Places to stay
There are a range of accommodation options at Fraser from camping to Resort style accommodation. For those that prefer to camp, you will require a permit and they must be purchased before you set up camp. They must be purchased online or at permit-issuing agents but cannot be purchased from Rangers on the island. There are currently 45 camping area options with camping areas with dingo deterrent fences recommended for families with children 14 years and under.
There are also a range of houses available for rent on the island both privately or through booking agents at Hervey Bay or Fraser house booking agents. A quick google search will find them. Think about where you want to stay and what you want to see before booking.
For example, Orchid Beach has a range of holiday homes for rent and it is a lovely area with magnificent views, but it has some down sides. It is a long way from attractions such as Eli Creek, Central Station, Lake Wabby and more and the track there is slow going across numerous boarded wooden tracks in the sand. Also, in Tailor season if the fish haven’t arrived that far north yet, it is an hour or so drive back south of Indian Head to the main beach.
In terms of the main beach, there are a few other accommodation options. This includes Cathedrals on Fraser, Fraser Retreat, Eurong Resort, Sailfish on Fraser, Fraser Island Beach Houses and Yidney Rocks Beachfront units.
Eurong Beach Resort has been home away from home for my family and plenty of “boys trips” due to its central location on the island for good fishing, fully fenced area from the dingos as well as plenty to do (pool, tennis, grassy areas) as well as the ability to either do your own cooking or eat out at McKenzie’s restaurant or bakery. Even if you don’t stay here, the bakery and restaurant are a great place to stop for lunch or a cold drink or two when out driving.
Finally, on the western side of the island, Kingfisher Bay Resort has the advantage that the ferry lands right on your doorstep. What’s more, it has some great fishing options off the jetty and the beach flats.
Having a plan
While Fraser Island is renowned as a top-class beach fishing destination, and Fraser’s western flats can also offer some brilliant fishing, you still need a plan to maximise your chances of success.
Once you decide on your trip date, you can then plan where and when to fish. The following table gives an indication of the best fishing times and tides for a key of Fraser’s fish.
BEST TIME OF DAY/TIDE TO TARGET POPULAR FISH
| FISH SPECIES | TIME OF DAY | TIDE |
| Tailor | Dawn and dusk | Either depends on gutter. |
| Mulloway | Night | Change of tide. |
| Whiting – eastern beach | Any | 1.5hrs before to 1.5hrs after low tide |
| Whiting – western beach | Any | Either, best outside change of tide period. |
| Flathead | Day | Last 2 hrs of falling tide. |
| Bream – eastern beach | Dawn and dusk | Either depends on gutter. |
| Bream – western beach | Dawn and dusk | Rising tide. |
| Dart | Any | Either depends on gutter. |
In future editions, Skip will go into more detail on how to target specific target species on Fraser, flats and beach fishing techniques, and much much more.
About the author
Sean (Skip) Thompson is a regular feature article fishing writer with Fishing Monthly magazines and he also writes monthly for Bush and Beach magazine. Skip also has over 15,000 followers on his Facebook Page Ontour Fishing Australia. His passion is sharing the joys of fishing to newcomers including kids as well as building the knowledge of beginners to more experienced fishos with an easy to understand style of writing. Skip has also been fishing Fraser Island for 24 years and he also loves his regular visits to Hervey Bay with in-laws based in Maryborough. Skip is also a professional economic statistician specialising in Tourism statistics.
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