SS Maheno Shipwreck on Fraser Island
Fraser Island
Fraser is known to be the largest sand island in the world. Getting to the island will require taking a ferry and moving around the island will require a 4-wheel-drive vehicle and an experienced driver. If you’re not experienced tackling sand dunes in a sport-utility-vehicle I would recommend taking a tour. Also, it is worth spending more than a day on the island, between the wrecked ship; the beach; McKenzie Lake and Eli Creek; there is a lot to see on Fraser Island and packing it all into one day means spending most of the time in transit.
SS Maheno Shipwreck
Fraser Island is known mostly for its appropriately named 75 Mile Beach and other feats of nature. As is the case on a beach in Iceland, the anomaly of a man-made structure left to be slowly reclaimed by the elements attracts a lot of attention as well. This is the SS Maheno Shipwreck. The ocean liner was later used as a hospital ship in World War I, it was being towed to Japan when it was hit by a cyclone and washed ashore on 75 Mile Beach on the east coast of Fraser Island. What is visible of the wreck today is only a portion of the original ship. It is a tad challenging to take pictures of, given that it is a long flat subject, and because during the daylight hours there are plenty of tourists walking about. Using a drone one needs to take great care, because there are small planes giving aerial tours of the island. However if you stay within the maximum altitude of 120 meters and close to the shipwreck – where planes can’t take off or land – you should be alright. Please note these rules are always changing I would ask the tour operator in advance, if you are taking a tour.
75 Mile Beach
The aptly-named 75 Mile Beach is a great wonder, it’s both hard to fathom and hard to capture in one picture. The beach is not a safe place to swim due to two of my least favorite things: dangerous currents and a large shark population. A third reason is that it’s an official highway, so depending on where you are there might be a lot of activity buzzing around you while you try to catch some rays. If you’re on the island and looking to cool off there is Eli Creek or McKenzie Lake.
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