Share
Beautiful Hervey Bay where the whales play near Fraser Island.
Why is Fraser Island World Heritage Listed?
Fraser Island lies just off the east coast of Australia and is the largest natural sand island in the world.  Remnants of towering, ancient rain forests can be found growing on sand dunes over 200 meters high. Magnificent wild flowers bloom in the low 'wallum' heaths in spring and summer and its long uninterrupted beaches stretch for miles.

 The island is over 123 kilometers long and 22 kilometres wide (at its widest point), and has an area of over 184,000 hectares and is the worlds largest sand island. Exceptionally beautiful and surrounded by the Pacific this island is the perfect get-away or retirement solution.

Fraser's World Heritage area has outstanding natural heritage merits including:
  • as an outstanding example of ongoing ecological and biological processes and systems - a natural biodome
  • amazing natural phenomena
  • untainted wildlife strains found no-where else on earth
The seas are teaming with life including dolphins, whales, dugongs, and every kind of fish imaginable. The island itself is home to various wildlife including: over 40,000 migratory birds, turtles (which nest in the sands of the beaches), dingo's (one of the only pure bred populations left), wallabies (Frasers own breed), butterflies, and more. The wetlands include rare ferns, mangrove colonies, sea-grass beds and wild flowers.

Fraser Island has around 40 freshwater lakes including half the world's perched lakes including Lake Mackenzie and Lake Boomanjin, the largest perched lake in the world.

With its freshwater lakes, coloured sand cliffs, tall rainforests growing in sand, crystal clear creeks and long, white beaches Fraser is truly unique in every way. Fraser Island is populated with several carefully monitored resorts, and the roads although all 4 Wheel Drive are good enough to support a small population of happy, and very lucky home owners who wouldn't live anywhere else in the world.
The Whales of Fraser Island
Every year the magnificent humpback whales come to Hervey Bay tucked in behind Fraser Island to give birth and happy tourists and locals alike are overjoyed to spot the whales and their calves from the beach.

Lucky boaters are often given a show as adults whales playfully interact with them, often with their babies alongside. The whales have a reputation for loving noise and people on the whale boats can often be seen singing, playing musical instruments and clapping or stomping to attract the attention of the whales.

The younger adult whales when given the chance will leap high into the air in joyful abandon - a practice which is called 'breaching'. Lifting their 40ft long bodies into the air and coming back down into the ocean with a might splash that can swamp the people watching seems to be done almost cheekily. A slightly, drenched person might be forgiven for thinking that the whales are laughing at them.

One of the joys of visiting Fraser during August to November, the whales are one of the reasons Fraser Island is so special.


Would you like to comment?