A turtle slowly swims to the surface of the sparkling, clear water. It takes a breath, then dives silently down under the wooden jetty.

Already, the magic of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) on Queensland’s Fraser Coast has me under her spell. Pronounced ‘Gurri,’ the name means ‘paradise’ in the language of the local Butchulla people, and I can see why.

Nestled among the trees, Kingfisher Bay Resort is my home for two nights. From my balcony, nature envelops me. The view stretches westward across a pond speckled with lily pads toward the thick bush that blankets the largest sand island in the world. Sounds of twittering birds intermingle with the intermittent croaking of frogs.

When I stroll along the Wallum Boardwalk, droplets from last night’s rain sparkle on tiny pink boronia flowers. A Lewin’s honeyeater darts into the scrub, flitting from one bush to another.

In the early evening, on our way to Illumina, a symphony of sound and light against the bush backdrop, a little girl in front of me looks up and starts to sing, “Twinkle, twinkle little star”. I also pause to gaze at the star-studded sky.

White clouds scud across the blue sky the following morning when I step on board a 40-seater, four-wheel-drive coach with excited visitors from around the world to join guide Ian Butcher, who asks us to call him Butch, for the first leg of a K’gari Explorer Day Tour.

Immersed in K’gari’s wild beauty

Putting the coach into gear, Butch takes off down a narrow sandy track hemmed in by thick green bush. Most of K’gari, the biggest sand island in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is covered in bush.

It’s a bumpy ride to Central Station, a former logging camp. Kauri pine, hoop pine and satinay were logged from 1863 to 1991. Satinay, being marine borer resistant, was used to build the Suez Canal.

Today, trees grow straight and tall, competing for light in this rainforest. Shafts of sunlight filter through bright green foliage as I stroll alongside the gently flowing Wanggoolba Creek. The Butchulla people used to weave baskets from Piccabeen palm fronds, and they leached the poison from cycad seeds before grinding them into edible flour.

After lunch at K’gari Beach Resort, we drive onto 75 Mile Beach. Four-wheel drives speed along the smooth, firm sand. It is here that we might see a dingo.

We do. A young male lies on the sand chomping at a fish head. The fisherman has buried the fish entrails, but perhaps not deep enough. Dingoes are smart and have a keen sense of smell. This one has found an easy meal.

Despite looking like dogs, dingoes (wongari) are wild. For their own protection, they must stay that way. To guard against dingoes associating humans with food, visitors must keep food locked in airtight containers and not picnic on beaches or outside dingo-proof areas.

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When we get out of the coach to inspect the rusty wreck of the SS Maheno, Butch reminds us, should we see a dingo, to stand tall, not run and back away slowly.

From rainforest trails to aerial views

At Eli Creek, he stops near a seven-seater fixed-wing plane parked on the sand. I jump at the opportunity for a scenic flight to experience K’gari from the air. Soon we’re airborne. We spot whales powering north and trace Eli Creek from its source. We fly over the mysterious black waters of Butterfly Lake. It’s then that I realize I can see both the eastern and western shores of K’gari. This magical island is only 22 kilometers wide.

There are more than 40 perched dune lakes on K’gari. I swim in one: Lake Mckenzie. The clear water sparkles in the late afternoon sun. I plunge in. Gasping from the cold, I don’t stay long.

Ending the day at the Sunset Bar, I watch as the setting sun casts a rich, warm path across the waters of the Great Sandy Strait. K’gari really lives up to its name: Paradise.

There’s plenty more to discover on the Fraser Coast. Hervey Bay, Australia’s whale-watching capital, is across the waters from K’gari. I’m staying in the Oaks Hervey Bay Resort to explore further.

Wandering through galleries and gardens

With an umbrella under my arm, I set off for Urangan Pier, which at over 800 meters long, is one of the longest piers in Australia. A few hardy souls have braved the weather to fish. One is leaving. He’s carrying four fishing rods and a bucket with a fishtail poking out over the edge.

“Yeah, I got something to eat,” he tells me when I ask. “Just a tailor. It’ll do.”

From the pier, I stroll along the Esplanade to the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, where a huge whale welcomes me. Sculpted from stainless steel and slats of ironbark timber, the sculpture is a tribute to Nala, a humpback whale who visits Hervey Bay regularly.

The Butchulla Seasonal Garden, behind the gallery, describes how indigenous people used certain plants for food, medicine, tools and in the case of the coastal cypress pine, to repel mosquitoes.

A bus takes me to Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, where I stroll through the Chinese garden and meander along the labyrinth’s sandy path. In the Orchid House, I’m captivated by the pretty white and pink and striped yellow and brown orchids, some with long, spidery petals.

Tomorrow should be another magical day. I’m going whale watching.

Having a whale of a time

At first, there’s nothing for our international group of 22 to see as we cruise the flat waters of Hervey Bay. Then the skipper and owner of Blue Dolphin Tours, Peter Lynch, points to two breaths “at 10 o’clock”.

He cuts the motor as two subadult humpbacks approach the Blue Dolphin. Looking at the depth sounder, he calls out. “There’s one five meters below the boat, coming up towards the bow,” he says.

The whale, with barnacles encrusted on its chin, emerges with a splash.

The whales have come to see us as much as we’ve come to see them. They entertain us for hours. Once, I clearly see two black blowholes glistening in the sun as the fine mist from a breath kisses my cheek.

Buzzing with excitement from a memorable day on the water, we return to Hervey Bay.

Only 30 minutes from Hervey Bay, Maryborough is my kind of town. Quirky, with a strong sense of community, it has a rich history.

From the statue of Maryborough local Duncan Chapman, who was the first Australian to step ashore at Gallipoli, I follow the thought-provoking Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial trail. The nearby Military Museum displays more than 10,000 artifacts of military significance, second only to Canberra’s Australian War Memorial.

I wait at the traffic lights for a green Mary Poppins holding an open umbrella to tell me it’s safe to cross. PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, was born in Maryborough. Story Bank, a playful, whimsical interactive museum, takes me back to my childhood as I recall and hum tunes from the movie to myself.

The quirkily named Cistern Chapel is a public toilet, doubling as an art installation. Volunteer ‘flusher ushers’ welcome me. With artwork covering the walls and ceiling, fresh flowers, a chandelier and piped music, this public toilet may be one of the most visited places in Maryborough.

In four short days, I’ve succumbed to the magic of K’gari and Hervey Bay. I’m already planning my next visit.

The writer travelled as a guest of Kingfisher Bay Resort, Oaks Hervey Bay Resort, Blue Dolphin Tours and Fraser Coast Tourism and Events.