Eli Creek and Champagne Pools Fraser Island
Eli Creek and Champagne Pools, Eastern side of Fraser Island.
In this post we take you through a couple of the popular spots on the Eastern side of Fraser Island being Eli Creek and Champagne Pools. These are tourist havens, so be prepared for crowds on weekends and during school holidays. As both spots are easily accessible by tour buses, it only takes a couple of full buses to arrive and crowd out both spots. So if you do not like being in a crowd, we would recommend visiting during the week, early in the morning, later in the day or outside of school holidays. If you love a crowd then do not worry you will have an amazing time.
Alright let us get into it, exploring Eli Creek and Champagne Pools.
Eli Creek
Eli Creek is just before the Maheno Wreck and probably about 45 minutes to an hour’s drive from Hook Point, where you get off the ferry from Inskip Point. It is almost impossible to miss as you will see the crowds, tour buses and 4WDs galore.
This is an amazing spot for a warm Queensland day. Located on the Eastern side of Fraser, from the beach it simply looks like a large pool in the sand, often marked out by a cluster of tour buses. However, supplying the pool and accessible by a well-maintained boardwalk which winds through the forest is a crystal-clear freshwater creek. Bringing along a floaty device of some kind is a must. There are generally plenty of fancy inflatable swans and so on, but the best option is a cheap and simple rubber tube to allow bum and feet to trail along in the refreshingly cool water.
At present the boardwalk leads to a deep part of the creek a relatively short stroll into the forest. You drop your tube in and launch in with or after in as gracefully as possible – in my case, not very! You can then lie back and cruise gently with the flow, brushing by curious little fish and feeling the dappled sunshine on your skin. Alternatively, if the mood strikes you, you and a mate can splash frantically downstream in a race to the beach although this approach might not win you any friends with the drifters!
Taking the sedate option will have you back in the beachside pool in 5 to 10 minutes depending on how crowded it is and how often you pause to admire the beautiful forest, bird life or nosy fish. Although it does not take long those few minutes of floating are utter bliss and it is well worth making the walk a few times to get the most out of Eli Creek.
We were fortunate enough on our last trip to experience a quiet day at Eli Creek. The ideal time to visit is on a weekday during the Queensland school term and in the warmer part of spring or autumn. Even then the creek can be a bit busy but on a hot summer’s day in school holidays or the weekend it may not be quite as serene an experience – more likely standing room only! However regardless of the crowds it is always a sensational spot.
There are other creeks at Fraser Island though that will get you well away from the hustle and bustle. Find these creeks and you will not ever want to leave. Check out our short video below at Eli Creek.
Champagne Pools
This is a well named must visit stop for any Fraser Island trip. You will find it on the Eastern beach at Middle Rocks just after Indian Head. It is far north so depending how close to the ferry point you camp it can be a few hours’ drive. Fortunately, it is a stunning drive and well worth it, like any drive on Fraser Island. When you exit the beach at Middle Rocks, you will go up a steep timber laid track that comes to a large carpark with toilets. If the carpark here is full, you can drive further down the track and loop around to another carpark which is well sign posted. This track continues to take you to Orchid Beach, zone 8 camping areas, Ngkala Rocks and the furthest north point of Fraser Island being Sandy Cape.
Once again, Champagne Pools like Eli Creek, is a popular destination with tour buses and campers alike. We usually only stop in here on a weekday and even then, it is usually quite crowded. So, we recommend an earlier or later visit depending on tides if you do not like crowds. The route to Orchid Beach and the more northern camping spots goes through the car park so it can be a little chaotic at times – kiddies should be well supervised.
From the car park (where there are amenities) the pool can be accessed from a north or south boardwalk. The southern option is a bit longer but offers amazing views of the coastline and island. The boardwalk is well maintained but as it takes you down the cliff side there are a few stairs involved. How we love Australia, you can be in the middle of nowhere and you find the well-maintained boardwalks like this one.
The pool itself is large, so even when it is busy there’s usually room to float. It is mostly ringed by boulders over which the waves crash, causing foaming water to cascade in from the ocean. This gives a great opportunity for photos with a dramatic spray of water fountaining up behind you if your mate can time it right! There is a tiny beach at the northern side which is likely to be covered in pale tourists from colder climates seeking brown Aussie tans. The rocky ledge on the south side offers a good spot to stash your things and wade in. The water is usually very invigorating… The depth varies but towards the ocean side at high tide it is deep enough that you would have to tread water if you were as short as I am! You will share the pool with a variety of fish – some quite large. We were treated to a closeup of a cormorant catching then losing then catching a fish again.
After all that fun it really depends on how crowded it is as to whether there is enough room to comfortably lie in the sun to dry off. From here it is always great, depending on the time of day, to continue north seeking a feed and a beer or two at the Orchid Beach pub. A great spot for a nice cold one and a damn good view of the ocean.
More Information on Fraser Island
If you would like to read our other posts and stories on Fraser Island you can read them all here. Some of our other Fraser Island posts include a guide on booking permits, camping spots and things to see on the Western beaches and a few trip diary stories.
We hope you have enjoyed this short post on Eli Creek and Champagne Pool, two of the more popular destinations on Fraser Island. If you would like to keep up to date on any of our future posts and become a part of the 4WD Adventurer community join here. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to keep up to date on any of our other content.
Thanks for reading legends.
The thoughts of Shayne.
