Fraser Island’s Eli & Wanggoolba Creek
Eli and Wanggoolba Creeks are situated in very different areas of Fraser Island however, both are similar in nature. Eli Creek lies on the eastern side of Fraser whereas Wanggoolba Creek is in an ancient rainforest valley at Central Station. They are both fed by a natural aquifer (water table) that is exposed to the outside elements several kilometres inland. Eli Creek produces up to 80 million litres of water per day. Another amazing fact is that is takes up to 100 years for water to be filtered through sand. By the time the water reaches the mouth of Eli Creek, it may have travelled from one of the sand dunes on the island which are 200 metres above sea level. It is theorised that some of this water may not have been exposed to the outside environment for hundreds of years.
On any given day you will find a crowd having a dip the icy cold waters of Eli Creek.