Traveling to Australia was my trip of a lifetime. After moving to Atlanta and accumulating many SkyMiles, Australia became the goal. Finally, the magical 100,000 miles filled our accounts, and the planning began. There was so much to see in the three weeks we had allocated for the trip, including a total of three days to travel there and back. Thanks to a special on the Travel Channel about the world’s best secret beaches, our over-packed schedule became even more compressed when we knew we needed to include a visit to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.

Getting to Fraser Island isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and once you’re there, getting around is even more challenging. A ferry leaves from the mainland at Hervey Bay several times a day, and once you are on the island, the only way to drive around the sand track roads is with a 4WD vehicle. Budget conscious travelers may find that staying at one of the two resorts proves to be more economical than renting a 4WD for the duration of their stay.

We took a small plane to Hervey Bay from Brisbane and arrived too late to catch the last ferry to Fraser Island.  So we stayed in a hotel near the ferry docks.  The morning of our departure, we embraced the opportunity to try some local fare by going to a nearby takeaway. What could be more authentic than the Eurong Cowboy breakfast, which was described as cheese toast topped with spaghetti? Yum, spaghetti for breakfast. Digging into my local treat, I quickly realized that the spaghetti came from a can. I guess that’s why you don’t see a lot of restaurants in the U.S. featuring “authentic Australian cuisine.”

There are many lodging options on Fraser Island if you are interested in roughing it with the dingoes. Additionally, there is a hostel on the beach side of the island, as well as many rental properties. These are great options if you have access to a 4WD vehicle. Additionally, there are two resorts on the island, Kingfisher Bay  and Eurong Beach Resort.

Because of the variety of amenities, tours and the proximity to the ferry dock, we didn’t mind spending a little extra at Kingfisher Bay. This eco resort was designed to integrate with the natural surroundings and to educate guests about the local ecosystem through clinics, guided walks and tours. Our first day we spent enjoying the resort – the pool, the restaurants, and the nature walks. It was December, and as we sat poolside, feasting on a fresh seafood buffet, we listened to carolers singing Winter Wonderland amidst the palm trees and balmy breeze.

Fraser Island is home to some of the last remaining population of pure dingoes. Domesticated dogs are not allowed to be brought onto Fraser Island to preserve the purity of the local dingoes. We were told that dingoes generally take little interest in people, so it was rare to have an encounter with one. Additionally, it is illegal for people to engage dingoes in human interaction, by attracting or feeding them. We were anxious to see a dingo in the wild, however the experience that we got was more than we bargained for. We spent one evening near dusk walking on the beach near the resort. Enamored with the scenery and sunset, we wandered pretty far from any other humans. On the way back, no other people in sight, we had our dingo encounter. And, contrary to the promise that they would show no interest in people, this dingo wanted to meet us personally. This was one of those times where you’re not quite sure how you are going to react until you’re living the situation. My first instinct was to run, but my husband reminded me that would guarantee an attack. The dingo approached us as I hid behind my husband, who luckily kept it together. He folded his arms and stared down the adolescent dingo that crouched into puppy play stance as I tried to keep my hands steady enough to snap a photo. (I did take a picture, but unfortunately was not successful at keeping things steady). The dingo let out a wild bark, much like our dog at home would do when he wasn’t getting the reaction he expected when he wanted to play. A few moments later he became bored and continued on his way.

Our second day on the island, we took a Kingfisher Bay 4WD tour of some of the island’s most popular sights. Our “tour bus” was a modified commercial truck with a tour bus interior. Our tour guide blasted the catchy country tune We’re All Gonna Die Someday as the roller coaster ride over the hilly sand tracks intensified.

The tour included Central Station, which is essentially a central campground facility. We hiked along Wanggoolba Creek, and saw some interesting vegetation along the way. Strangler figs, I suppose, could be likened to kudzu that is found in Georgia because of its behavior of growing up trees and strangling them.

The next stop on the tour was Lake McKenzie, which was the highlight of our visit. This freshwater lake is comprised of rainwater, and the beauty of the lake was all that the pictures promised. The most disappointing thing was the small amount of time we were able to spend there.

On our final day on Fraser Island, we rented our own 4WD so we could explore the major highlights that were on the other side of the island. We knew from the day before the conditions of the roads. They were one lane 4WD tracks in the sand, which made you feel that you had forgotten all of your driving skills and you were in a nightmare version of driver’s ed.

We stopped at Lake Wabby, a small freshwater lake that was being taken over by a massive sand dune. The walk from the car to the lake was about 20 minutes through the forest. When we finally arrived at the lake, we truly felt like we were in the desert. The green lake beckoned us to cool off and watch other visitors sand board into the lake while the fish nipped our toes.

After Lake Wabby, we headed for 75 Mile Beach where we could drive to see the rest of the sites. At low tide, the beach serves as the main highway (and runway) for the island. We traveled to Cathedral Beach and worked our way down to see The Pinnacles (sculptured colored sands), Maheno Shipwreck (washed ashore in 1935), and Eli Creek. The creek had a rapid current, so you could float down on your belly as if you were on a water slide.  That is, when you weren’t getting stuck in the shallow areas. We returned via Lake McKenzie with a little bit of time to catch our ferry.

Like all of our destinations on that whirlwind journey down under, we only wished we could spend more time. And several years later in the midst of another holiday season, I’m reminiscing about that balmy, white, sandy island.  Ah, a winter wonderland, indeed.