Explore with Amie

It is crazy to think that one year ago I was travelling the East Coast of Australia. 2023 kicked off to a great start. 2024 is off to a great start as well as I will have recently returned from a short trip to Poland when this goes live. Starting the year off with a holiday is such a luxury and I feel very lucky to be able to do so. However, taking it back to last year, both myself and my travel buddy’s highlight of the entire trip to Australia was our Fraser Island/K’Gari tour so I thought I would share with you why I think Dingo’s 3 Day K’Gari 4WD Tag-Along Adventure is worth your time and your money.

Firstly, I’m going to use the names K’gari and Fraser Island interchangeably throughout this blogpost as I think it is important to recognise the indigenous history of the land. As you could have guessed, it is an island off the East Coast of Australia – the closest city is Brisbane. However, if you are to take a trip here, Rainbow Beach is the usual pick up and drop off point. It is a World Heritage listed sand island which is home of the Butchulla people with around six different clans living in their territories across the area. Captain Cook first sighted the island in 1770 and it was later colonised by Europeans, causing a conflict with the aboriginal people. K’Gari actually stands for paradise, and that is certainly what this island is.

Dingo’s 3 Day 4WD-Tag Along Adventure is – you guessed it – a three day, two night stay on the island. This is plenty of time to see the sights and really soak in the beauty of this island. There is a 2 Day option available if you are limited for time but, I really suggest that you go for the three day option if you can. Like most of the tours on the island, these are self-drive tours following a lead vehicle. You choose groups with a couple of drivers in each and head out in your 4×4. At the time that I went, these were Toyota Landcruisers and I doubt they will change anytime soon as they were robust vehicles. Driving across the sand was actually one of my favourite parts of the trip as it was just one of those is this actually happening? is this my life? moments. Unfortunately, I had not passed my driving test when we went to Australia so I could not take a turn driving. It does look a little scary at first but, there is a full safety briefing on how to drive on sand and nobody on my tour had any issues.

Water plays a huge part on time on island. You definitely need to pack your swimming costumes for this one. On the first day, we went to Lake McKenzie which is one of the bluest lakes I have ever seen in my life. You just can’t even imagine. It is a natural lake that is filled with rainwater as it has no other inputs or outputs. Safe to say, you’re blown away by the offset. Other incredible moments of the trip included a visit to Eli Creek and floating down on our backs or in a rubber dingy. This was incredibly peaceful and another of my favourite moments of the three days. Champagne Pools, Aloe Vera lakes….this has it all.

Camping is something that I think a lot of people are put off by but, you shouldn’t be in this case, Yes, we did see spiders however, if you keep you tent zipped up, included the netting inside, you won’t have an issue. A couple of drinks the night before certainly helped me relax ahah! Remember, you may be driving the next day though and they won’t allow you to if you have drank too much. It is honestly nothing to worry about. In fact, it actually makes the trip all the more memorable and entertaining. The campsite is quite large and well set out with a fire pit for the evening. You also have the opportunity to leave the campsite on an evening if you wish to go down to the beach however, you must take a Dingo stick with you in case you come across the companies namesake. These aren’t pets and should be treated like the wild and dangerous animals they are. Be sure to follow all safety guidance if you opt to do this. A group from our tour did this and lived to tell the tale so, don’t be put off by that warning. The stars were beautiful, they said.

In terms of food and drinks, these is fresh water available in the cars and this keeps you going throughout the days. However, alcohol in the evening is BYO and this should be bought in Rainbow Beach before you depart. According to the website, you aren’t allowed to bring hard liquor or goon (boxed wine – a popular drink amongst backpackers in Oz) but people did so on our tour. One thing that may also put something off is the lack of showers on the campsite. There is a hosepipe that you can use to rinse off if you like however, you are in so much freshwater throughout the days, it doesn’t really matter. We all did feel a little bit dirty by the time we got back to the hostel at Rainbow Beach but, a shower was waiting for us and it wasn’t an issue at all.

K’Gari is a beautiful island. One of the moments that I will treasure for the rest of my life is waking up in the morning to see the sunrise. When we went to bed the previous evening, almost all of the group said they would get up. When it came to it, only two of use woke up and headed off with our leader in the car. It was a moment I will never forget. Listening to our leader telling us stories about the island and his experiences…. it was just incredible. The sunrise was great but, it was really the moment that made it. The only downside was the huge flies that land on you and bite you. They were out in full force so early in the morning and were all over the car. To be honest, these flies were the only downside of the whole trip for me personally. We were constantly having to swat them away but, I was only actually bitten once or twice.

Finally, I want to shoutout the staff of the company. I can’t remember the name of our tour guide but I’m sure I will have written it down somewhere so I’ll try and add that in later. He was incredible. He was funny and really made us all feel at ease with the new experience. He helped the drivers when they nervous or struggling with the cars and was all around just a really great guy. The staff who prepared the food were very clear and accommodating when it came to allergens and what you could and couldn’t eat. Vegetarian options were all provided and everything was nut-free which was great for me. It was just a great experience all around and I can’t thank the company enough.

A final point: the tour we joined mainly consisted of a group who were travelling with the company Ultimate Travel and therefore, they all knew each other before the tour began. I didn’t find this an issue at all; everyone was friendly and they included us enough for me not to be bothered. However, my friend wasn’t best pleased about this and that was her main negative about the experience. It is not a criticism of Dingo’s but something to be aware of it you are booking as I imagine they are consistently used by the travel company. It does tell you that they are the best of the best though.

The price of the excursion as of January 2024 is $549 AUD which is approximately £290. Now, that is probably one of the most expensive things that we booked for the trip aside from flights however, given that it was our favourite part of the trip, I think it is well worth the money. I promise you, splash the cash. You will not be disappointed.

The images really speak for themselves here (scroll for more). I would do the exact same tour again in a heartbeat.

Are you planning a trip to K’gari?

Amie x