Fraser Island

[HLW]

I plan a trip with my D4 to Fraser Island
any person done such a trip with a D4
any advice
thanks
HLW

[scarry]

Done it a few times with the D4,no worries at all,lower tyres,momentum,use Low Range when needed.

We have had heaps of rain lately,and there is more coming so the sand will be pretty hard.

Be very carefull on the beach,wash outs appear quickly if you are travelling at speed,as do creeks,some can have quite a drop off,particularly if the tide is up a bit.

Great fishing,look for gutters.Pipis are good bait,unless you are after Tailor,etc.

Inland tracks are pretty rough and slow going.

Anyway,have fun,its a great place,i have been going there since '69.

[W&KO]

Pretty sure turning traction control (or what ever it’s called on a D4) off each time you take off in soft sand also helps

[scarry]

Pretty sure turning traction control (or what ever it’s called on a D4) off each time you take off in soft sand also helps

Yes,i forgot about that,DSC i think its called,dont turn it off and forward motion will stop in the soft stuff,dont ask me how i know.[bigsad][biggrin]

Also be carefull as it comes on everytime the vehicle is restarted,and needs to be turned off again.
Use off road height where needed.

[Macadamia]

head over to the west coast. camping around Awinya creek and further up is the best. Only down side is the east coast is the 'highway' so you have to traverse back to get anywhere. but it's worth it! Take lots of inset repellant - the sand flies can be ferocious! Time the tides - don't get caught out trying to get up or down the beach at high tide; the inland track only goes so far is a slow slog!

I don't think I used low range at all. and don't bother with sand mode unless you're in deep soft sand as it will drain your fuel leaving you to fill up at >$2/L.

oh and enjoy cleaning sand out of your car for the rest of your life. it's worth it though!

[Jpdv]

Without wishing to spoil the party, it bored the pants off me:



The trails are narrow - you spend your time worrying about meeting a vehicle coming the other way being driven by an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing... There are lots of them.
When they're clear, you are trundling along dealing with slow going and heavy sand but no interesting views.
On the beach, you are making sure idiots who don't know what they're doing don't plough into you as they exceed safe speeds and hoon around thinking they are mad max... There are lots of them.
Any camp sites tend to be full of loud bogans getting smashed... There are lots of them...
Only person I saw who was happily/gainfully employed and who was doing something useful was the recovery bloke on the barge on the way home with a hire 4x4 that had been rolled. He told me that he made a fortune recovering the results of cretins thinking that a lift made them invincible.


Overall, it was everything I go bush to escape - a sort of rural Gold Coast without compensations. YMMV.

(NB - Agree that the West coast is the best place to be - fewest people...)

[HLW]

Yes,i forgot about that,DSC i think its called,dont turn it off and forward motion will stop in the soft stuff,dont ask me how i know.[bigsad][biggrin]

Also be carefull as it comes on everytime the vehicle is restarted,and needs to be turned off again.
Use off road height where needed.


head over to the west coast. camping around Awinya creek and further up is the best. Only down side is the east coast is the 'highway' so you have to traverse back to get anywhere. but it's worth it! Take lots of inset repellant - the sand flies can be ferocious! Time the tides - don't get caught out trying to get up or down the beach at high tide; the inland track only goes so far is a slow slog!

I don't think I used low range at all. and don't bother with sand mode unless you're in deep soft sand as it will drain your fuel leaving you to fill up at >$2/L.

oh and enjoy cleaning sand out of your car for the rest of your life. it's worth it though!


Without wishing to spoil the party, it bored the pants off me:



The trails are narrow - you spend your time worrying about meeting a vehicle coming the other way being driven by an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing... There are lots of them.
When they're clear, you are trundling along dealing with slow going and heavy sand but no interesting views.
On the beach, you are making sure idiots who don't know what they're doing don't plough into you as they exceed safe speeds and hoon around thinking they are mad max... There are lots of them.
Any camp sites tend to be full of loud bogans getting smashed... There are lots of them...
Only person I saw who was happily/gainfully employed and who was doing something useful was the recovery bloke on the barge on the way home with a hire 4x4 that had been rolled. He told me that he made a fortune recovering the results of cretins thinking that a lift made them invincible.


Overall, it was everything I go bush to escape - a sort of rural Gold Coast without compensations. YMMV.

(NB - Agree that the West coast is the best place to be - fewest people...)

thanks to everyone comments
indeed DCS to be turned off also with all settings I found rock crawl and mud rud the best
sand mode never work for me or once I tried it

[Macadamia]

Without wishing to spoil the party, it bored the pants off me:



The trails are narrow - you spend your time worrying about meeting a vehicle coming the other way being driven by an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing... There are lots of them.
When they're clear, you are trundling along dealing with slow going and heavy sand but no interesting views.
On the beach, you are making sure idiots who don't know what they're doing don't plough into you as they exceed safe speeds and hoon around thinking they are mad max... There are lots of them.
Any camp sites tend to be full of loud bogans getting smashed... There are lots of them...
Only person I saw who was happily/gainfully employed and who was doing something useful was the recovery bloke on the barge on the way home with a hire 4x4 that had been rolled. He told me that he made a fortune recovering the results of cretins thinking that a lift made them invincible.


Overall, it was everything I go bush to escape - a sort of rural Gold Coast without compensations. YMMV.

(NB - Agree that the West coast is the best place to be - fewest people...)

sorry you felt that way. I really enjoyed it but I went during the week well into off peak season and not once did we run in to anyone on the tracks and we consistently had entire camp sites to ourselves. I agree though if you go during school holidays or even on weekends you're going to have to content with a lot of people and there'll always be someone around to ruin it for you. cest la vie...

[HLW]

Also there are 2 crossing / barge from main land to Fraser Island being River Heads or Rainbow Beach side
which one will you recommend
thanks
HLW

[scarry]

Also there are 2 crossing / barge from main land to Fraser Island being River Heads or Rainbow Beach side
which one will you recommend
thanks
HLW

Depends where you are staying.

We much prefer Inskip,because we usually stay on the eastern side of the island.
One of my brothers has a unit at KBR,but wherever you go from there its generally a slow bouncy trip.
The beach runs are so much easier and quicker,although one has to watch the tides,which isnt a real issue.

[Macadamia]

The beach runs are so much easier and quicker,although one has to watch the tides,which isnt a real issue.

beg to differ. coming from inskip there are sections of the beach that will be impassable at high tides without salt water washing the underside of your car - especially when it's a king tide. You're also forced to drive high up on the beach in softer sand that is strewn with rubbish and debris (some dumped, some washed up). If you enjoy getting a punctured tire on a half rusted long abandoned crab pot then go for it.

I agree though coming from Inskip is the nicer route. Just time the tide or be prepared to have a picnic for a few hours.

My olds live in Tin Can Bay so I visit there a lot.

[goldey]

We did a 5 day trip to Fraser mid January this year. The very first time I've been there and we absolutely loved it. There were four families in convoy on our trip and our D4 went everywhere the others went in more comfort to boot. South Ngkala rocks, no problem, beach runs no problem and inland tracks no problem. We dropped tyre pressures at Inskip waiting on the barge to 18 psi all round (running Falken Wildpeaks on 20" rims with raised suspension) and never changed them until we aired back up at Rainbow beach on the way out. Yes, definitely make sure you turn the DSC off each time you start the car and the only time I had it in low range (as well as sand mode) was South Ngkala rocks which turned out to be no problem for our D4 (unlike the two 200 series in front of us and a Triton in our convoy).

I must admit our timing was pretty much perfect as we got to the island on the Monday of the week following Cyclone Seth, so the beach run up 90 mile was pretty hard and our tide timing was really good too. Stayed at Dundabura on the east coast away from the 'party animals' so we had a great time.

Cheers

Goldey

[scarry]

beg to differ. coming from inskip there are sections of the beach that will be impassable at high tides without salt water washing the underside of your car - especially when it's a king tide. You're also forced to drive high up on the beach in softer sand that is strewn with rubbish and debris (some dumped, some washed up). If you enjoy getting a punctured tire on a half rusted long abandoned crab pot then go for it.

I agree though coming from Inskip is the nicer route. Just time the tide or be prepared to have a picnic for a few hours.

My olds live in Tin Can Bay so I visit there a lot.

Probably my bad explaining[biggrin]

What I meant is it’s easy to work around the tides,stop and have a fish,organise the day around the tides,go inland for a while whatever.
High tide is actually a good time to be on the Eastern beach,doing whatever,except maybe driving,as there is often very little if any traffic.
Beaches change all the time,last time we were there,some sections of the beaches were easily traversed at high tide,but that also depends on how high the high tide is at the time.

[W&KO]

Also there are 2 crossing / barge from main land to Fraser Island being River Heads or Rainbow Beach side
which one will you recommend
thanks
HLW

Given your in Sydney I’d go via Inskip….unless your staying at kingfisher than I would consider River heads…..I believe there are two drop off point on the western side from river heads, you’ll need to decide they as well, generally based on if you’re staying at the resort or shooting across to the eastern side. Cannot help ya on that one as I’ve only ever done Inskip.

As mentioned your days are determined by the times…..we’ll that for the sensible users of the beach. You’ll see plenty belting along at high tide in the soft stuff.

Our last two trips we camped where we were at, at the end of each day, didn’t have to race tides to get back to camp or to a destination….and spent more time relaxing.

[The Mighty Range Rover]

beg to differ. coming from inskip there are sections of the beach that will be impassable at high tides without salt water washing the underside of your car - especially when it's a king tide. You're also forced to drive high up on the beach in softer sand that is strewn with rubbish and debris (some dumped, some washed up). If you enjoy getting a punctured tire on a half rusted long abandoned crab pot then go for it.

I agree though coming from Inskip is the nicer route. Just time the tide or be prepared to have a picnic for a few hours.

My olds live in Tin Can Bay so I visit there a lot.

Why would you try and travel up at high tide or a king tide? Just look at the tide times and don't do that. Or take the inland high tide access track from hook point.

Just got back from a week long trip at Fraser. My tips:

DSC off EVERY time you start the car or change terrain response modes.

Low Range for beach exits and on ramps, DSC will interfere less than it does in high range (even though it's meant to be off).

Sand mode for soft stretches, normal mode for hard high speed beach driving.

DSC OFF.

I normally go down to 18PSI and stay there, with no issues on my 18" factory rims.

[Salt grinder]

I'm posting this article here as we are talking about sand driving. A couple of old fishermen taught me a trick quite a few years back when I was reeeeally struggling along a remote beach with quite a slope towards the sea and spongy sand. I drove a great Niss then and thought I was going to end up in the surf.

They laughed when I eventually made it to the end where they were kicking back with tinnies, having bets with each other that I wouldn't make it. After, On the way out home, one guy followed me, we were now on a really soft different track . . . and yes, down I went.
Max traxs hadn't been invented then. So here's the lesson he taught me . . . .

My pressures were about 17-18psi. I knew I had to go lower with the gauge. He said "forget that thing, let me show you".
He had a valve removal tool in his hand and proceeded to screw the valve right out, and said "listen".

After 7-8 seconds the sound distinctly changed from a higher pitch to a lower whistling pitch. He screwed the valve back in and said, "there, that's about 12 psi."
Both rear tyres, and he said, "back out of the hole then just keep heading forward with momentum throttle." It worked.
No tugging, no digging, no snatching . . . I just drove out.

So firstly don't be afraid to drop to 10 - 12 psi if you're in the soft stuff, keep momentum, and when clear, using a quality pump, raise the pressure to 18 / 20 / 22 or even road pressure as required. Don't do anything tricky with very low pressure, you could roll a tyre off the rim.

But two extra tips . . . . Have a few extra valve inserts in a handy tin in case you drop one in the sand. And before any of this happens . . . . practice a few times at home or in the local servo next to the AIR hose. Listen for the sound change.

Beside beaches, I have driven the Simpson, Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts . . . just SWMBO and me.
If you get really remote and alone, think about taking a spare pump . . . you never know.

[ozscott]

I'm posting this article here as we are talking about sand driving. A couple of old fishermen taught me a trick quite a few years back when I was reeeeally struggling along a remote beach with quite a slope towards the sea and spongy sand. I drove a great Niss then and thought I was going to end up in the surf.

They laughed when I eventually made it to the end where they were kicking back with tinnies, having bets with each other that I wouldn't make it. After, On the way out home, one guy followed me, we were now on a really soft different track . . . and yes, down I went.
Max traxs hadn't been invented then. So here's the lesson he taught me . . . .

My pressures were about 17-18psi. I knew I had to go lower with the gauge. He said "forget that thing, let me show you".
He had a valve removal tool in his hand and proceeded to screw the valve right out, and said "listen".

After 7-8 seconds the sound distinctly changed from a higher pitch to a lower whistling pitch. He screwed the valve back in and said, "there, that's about 12 psi."
Both rear tyres, and he said, "back out of the hole then just keep heading forward with momentum throttle." It worked.
No tugging, no digging, no snatching . . . I just drove out.

So firstly don't be afraid to drop to 10 - 12 psi if you're in the soft stuff, keep momentum, and when clear, using a quality pump, raise the pressure to 18 / 20 / 22 or even road pressure as required. Don't do anything tricky with very low pressure, you could roll a tyre off the rim.

But two extra tips . . . . Have a few extra valve inserts in a handy tin in case you drop one in the sand. And before any of this happens . . . . practice a few times at home or in the local servo next to the AIR hose. Listen for the sound change.

Beside beaches, I have driven the Simpson, Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts . . . just SWMBO and me.
If you get really remote and alone, think about taking a spare pump . . . you never know.Good advice mate. Back during our big seemingly never ending drought i towed regularly on Straddie in very soft dry sand. I didn't hesitate to drop to 14 straight away as the go to pressure and at times lower in the Disco. The fantastic LR beads helped with keeping the tyres from peeling off. Like a tractor at those pressures. Cheers

[rar110]

In addition to above, be weary of any water.

Unless the choice is really clear/obvious, take time to stop and look at creek crossings on the beach to work out the best spot to cross.

Also take car with water that looks like a puddle. I was up past Waddi pt driving around a beach track through some very shallow puddles. One puddle on the track looked the same as all the others but was about 800mm deep, and bonnet went under. Thankfully the 110 straight through without issue.

[HLW]

Well the time has arrived we will depart from Inskip tomorrow morning
will post some comments and photos
Last question i have low profile rims / tyres (22") and concern dropping tyre pressure to far down as can cause tyre wall damage if I hit a rock or very hard object
my thought were to drop to 25-30 psi as normally run 40 psi
Some thoughts
Thanks
HLW

[ontheway]

Well the time has arrived we will depart from Inskip tomorrow morning
will post some comments and photos
Last question i have low profile rims / tyres (22") and concern dropping tyre pressure to far down as can cause tyre wall damage if I hit a rock or very hard object
my thought were to drop to 25-30 psi as normally run 40 psi
Some thoughts
Thanks
HLW

After a lot of research 15 PSI was fine on my 20 inch OEM rims. The are some general statements on foreign LR docu suggesting 15 PSI is fine across the range. YMMV. Hence, I suspect lower is fine in a pinch but yes, rim damage is a risk

[HLW]

Thanks very helpful i most likely go with 20 psi to start
regards
HLW