INTRODUCTION
Fraser Island is one of the Worlds Greatest Natural Wonders and a popular tourist destination for travelers wanting to “Experience Australia”. Only accessible by 4X4, it is imperative the right company is chosen to assist you in this once in a lifetime Fraser Island adventure.
Aussie Trax 4X4 is one of the most respected companies in Hervey Bay. With more than 25 years of local expertise and a focus on making the customers adventure as enjoyable as possible, they are the obvious choice when selecting a self-drive tour operator.
Languages we have all our driving instruction and all points of interest on Fraser Island in 6 languages, German, French, Italian, Korean & Japanese.
RECOMMENDING A 4WD
Suzuki Jimny:
Suits: Couples. Advantages: Stereo, coil sprung Comments: Small and very maneuverable.
Toyota Land Cruiser:
Suits: Groups, family Advantages: Stereo, Comments: Larger 4WD
NEARLY ALL VEHICLES ARE MANUAL. Customers MUST pre request an automatic (subject to availability). A MANUAL DRIVERS LICENCE IS REQUIRED.
You must be at least 21 years of age to drive.
BARGE CROSSING & ACCESS PERMITS
Barge/Ferry Crossing:
We will book, no need to worry. Customers must be at Aussie Trax HQ 2 1/4 hrs prior to ferry departure time for our mandatory informative briefing.
Example:
10.15am ferry departure = 8.00am briefing
3.30pm ferry departure = 1.15pm briefing
| Departure Barge Time | Arrival Point | Briefing Time | Return Barge Time | Departure Point | Return time to Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 the day prior to travel. All groups welcome. | 0750 | KF | 0920 | ||
| 0830 | WC | 0615 | 0900 | WC | 1030 |
| 0900 | KF | 0615 | 1030 | KF | 1200 |
| 1015 | WC | 0800 | 1430 | KF | 1530 |
| 1300 | KF | 1000 | 1500 | WC | 1630 |
| 1530 | KF | 1300 | 1700 | KF | 1830 |
Most popular times are 8.30am in order to maximize your time on the island. On Return the 3pm Ferry (last one of the day) is most popular for the same reason.
Points to remember:
- Must be at ferry departure point 20mins prior to departure.
- Fraser Venture is preferable as tracks to and from ferry are in much better condition.
- All briefing times are discussed with customers when booking to maximise efficiency. (EEG 10.15am group may tag onto 6.00am briefing where appropriate)
- Bear in mind if late notice (ie; next day booking) ferry may be booked out on popular runs
Briefing takes approx 45mins & consists of:
- lO minute staff talk which includes description of the Island
- What you will see, time travel
- Rangers information
- Itinerary rundown
- Opportunity for questions
- 20min Safe Driving video
- Car Damage report
- Controls Briefing, including use of high & low range gears
Drive from depot to ferry takes approx 25 minutes — allow for this
Vehicle Access Permit: The National Park fee for driving on the Island is included in brochure packaging pricing. We book, no need to worry.
CAMPING
Camping:
Camp fees are $9.50 per person/per night (subject to change), for beach camping only. Camping briefing is also included in our pre-travel info.
INSURANCE
All cars come fully insurance with a standard excess with this excess you can choose to take a vehicle waiver option (valued at $50 per day). If the waiver option is selected and the car is in an accident or excessively damaged, the most the customer would pay is $500.00.
There are several reasons, completely avoided, why our customer receive no insurance-
- Driving Under the Influence
- Overloading (more people than the car is allowed to carry)
- Driving in the Ocean
- Under Body Damage
- Intentional Damage (sitting or carrying luggage on the bonnet or roof)
- Vehicle is involved in a single vehicle accident as it is generally a result of speed.
If you are traveling from Kingfisher Bay Resort the standard excess on all vehicles is $5000.00. If you are travelling from mainland Hervey Bay office the excess is $2,000.00 on the Suzuki Jimny and $5,000.00 on the larger vehicles e.g. Toyota Landcruiser, Hilux or similar.
This is non-refundable and is purely a personal insurance option. It is not compulsory.
ADVANTAGES OF SELF DRIVE HOLIDAYS
- Opportunity to see everything you want to see, without having to cater for other people or have the trip dictated to you
- You can stay as long as you like at places of interest and not be hurried along. Travel at your own pace
- Privacy if you want to travel to remote areas
- Opportunity to extend the trip subject to availability on vehicles etc
- No bus tour on Fraser Island allows you to go to any lake at anytime, in fact some don’t go to some of Fraser’s must see places!
- Option to camp under the stars on the beach
- Complete flexibility for your itinerary and independence
Advantages of Aussie Trax Services (Sales Points)
- All our instructions are in 6 languages English, German, French, Italian, Korean & Japanese
- Aussie Trax are the longest established operators (25 years) & our experience is passed to our customers through the most comprehensive & highly praised briefing available
- Briefing includes information on the Island, vehicles and what to expect
- All ferry bookings and permits are arranged
- Free maps & itineraries provided to maximise the experience
- Money back guarantee or extension of hire for any mechanical failure
- Back up mechanical support on the Island at 3 different locations in the event of mechanical problems
- Friendly, knowledgeable staff there to help plan the trip for maximum enjoyment!
- We are experts on Fraser Island!
- We have received several tourism awards for our team
- All vehicles are fitted with heavy front & rear bumpers to avoid being charged for costly minor scrapes
- Fly directly from Sydney or get a connecting flight
- 2 Great locations, Hervey Bay & Kingfisher Bay Resort.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Non-refundable deposit: no deposit will be refunded.
Between 14 – 7 days prior to departure: 25% of total booking charged
Less than 7 days prior to departure: 50% of total booking charged
Less than 3 days prior to departure: Full package cancellation fee applies (under special circumstance bookings can be transferred)
REFUND POLICY
Please remember you are undertaking Adventure Travel. You may well get wet, even dirty and it can also be very tiring, and that’s why we do it and that’s why so many people enjoy it! Although we are extremely sorry for any of your valuable time lost due to a mechanical failure not of your own doing we must stress that Fraser Island is an extremely harsh environment and mechanical failures can happen to even the newest cars, despite the best maintenance practices. No car in the world has yet been designed to be used in those conditions day-in-day-out without encountering problems.
Method of Compensation
We will, wherever possible, replace the vehicle as soon as possible and extend your hire for equivalent time lost.
If an extension of hire is not possible, we calculate a refund using the following method:-
- We allow 10 usable hours per day for the vehicle
- We divide the cost you have paid for the vehicle per day by 10 (usable hours/day) leaving us with a dollar per hour figure.
- We multiply the number of hours lost by the dollar per hour and refund this amount.
Although we will attempt to resolve the problem as quickly as possible, we do not compensate for:-
- Personal stress and anguish due to a mechanical breakdown
- Missing connecting travel arrangements
- Use of any other unapproved travel means, or
- For having missed places you wished to travel to if you are unable to extend your hire or tides do not allow.
- Time lost due to mechanical failure (eg: burnt out clutch) through no fault of Aussie Trax.
We do not refund money for hires cut short due to:
- Bad weather
- Shortening of the rental period by the hirer
- Cars taken from the hirer due to misuse in contravention to Aussie Trax’s or other authorised persons directions
- Cars returned late at a rate of 20% of daily rate per hour
- Cars missing return ferry. Hirers will be charged 1 extra days hire plus $73 to recover car from island in necessary
- Car requiring fuel on return will be charged at 20% greater than current fuel rate
- Burnt out clutch replacement and the associated costs to return car to our Hervey Bay workshop
Punctures are no charge, however if the tyre is returned un-repairable, due to being stacked or driven flat, the hirer will be charged for the cost of a replacement.
FULL RESPONSIBILITY
At all times the hirer is responsible for:-
- Damage caused where the terms of Rental Contract have been breached
- Damage caused by negligence
- Damage caused to the vehicle in any way by part or total water submersion or salt water
- Damage caused as a result of a single vehicle accident (an accident not involving another vehicle) between the hours of 6pm to 6am
- Damage caused to the vehicle by the renter’s wilful conduct
- Damage caused to the vehicle when using the vehicle in contravention of any legislation or regulation controlling vehicular traffic
- Damage or loss caused to any personal belongings
- Damage to the bonnet or underbody of the vehicle
