4WD campers
K'gari is sand from the barge landing to the far beach. If you want to drive it yourself, this is the only part of the fleet that can.
K'gari sits 15 km off the coast and about 300 km north of Brisbane. There is no sealed road on it. Queensland Parks lists four things a vehicle needs before it can go across.
The tracks are sand, not gravel. A standard car bottoms out on the inland roads and bogs on the beach.
Queensland Parks is explicit that all-wheel drive is not recommended. Low range is what gets you out of soft sand.
Every vehicle needs one before it goes onto the island, with the number plate recorded correctly.
The Eastern Beach scenic drive is only drivable within two hours either side of low tide.
Requirements from Queensland Parks, K'gari — getting there and getting around.
Three models, all 21+. Two of them seat and sleep five in rooftop tents; the third is a two-berth with a fixed roof. The full fleet, side by side puts them next to the two-wheel-drive campers if you are still deciding whether the sand is part of the trip.
4WD camper A two-berth 4WD camper for two people who want sand access without giving up comfort. Automatic, with solar and a fridge.
Best for: Two people planning to drive on sand at K'gari or the beach camps
Full specifications
4WD camper The big one: five seats, five berths in two rooftop tents, a 70 L water tank and a compressor fridge. Built for a group doing serious remote driving.
Best for: A group of four or five heading onto sand for several days
Full specifications
4WD camper Five seats, five berths in two tents, automatic and unlimited kilometres. The practical middle ground for a family that wants to get onto sand.
Best for: A family of four or five wanting sand access and unlimited kilometres
Full specificationsFrom the south, the barge runs from Inskip Point to Hook Point — about ten minutes across, no booking needed, and it puts you straight onto the eastern beach.
From the west, barges leave River Heads, roughly 23 km from Hervey Bay, for Kingfisher Bay and Wanggoolba Creek. Those take 30 to 50 minutes and do need booking.
Sand driving is a skill, and a hire vehicle is an expensive place to learn it. Tours run from Hervey Bay and from the island's resorts, and they solve the permit, the barge and the tide in one go.
Seeing K'gari without a 4WD covers what a tour includes that self-driving does not, and if the sand turns out to be off the itinerary, a campervan is cheaper to run for the same trip.
The full permit and barge detail is in taking a 4WD to K'gari.
Book one of the high-clearance 4WD campers: K'gari's tracks need low range, and all-wheel drive is not enough. Read the rental terms for that vehicle before you book, so you know what the cover includes.
No. Queensland Parks states that K'gari's sand tracks are only suitable for high-clearance 4WD vehicles with low range, and that all-wheel drive vehicles are not recommended.
Inskip Point to Hook Point is about ten minutes and needs no booking. River Heads to Kingfisher Bay or Wanggoolba Creek takes 30 to 50 minutes and does need booking.
Yes. A vehicle access permit is required for the recreation area, and the number plate on the permit has to match the vehicle.
Driver age, excess and what the vehicle is covered for are set by the rental terms you accept at booking. The 4WD range page lists the models and the conditions that apply.