasure on secret islands, I’ve always loved discovering islands with their captivating mystique and beauty and sense of adventure and escape. Because they are isolated and removed from busy places, life on islands always seems slower and more relaxed, making it easier to unwind, especially when you’re on holidays.
And that’s the feeling that overcomes me as I gaze across the glittering waters from the deck of a ferry taking us from Hervey Bay to K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, just north of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. By the time we step ashore on the world’s largest sand island, at K’gari’s Kingfisher Bay Resort, my adventure mate and I are already in island mode, ready to explore and chill for three days in this treasured World Heritage destination.
To aid this beautiful process of destressing and winding down, I highly recommend you start your K’gari adventure with a visit to Enzo’s on the Beach , an idyllic, absolute beachfront café and bar in Hervey Bay that wouldn’t look out of place in Fiji. If this open-air, chilled-vibe haven of indulgence, with laidback, smiling service and cool tunes to match, doesn’t slow you down, nothing will. We order some ales and a hearty brunch and sit mesmerised by the soothing view of sparkling water, with K’gari lining the horizon in the distance. It was the perfect way to shake off the four-hour drive from the Gold Coast and prepare us for island life on K’gari, a 50-min ferry-trip away.
K’gari – the island
Meaning ‘paradise’ in traditional language, K’gari is a sprawling, world-renowned wilderness sanctuary harbouring ancient rainforests, Insta-famous freshwater lakes, abundant wildlife and desert-like sand dunes. It’s the only place in the world where rainforests grow from the sand. It’s also the world’s first Whale Heritage Site, with a profusion of humpbacks and their young treating these calm waters as a subtropical playground every winter and spring during their annual migration from the Antarctic.
K’gari’s majestic 75 Mile Beach is the only ocean beach in Australia that’s also an official gazetted highway, with 4WDs observing normal road rules, and it’s only one of two beaches in the world where planes can take off and land (the other is in Scotland) but more of that later. This remarkable, rugged, larger-than-life place also has no roads – only sand tracks – enhancing the adventurous escapades that await modern-day explorers.
STAY: Kingfisher Bay Resort
When friends find out I’m heading to K’gari they ask me what camping gear I have, not knowing there’s a beautiful, award-winning, four-star eco resort on the island’s sheltered western shores called Kingfisher Bay Resort, named after the colourful birds who call the island home. Opened in 1992 and nestled amongst billabongs and treed sand dunes, this sustainably-built, integrated resort boasts multiple, lagoon-type pools, a piping hot jacuzzi, three restaurants, three bars, a general store, day spa, 152 hotel rooms, 109 multi-bedroom villas and eight holiday houses as well as a full program of daily activities and excursions designed to connect you more meaningfully to K’gari’s natural treasures.
Check-in is seamless and super-easy, conducted at the River Heads ferry terminus near Hervey Bay where you leave your car. Your room key is then waiting for you on the island so you can begin your island adventure straight away.
First impressions of the resort are impressive, with the huge, lofty entrance hall towering above you, with a staircase cascading down through the airy lobby to the restaurants, bars, lounges and pools with huge, floor-to-ceiling windows filling the cavernous space with light and calming views of greenery. The staff are super-friendly and helpful and there’s also a wonderful, woody scent infused in the lobby air that enhances the laidback island charm that envelops you here.
My mate and I have an upper-floor, twin-bed hotel resort room to call home for three nights, with a spa bath and shower and beautiful balcony overlooking a placid, lilly-filled pond which quickly becomes a favourite, peaceful place for us to sip coffee or a beer at the start and end of the day, accompanied by the sweet, soul-soothing soundtrack of birdsong.
Kingfisher Bay Resort has tennis and beach volleyball courts, nature boardwalks and trails and kayaks for hire. There’s no gym but the beach is perfect for some outdoor exercise. And bushwalking trails through the surrounding forest beat an indoor treadmill any day!
Where to eat
Our first meal at Kingfisher Bay Resort is dinner at the premium restaurant, Dune, which features a delectable array of Asian-fusion dishes designed to be shared. We opt for the Tom Yum soup with seafood ($38), Duck Spring Rolls ($17), Drunken Noodles with prawns ($38) and Steamed Barramundi ($36), finishing with Leche Flan ($17) and Japanese Mochi ($17) – an amazing, flavour-filled dining experience we loved a lot.
On another night, we dine in the resort’s more casual Sand and Wood Restaurant where we enjoy classic, hearty fare of Salt and Pepper Calamari ($19) and Battered Barramundi and Chips ($28). Breakfast is also in the Sand and Wood Restaurant with the Continental Breakfast $23 and Full Buffet Breakfast $32. There’s no option to request freshly made breakfast dishes but the buffet spread is first-rate with plentiful choices including gluten-free options. Get up early and beat the rush!
You can also order meals to pick up and eat back in your room, villa or on your balcony. A bowl of hot chips to graze on around the pool is $12. Beverages are around $9 for a stubby of beer, $11 for a glass of wine and $20 for cocktail.
What to experience
On an island with so much to see and do, it’s easy to be busy but we opted for a balance between a languid afternoon unwinding after arriving at 2pm, a full day of exploration with one of the resort’s tours and a lazy, nourishing day doing a short walk and lazing on the resort’s beach with a cocktail, soaking up the enriching winter sun and savouring the just-right beach club tunes emanating from the Sunset Bar by the pier (highly recommended).
After dinner on our first night, we experienced K’gari’s new ‘Illumina’ outdoor light and sound show – the first permanent light, laser and projection installation in Queensland and well worth the $50 entry price for its hypnotic tantalisation of the senses over the lake and its colourful interpretation of the island’s unique landscape and formation. Tip – bring a blanket in winter because it can still get nippy here at night in then colder months.
There are free, ranger-guided nature walks during the day and night so you can learn more about the island’s precious eco-system. I opted for the fascinating, 45-min Bush Tucker Talk and Taste presentation which saw the resort chefs showcase native bush cuisine for you to savour. This eye-opening experience costs $50 including a free beverage and barbecued meats and seafood to enjoy with traditional bush herbs.
But the resort’s signature activity is the full-day (9am-5pm) Beauty Spots 4WD Tour which we take ($278 per adult inc lunch). The island’s sandy tracks can be long and rough so unless you are a hardcore, seasoned 4WD enthusiast, this tour in a tailor-made 4WD coach is your best bet for exploring the island’s top features including a fun drive on the sands of 75 Mile Beach, a paddle in the glistening waters of Eli Creek, a visit to the haunting wreck of the Maheno steamship which foundered here in 1935, a guided walk through the pristine forest, sightings of dingoes, an excellent buffet lunch at a smaller resort on the other side of the island and a memorable swim in K’gari’s most famous feature – the crystalline waters of postcard-perfect Lake McKenzie, fringed by pure silica sand and paperbark trees.
During the tour, out of the blue, a pilot pops onboard our coach to tell us about the 20-min scenic flights he runs taking off from the ocean beach and landing further up the beach to meet up with the coach again. The light plane was ready to take off now, so what the heck, I put my hand up and my mate and I were in the air within minutes. How often do you get to take off from a beach and soar over a World Heritage island? The experience was so worth the $100 fare each and felt a lot longer than 20 mins, with the endless beach and turquoise lakes shimmering from the air. We also spotted so many humpbacks frolicking in the clear waters. What a unique thrill! A memory to last a lifetime.
How to get there
There are direct flights to Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with transfers available to K’gari’s ferry terminal in nearby River Heads. Driving to the ferry terminus from Brisbane takes 3.5 hrs. Secure parking is available at the ferry terminus. Ferries to the island leave several times a day ($75 return) and the journey takes 50 mins with drinks and snacks available onboard. Taking your 4WD to the island costs extra.
Top Tips
* If you have a family or are staying more than three nights, a self-catering villa with multiple bedrooms might suit.
* Request west-facing rooms or villas for the extra sunlight and sunset hues.
* At the breakfast buffet, make yourself an extra sandwich for a late snack or lunch. Adventure activities on the island make you hungry!
* Barista coffees at the Maheno Bar are extra but excellent. Grab one and take back to your balcony or the beach to start the day.
* The resort’s beach is a wonderfully peaceful place at dawn – perfect for a walk, meditation, yoga and a swim. The jacuzzi is also a tranquil spot at daybreak.
*Basking in milder temperatures, K’gari is an ideal winter destination if you’re from southern Australia like me. The island and resort is also a little quieter then.
* From July to October, join one of the resort’s whale-watching cruises ($155 per adult) for unforgettable encounters with these giants of the sea
* During the resort’s signature, must-do, all-day Beauty Spots 4WD tour, be sure to accept the offer of a 20-min scenic flight, landing and taking off from the beach. It’s amazing and well worth the $100 cost
* Be sure to dine in the resort’s premium restaurant, Dune, on an outside table at last once – your tastebuds will be taken on their own adventure!
* And don’t miss toasting the mango-hued sunsets over the bay with a cocktail from Kingfisher’s beachside Sunset Bar
* The island’s famous, wild dingoes are magnificent to look at but just be vigilant of them and keep young children close to you when outside the resort’s fenced boundaries
* Really immerse yourself in nature by avoiding the room TV and phone scrolling as much as possible. Disconnect so you can reconnect!
In my opinion
K’gari is a very special place, brimming with natural wonders. And as a wild, pristine island, the sense of adventure and escapism is palpable. The luxury here is not Kingfisher Bay Resort, as eminently comfortable and laidback as it is, but the prized opportunity to immerse yourself in one of Australia’s top nature sanctuaries.
Days after returning home from K’gari, my mate and I were texting each other about how much we missed the place. Children’s author, Enid Blyton, would have loved this ‘treasure island’. Life on K’gari and at Kingfisher seems removed from everyday routines and hassles. The chance to connect with World Heritage nature so completely is deeply rewarding and the resort and its abundant offerings wrap you in a cosy cocoon that’s hard to leave!
* Prices vary year-round and there are lots of different packages, some including ferry and tours and others for families offering free stays for kids. Kingfisher Bay Resort has a special at the moment offering three nights for the price of two – from $459 per room for three nights. Book by August 31, 2025, and stay until October 31, 2025. Blackout dates apply. Subject to availability.
Details and how to book
Kingfisher Bay Resort, K’gari
Phone: 1800 372 737
Website: www.kingfisherbay.com
Booking Email: reservations@kingfisherbay.com
For more information on the Fraser Coast region, visit visitfrasercoast.com or to book Kingfisher Bay Resort visit kingfisherbay.com/fraser-island-deals
The writer was a guest of Kingfisher Bay Resort and Enzo’s on the Beach Cafe. All images and words are their own.
