DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on the matters set out in this guide, and I am not giving you advice - this guide just describes how I approach a typical trip to Waddy Lodge.
Is this your first visit to Waddy Lodge, or your first time on Fraser Island? This little guide may be useful to you in planning your trip.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE:
Get an island permit on line – it is cheaper and easier. The rangers office at Rainbow Beach only operates business hours now – so you can not get a permit there after hours. If you forget, you can get a permit from the Manta Ray barge office on the left as you come into Rainbow Beach.
Pack all the things you will need for the trip – including:
For driving
- Fully equipped high clearance 4WD
- Recovery gear - snatch strap & shackles, shovel, bog ramps, portable (or fixed) air compressor.
For the house:
- All food and drinks. You can stock up on the island, but it is expensive and the range is limited.
- Kitchen consumables – detergents, dishcloths, paper towels, napkins, clingwrap, foil, baking paper, plastic bags, etc
- Linen – sheets, pillowcases, towels, bathmats, tea towels, facewashers, etc
- Bathroom consumables – tissues, toilet paper, soaps, shampoos etc
- Laundry consumables – detergent etc
- Books, games and whatever else you like to occupy your time when there is no TV!
For outdoors:
- Sun smart clothing, sunscreen and insect repellent
- Beach umbrella, sheter, or better still an 'awning' for your 4WD
- Folding camp table for the beach (Waddy Lodge provides folding beach chairs)
- Boogie board (for the kids on the sandhills!)
- Camera and binoculars
For Fishing:
Rods and reels
For myself, I take the following rods and reels:
- 13ft surf rod with 20lb main line and 30lb leader – mainly for Tailor and whatever else is out there. 6000 series spinning reel is good for ease of casting and fast retrieve for lures, Alvey is more robust on the beach but takes more skill and dedication.
- 9-10ft medium action estuary rod with 8lb line and 15lb leader - for Dart, Tarwhine, Flatties and other bigger things in the surf and gutters – can also catch Tailor and Whiting at a pinch. I use a 4000 series spinning reel for this rod.
- 11ft specialist light whiting rod with 6 lb line and leader - matched with an Alvey reel – superb combination.
For each family member, I take a 7ft general purpose spinning rod with a 2500 series reel and 6-8lb line– they don’t want to lug three rods around everywhere they go
Tackle
My tackle box is full of a range of hooks, swivels and sinkers of various sizes and shapes. I prefer open gape gang hooks for tailor etc. I have found that small circle hooks are sensational for Dart, Whiting, Tarwine etc. I don’t use long shank traditional whiting hooks any more. I like the smallest swivel that I can use for the line class. Sinkers vary from size 1 for whiting to size 6 for long casts with pilchards.
My tackle box also has a range of metal spoons for Tailor, and soft plastics for Flathead and occasionally Dart.
Bait
I pack pilchards, a bonito, some squid. I sometimes get bait (and tackle) from "Fishermans Warehouse" on Brisbane Road after the turn off the Bruce Highway at Gympie - but in peak periods they sometimes run low so I will call ahead on 0754826300.
I catch worms and pippies on the island. I take a 10 litre plastic bucket with a good lid for holding pippies, and a large bottle of metho for preserving worms.
Other Stuff
Fishing shoulder bags and belt mounted bait boxes are essential – also small stainless fishing pliers, a general purpose fishing knife, and a good filleting knife.
THE JOURNEY
Drive to Rainbow Beach. If it is business hours, drop in at the National Parks office (on the left as you approach town) to pick up fliers and maps and stuff. Then stop at the Manta Ray barge office (on the left a bit further along) to buy barge tickets and (if you have not already) island permits.
Drop in at the big Shell (on the left in the middle of town) to refuel and get pies and bread. The pies are fabulous, and the bread is fresh. Visit the supermarket or the bottle shop for last minute supplies.
Drive to Inskip Point, where I generally let the tyres down to about 20psi at the tyre letting down bay, so that you can get across the sand on and off the barge. There is nothing more embarrassing than bogging at the barge. Keeping the tyres at 20psi on the harder sand on the southern part of the island helps me to minimize rock damage along the way, but I still take it very easy around rocks and drop-offs. [Note I understand that there is an issue with reducing pressure in split rim tyres – get advice on this one as I am not sure what the issue is]
When driving on soft tyres do not swerve or brake hard - take it easy!
It is a good idea to be on the island 2 hours before low. This way you will be travelling on an outgoing tide, and may be able to squeeze around the front of some of the rocks on the beach. Otherwise, you will just have to crawl over them carefully. Make sure you explore the crossing points before choosing a line, because the 'obvious' crossings are not always best. People will often follow the person in front who may have no idea!
NOTE: Refer to the fishing section below for details on fishing and bait collecting on the way up the island.
Some of our members have encountered pale coloured coffee rock on the journey, disguised as sand. Nasty!
There are a couple of places where you will need to use the bypasses off the beach - Polyungan Rocks and Yidney Rocks. Apparently Happy valley is now also impassible and you need to use the bypass, but this can change rapidly.
Take care crossing any of the bigger creeks – walk the creek first, choose your line carefully and don’t mess about - you will go down like a stone if you stop in the creeks – also embarrasing.
Once I get to Indian Head, I typically lower the tyres to about 15 at this point, so that I do not get bogged in the churned up sand. Once you are past Indian Head you will come to the middle rock beach - the climb from here to Champagne Pools (and on to Waddy Point) has become very challenging as the boards were all washed out by the recent storms. Be careful of debris in this climb - walk it first to pick a line or follow someone who appears to get through OK.
Once past Champagne Pools you are on the track to Waddy Point / Orchid Beach - take it easy as there are drop-offs and sticks and other stuff that will try to eat your tyres.
At the intersection near Orchid Beach, you can choose to turn right to Waddy Point, or go on to Orchid. Be careful on the Orchid Beach track - it is also an embarrassing place to get bogged!
If you take the right track to Waddy Popint, you will come out at the ranger station – turn left and we are a hundred metres along the beach at the “No Entry” sign.
If you go to Orchid Beach, you can take the first beach access on the right – before the town – and you will arrive on the beach a couple of km west of Waddy Point. Drive along the beach toward Waddy Point, and you will see the lodge on the hill next to the ranger station.
Carefully make your way across to the camping ground, and then up to Waddy Lodge.
On the beach at Waddy Point, be very careful of the big deep washouts on the beach and access tracks. These really are dangerous, so always walk through any water crossing to avoid extreme sadness.
I think that is most of the driving stuff - normal road rules - keep to the left, and if you are approaching a narrow section we usually indicate our direction to avoid confusion.
Check out http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser/pdf/fraser-conditions-report.pdf for the latest conditions.
Check out the tourist guides for the things to see on the way up - Eli Creek, Maheno Shipwreck, Cathedrals and Coloured Sands, and all the lakes that dot the island.
ARRIVING AT WADDY LODGE
Our caretaker will meet you and show you through the cabin. Unload all your perishable stuff into the fridges and freezers first, then unload all your other supplies.
Rig up your rods when you are ready, and open a refreshing beverage. Relax.
FISHING
The first thing I do (if time permits) is set up a couple of rods when I get onto the island. It used to drive me crazy driving past fishy looking water, with all the rods packed away in the rod holders. So now I set up the medium estuary rod and the whiting rod for the trip up the beach – as well as a couple of the 7 ft spinners for the family. Watch for gutters on the way up - they can be anywhere along the beach depending on the wind. Low tide offers some reasonable opportunities for 'gutter hopping' on the way up. You might score some Whiting out of the shallow 'closed' gutters, and Dart or Tailor out of the deeper gutters if you are lucky.
On your way up you should keep an eye out for little bumps in the sand under the tyre tracks. These are pippy mounds. Dig a few inches and you come across some supremo Whiting and Dart bait. Only take as many as you need for a couple of days (taking care of the bag limit) and keep them in fresh salt water in the shade. Change the water a couple of times a day and don’t overload the bucket or they will die. You can also put them in metho to keep them longer if you want (take metho with you if you plan to try this).
Note: Pippies are commonly found 20km – 10km south of Indian Head – less frequently up at Waddy. It is a good idea to collect them on the way up.
Once you are set up at Waddy Lodge, you will need to prepare bait (unless you are OK with the pippies). You can try the following:
· Cut your squid into little thin strips for whiting or Dart.
· Cut your bonito into 1cm cubes for bream and tarwhine
· Keep your pillies whole unless you keep getting cut off then halve them
· Get some beach worms - that sounds easy! First - if you cannot catch beach worms, either go with someone who has, or watch a lot of videos on Youtube or Brownies Coastwatch before you leave. Take only what you need, and preserve them in Metho - it works a treat.
So now we have bait:
For whiting - hit gutters and the shallow wash around rocky points with worms, squid, pippies through the bottom half of the tide. Best rig is a small sinker to a swivel, 40cm 6lb trace, small circle hook (not a long shank).
For bream and tarwhine - hit coffee rock outcrops and rocky points (Polyungan, Indian Head, Waddy Point, Ngkala) with bonito, squid, pippies, and pillies through the top half of the tide. Same rig as whiting - slightly heavier if big fish.
For dart - hit anywhere with a bit of surf wash across a gutter - the further out you get the bigger the fish. They often come on at particular parts of the tide and you have to work out which depending on the spot! Same rig as whiting, but 8lb line and 15lb leader. Dart will take small plastics as well.
For tailor - hit the beach gutters with gang hooked pillies or a shiny steel slug anywhere on the island, and off the rocks at Indian Head, Waddy Point and Ngkala. They will also take a pilchard pattern lure or plastic.
For flathead - soft plastics or small pillies in the gutters - but we dont get many of these.
For jewies - good luck with that - ask someone who can catch the mongrel things...
Warnings for Fisherpersons:
Be careful if fishing on the rocky points - every 5 minutes a big set comes through and can wash you off. This will be at least painful, potentially much worse. I wear a life vest when fishing in ‘tricky’ spots.
Be careful of sharks - there are HEAPS of them in very close to the beach. Do not swim in the surf.
Be careful of dingoes - they are a bit sneaky and have been known to bite people. Be particularly careful with children. Always take a stick with you when walking on the beach to ward them off.
Take a boogie board if you like sand sliding (where permissible of course)
That's about it for a typical trip. Good Luck