Fraser Island Tragedy - Another Death on the World Heritage Listed Island Off the Coast of Queensland, Australia
Why Are Foreign Tourists Allowed to Hire 4-Wheel Drive Vehicles in Australia when They Have No Experience with Either the Vehicle or the Terrain Over Which They Travel?
Fraser Island stretches over 123 kilometres (76.4 miles) in length and 22 kilometres (13.6 miles) at its widest point. With an area of 184 000 hectares it is the largest sand island in the world. Fraser Island's World Heritage listing ranks it with Australia's Uluru, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef. Fraser Island is a precious part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage, it is protected for all to appreciate and enjoy.
Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, has frequently been in the news for two things:
1 Dingoes mauling children resulting in minor or serious injury, or death
2 4-Wheel Drive vehicles hired by tourists coming to grief causing serious injury or death
The dingo trouble seems to have been controlled in recent times following several tragedies involving small children. But the 4-Wheel Drive problem is still of major concern to various authorities.
On Sunday, 13 December 2009, on Fraser Island, a 25 year old Japanese tourist died, and all 7 others in the vehicle were injured. This accident could have been avoided. The hired 4-Wheel Drive vehicle should have been carrying 7 people not 8 - a significant safety breach. None of the occupants of the vehicle were wearing seat belts. How stupid is this?
On April 18 this year, a 26-year-old Italian tourist and a 22-year-old British man were killed when the troop carrier they hired rolled.
Both of these accidents occurred near Dundubara Camping Ground and on one of the safer sections of the Fraser Island beach.
Here are some facts relating to 4-Wheel Drive accident deaths on Fraser Island:
An overseas tourist was behind the wheel in almost half the serious four-wheel-drive accidents on Fraser Island beaches between 2003 and 2007.
In 19 of the 40 serious beach driving accidents on the island between 2003 and 2007, the driver held an international licence.
Queensland Transport is part-way through a review of driver behaviour on Fraser Island beaches after three overseas tourist deaths during 2009 involving four-wheel-drives.
It has been reported that Fraser Island Defenders Organization is pressuring the Queensland State Government to tighten controls regarding who can hire a 4-Wheel Drive vehicle for sightseeing on Fraser Island. Currently, backpackers are clubbing together to do cheap self-drive tours of the island. Most have little or no experience driving on sand, let alone managing a large vehicle.
Here is a list of incidents on Fraser Island from 2003 to the present time - provided by Fraser Island Defenders Organization:
July 2003: Two British backpackers aged 18 and 19 were charged with dangerous driving after rolling their four-wheel-drive while doing 'donuts' on Fraser Island. There were seven tourists of different nationalities in the vehicle when it rolled. This involved an emergency medical evacuation.
June 2005: Nine backpackers had to be flown to hospital after their four-wheel-drive troop carrier rolled at high speed on a sharp bend.
March 2, 2005: Seven backpackers were injured when their four-wheel-drive flipped near Eurong Beach. The 24-year-old English driver was charged with driving without due care and attention.
April 18, 2009: A 26-year-old Italian woman and a 22-year-old British man died after their hired four-wheel-drive carrying 11 backpackers flipped and rolled on the beach near Dundabura Camping Ground.
September 2009: A German traveler sustained an injured arm and was airlifted to Hervey Bay Hospital when the four-wheel-drive where he was a passenger in rolled about three kilometres south of Eurong.
Sunday, December 13, 2009: A 25-year-old Japanese tourist died after a hired Landcruiser being driven by a 29-year-old Japanese man and carrying eight Japanese tourists rolled nine kilometres north of Dundabura Camping Ground.
This is clearly too many accidents orchestrated by inexperienced tourists and something has to be done soon to stop these avoidable accidents from happening.
John Sinclair, from the Fraser Island Defenders Organisation, has been very vocal about this important issue. He has been reported as saying he thought the proportion of international drivers would have been higher. "A person currently can get a licence to drive a little Citroen in France and the next week present that licence to a hire company in Queensland to hire a troopie to drive around 11 people," he said.
Mr Sinclair is correct in his view that there needs to be tougher regulations governing who can take four-wheel-drives to Fraser Island. He said it should be up to the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to decide who can drive on Fraser Island and who can't.
"All of these accidents have happened in the easier parts of Fraser Island to drive on, but to just travel on the beach requires skill and being able to 'read' the beach and you don't get that on your first visit," Mr Sinclair said. "(DERM) could restrict visitors to Fraser Island to those who can show they have competency. They should have to present
RACQ (Queensland's auto club) and Four Wheel Drive Queensland have also backed the need for tougher questions on driver competency.
The Queensland Transport statistics show three of the five people killed in four-wheel-drive accidents on the island in the past five years were international visitors. Three of the five were passengers, one was a driver, and the fifth was a pedestrian.
Stricter regulations for 4-wheel drive vehicle hire required now!
I am at a loss to know why something hasn't been done about restricting who gets to hire and drive a 4-Wheel Drive vehicle not only on Fraser Island, but in all Australian tourist locations. Setting up such a regulation should not take any more than a few months. It would be more costly all round for the tourists, but why can't the vehicle hire companies provide a qualified driver for those who do not have a driver certificate to show competence with 4-wheel driving - or is that too simple a solution to the problem?
Australia is a very popular destination for overseas tourists and backpackers, but we need to do more to keep them safe from harm, whether it be on Fraser Island, at our surf beaches or at any location. In turn, the backpackers need to exercise more caution and use a higher degree of common sense when dealing with unfamiliar situations in our wonderful country.Sources:
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Published by Susan Jane
I am an Australian professional writer with with 28 years of commercial experience. In 2003, I became full-time carer for my mother (now 91) who has a form of dementia. I was recently appointed as a Featured... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentAm I wrong or were all of these drivers younger than 30? Maybe it's more an age related thing where the drivers just aren't mature enough to use common sense. Do Australians never get killed on these beaches? Just wondering.
Many times when we travel out of country, we are hesitant to hire any vehicle without a driver unless we have traveled there before. It seems like common sense that if you're not familiar with an area, there are many unknown things to take into account.
I agree with you Robyn. There needs to be tighter controls on Four Wheel Driving. I live in Queensland and we have much to offer tourists. We also need to look out for our tourists, especially the younger ones, and provide safe experiences for them. A very good and informative article.
We hired a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a driver when we went into the outback. Just felt it was safer since there's so much that Americans don't know about Australia. Just the insects and snakes were enough for us to know we needed help down under :) Good report.
Very Tragic, something that people should remember. Even on vacation, people get hurt... :o)
People forget they can die on vacation.
You are exactly right, Lorraine. The young think they are invincible and yippee - away we go without due care and diligence.
It seems that speed is the problem. Four-wheeling is safely practiced in the States on the island beaches of Nantucket Island, Martha's Vineyard, the Outer Banks, and other sandy coastal areas. Most of such driving is controlled by local limited-term licenses and enforced speed limits. What goes on on Fraser Island might be more like free-wheeling than four-wheeling!
How sad! I hope your article will be an eyeopener to some, but as Donna says below, some think they are invincible!
Excellent article - I hope some tourist read this before going there on vacation and take heed!