Central Station

Central Station is a former forestry camp and now a popular day-use and camping area in the heart of K'gari (Fraser Island) within Great Sandy National Park, Queensland. Located amid subtropical rainforest beside Wanggoolba Creek, it served as the headquarters for logging operations from the 1920s until the 1950s. Today it is notable for its rainforest setting, historic displays, clear creek and walking tracks, offering insight into the island's forestry heritage and natural environment.

Visitors can expect a shaded rainforest clearing with a historic forestry display, picnic area and campground beside the crystal-clear Wanggoolba Creek. A short boardwalk follows the creek through king ferns, satinay and kauri pines. The site includes interpretive signage about logging history, walking tracks to Basin Lake and Pile Valley, and a tranquil forest environment. Access is via sandy 4WD tracks and the area is within a remote national park setting with no shops or fuel.

Established in 1920 as the central headquarters for forestry operations on Fraser Island, Central Station housed loggers, mill workers and their families and administered logging of satinay, kauri and brush box. It operated until the late 1950s and later became a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger station. The site preserves evidence of the island's timber industry which was a major economic activity before World Heritage listing.

Located on K'gari, the traditional Country of the Butchulla people, who have lived on the island for thousands of years. The rainforest and Wanggoolba Creek are part of a culturally significant landscape. The site also reflects European forestry heritage and the transition to conservation and World Heritage management of K'gari (inscribed 1992).