Great Sandy National Park

Great Sandy National Park
Queensland
Great Sandy National Park; Queensland
IUCN category II (national park)
	The Cathedral coloured sands
	Great Sandy National Park
Nearest town or city	Hervey Bay
Coordinates	25°02′43″S 153°12′36″E / 25.04528°S 153.21000°E
Established	1971
Area	2,195.55 km2 (847.7 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Great Sandy National Park is a coastal national park in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.^[1]

Geography

The park features untouched beaches, large

sand dunes

, heathlands, rainforests, swamps, creeks, freshwater lakes and mangrove forests.

Great Sandy National Park is divided into two sections. The Cooloola Recreation Area section is situated on the coast between Noosa Heads in the south and Rainbow Beach in the north and covers 184,000 hectares (450,000 acres). The K'Gari section (formerly known as Fraser Island) encompasses almost all of the world's largest sand island, which is situated north of Rainbow Beach, covering 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres).

Environment

Birds

The land within the park is classified by

eastern ground parrot and has one of the last coastal populations of the emu.^[3]

Features

SS Maheno shipwrecked in 1935 and its rusted remains in 2007

The Cooloola section contains the

Fraser Island Great Walk.^[4]

Lake Cootharaba offers fishing, sailing, and canoeing opportunities.

Whale watching, fishing, four-wheel driving, and bushwalking are also popular. The park also features two shipwrecks; the SS Maheno and the Cherry Venture.^[5]

The only place in the world where tall

sand blows

.

K'Gari also has more than 100 freshwater lakes including the largest perched lake in the world, Lake Boomanjin.^[6] Lake Wabby is a popular swimming and fishing spot.^[7]

A unique feature of Great Sandy National Park is the coloured sands, which are formed by old sand mixed with clay into a consolidated mass. The visible hues include red, brown, and yellow, which are a reflection of the iron-rich minerals embedded in the sands for thousands of years and brought to the surface by wind and water eroding the land.^[8]

Access

Access to Fraser Island ideally requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle.^[9] Parts of the Cooloola section are also inaccessible without a four-wheel drive. Vehicles entering the park need to obtain a vehicle permit for both Fraser Island and the Cooloola Recreational Area. Both sections have numerous camping areas.

Camping

Permits are required to camp in the park. About 15 camp sites are in the Cooloola section.

electric motors and non-motorised vessels are permitted past Campsite 3.^[10]

Fines

Fines are issued for feeding Fraser Island's wild dingo population or leaving food or rubbish that may attract them.^[5]

References

^ "Great Sandy National Park (entry 44177)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
^ "IBA: Cooloola and Fraser Coast". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
^ "About Cooloola Recreation Area". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
^ "Fraser Island Great Walk". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
^
ISBN 978-1-74117-245-4
.

^ "The Lakes of Fraser Island" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
^ "Lake Wabby". Queensland Holidays. Tourism Queensland. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
^ "Natural environment". Queensland Government Parks and Forests. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
^ Science, jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of Environment and (19 October 2009). "Things to do | K'gari (Fraser Island), Great Sandy National Park". Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ (21 August 2014). Southern Cooloola, Great Sandy National Park: Frequently Asked Questions Archived 8 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. Retrieved 8 September 2014.

External links

Official website for K'gari (Fraser Island) section
Official website for Cooloola Recreation Area section

[1] "Great Sandy National Park (entry 44177)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

[2] "IBA: Cooloola and Fraser Coast". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.

[acra-3] "About Cooloola Recreation Area". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.

[figw-4] "Fraser Island Great Walk". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.

[xqnp-5] 
ISBN 978-1-74117-245-4
.

[6] "The Lakes of Fraser Island" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

[lwqh-7] "Lake Wabby". Queensland Holidays. Tourism Queensland. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011.

[8] "Natural environment". Queensland Government Parks and Forests. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.

[9] Science, jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of Environment and (19 October 2009). "Things to do | K'gari (Fraser Island), Great Sandy National Park". Parks and forests | Department of Environment and Science, Queensland. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[10] (21 August 2014). Southern Cooloola, Great Sandy National Park: Frequently Asked Questions Archived 8 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. Retrieved 8 September 2014.

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v t e National parks of Queensland
Central	Baga Blackdown Tableland Bulburin Byfield Capricorn Coast Capricornia Cays Carnarvon Castle Tower Curtis Island Deepwater Epping Forest Eurimbula Expedition Goodedulla Humboldt Isla Gorge Junee Keppel Bay Islands Kroombit Tops Littabella Mazeppa Minerva Hills Mount Archer Mount Colosseum Mount Etna Caves Mount O'Connell Mount Walsh Nuga Nuga Palmgrove Peak Range Precipice Rundle Range Snake Range Taunton Warro West Hill Wild Cattle Island
Darling Downs	Bendidee Bunya Mountains Crows Nest Erringibba Girraween Main Range Mount Binga Pidna Southwood Sundown The Palms Wondul Range
Far North	Alwal Annan River Apudthama Barnard Island Group Barron Gorge Basilisk Range Blackbraes Bulleringa Cape Melville Chillagoe-Mungana Claremont Isles Clump Mountain Crater Lakes Daintree Danbulla Davies Creek Dinden Djiru Ella Bay Endeavour River Eubenangee Swamp Family Islands Fitzroy Island Flinders Group Frankland Group Forty Mile Scrub Great Basalt Wall Green Island Grey Peaks Girramay Girringun Goold Island Hann Tableland Hasties Swamp Herberton Range Hinchinbrook Island Hope Islands Howick Group Hull River Japoon Kalkajaka Kirrama Kuranda Kurrimine Beach Kutini-Payamu Lama Lama Little Mulgrave Lizard Island Ma’alpiku Island Macalister Range Malaan Maria Creek Marpa Michaelmas and Upolu Cays Millstream Falls Mitchell-Alice Rivers Mitirinchi Island Moresby Range Mount Cook Mount Hypipamee Mount Lewis Mount Spurgeon Mount Webb Mount Windsor Mowbray Ngalba Bulal Nymph Island Oyala Thumotang Palmerston Rocks Piper Islands Possession Island Raine Island Rinyirru Rocky Islets Russell River Sandbanks Saunders Islands Sir Charles Hardy Group Staaten River Starcke Three Islands Topaz Road Tully Gorge Turtle Group Two Islands Undara Volcanic Wooroonooran Wuthara Island Yamarrinh Wachangan Islands Yungaburra
North	Blackwood Brook Islands Bowling Green Bay Brampton Islands Broad Sound Islands Cape Hillsborough Cape Palmerston Cape Upstart Conway Dipperu Dryander Eungella Gloucester Island Halifax Bay Wetlands Holbourne Island Homevale Lindeman Islands Magnetic Island Molle Islands Moorrinya Mount Aberdeen Mount Martin Mount Ossa Newry Islands Northumberland Islands Orpheus Island Paluma Range Pioneer Peaks Reliance Creek Repulse Island Round Top Island Smith Islands South Cumberland Islands South Island Swain Reefs Whitsunday Islands
South West	Alton Chesterton Range Culgoa Floodplain Currawinya Diamantina Hell Hole Gorge Idalia Lake Bindegolly Mariala Narkoola Thrushton Tregole
North West	Boodjamulla Camooweal Caves Porcupine Gorge White Mountains
Central West	Astrebla Downs Bladensburg Cudmore Diamantina Forest Den Goneaway Lochern Munga-Thirri Narrien Range Welford
Wide Bay-Burnett	Auburn River Beeron Beninbi Burrum Coast Cania Gorge Coalstoun Lakes Fairlies Knob Goodnight Scrub Goomboorian Great Sandy Grongah Mount Bauple Pipeclay Poona Tarong Woocoo Woondum Woowoonga
Brisbane and Surrounds	Bellthorpe Bribie Island Burleigh Head Conondale D'Aguilar Deer Reserve Dularcha Esk Eudlo Creek Ferntree Creek Fort Lytton Freshwater Gatton Glass House Mountains Kondalilla Lamington Lockyer Mapleton Falls Mooloolah River Moogerah Peaks Gheebulum Kunungai Mount Barney Mount Chinghee Mount Coolum Mount Pinbarren Naree Budjong Djara Nicoll Scrub Noosa Nerang Ravensbourne Sarabah Southern Moreton Bay Islands St Helena Island Springbrook Tamborine Teerk Roo Ra Tewantin Triunia Tuchekoi Venman Bushland West Cooroy Wickham
Former national parks	Blue Lake
Protected areas of Queensland