75 Mile Beach

In the great tradition of many Australian place names, 75 Mile Beach on Fraser Island, was so named because it is approximately 75 miles long. Due to the constant movement of sea and sand, it's not always exactly 75 miles long, but then, ‘75.173 Mile Beach’ just wouldn't have had the same ring to it.

75 Mile Beach runs along most of the east coast of Fraser Island. While it may not be the best place for swimming due to dangerous currents and plentiful Tiger sharks, it is extremely beautiful and has a number of excellent highlights such as Champagne Pools, Indian Head (from where you can often see the sharks in the surf), the Maheno Wreck and Ely Creek. Ely Creek is strikingly clear and has its own its own unique and varied wild life.

The beach also acts as both a highway and a runway. The hard packed sand below the high tide mark can make for quite smooth driving, but care must be taken with speed; there are many deep wash outs and you can suddenly find yourself driving vertically into one if you're going too fast. Aircraft often land on the beach and if you can afford it, this mode of travel is a great way to see the entire island in a short space of time, with the obligatory beach landing, of course.