Aussie camper’s $50,000 disaster: How a simple mistake left a group of friends stranded on K’gari with a hefty bill
- Jeep and trailer completely submerged
- Incident took place on K’gari (Fraser Island)
A group of Australian campers were left with a staggering bill after their 4WD was flooded on a popular holiday island.
The holidaymakers were camping at K’gari, a Queensland tourist hotspot formerly known as Fraser Island, when disaster suddenly struck.
They were heading to Coongal Creek on the west side of the island and were having difficulty navigating the terrain when they got stuck.
The tide quickly rose and the Jeep and trailer were completely submerged – estimated to be worth as much as $54,000.
Social media users were divided, with some claiming the campers had made the mistake of traversing the difficult terrain during high tide.
A group of Australian campers were left with a staggering bill after their 4WD was flooded on a popular holiday island
The holidaymakers were camping on Queensland’s K’gari Island, formerly known as Fraser Island, when disaster suddenly struck
The recovered Jeep was loaded onto the back of a tipper tow truck and the camper trailer onto a second truck before being driven off the beach
Incredible photos of the costly accident showed the Jeep’s roof barely sticking out of the water.
The Jeep and camper trailer were successfully lifted from the water to the beach.
The recovered Jeep was loaded onto the back of a tilt tow truck and the camper trailer onto a second truck before being driven off the beach.
Fraser Island Towing was called to the scene and announced on Facebook that the vehicle had been recovered from the water.
“4WD and trailer recovered by Fraser Island Towing and Rainbow Beach Towing, with extra caution due to unforgiving terrain on that side of the island,” the report said.
The towing company urged campers to be wary of the “unforgiving terrain” and travel with caution.
Social media users shared their condolences for the group of campers.
“Oh how sad that would be, I hope everything is okay,” one person wrote.
Another added succinctly: “Oh poor bastards.”
Incredible photos of the costly accident showed the Jeep’s roof barely sticking out of the water
Other comments criticized the campers for not taking enough precautions during their 4WD adventure
Fraser Island Towing was called to the scene and announced on Facebook that the vehicle had been recovered from the water
Other comments criticized the campers for not taking enough precautions for their 4WD adventure, with some saying they had ‘all the stuff’ but ‘no idea’.
“If that’s the corner they tried to turn in soft sand, no wonder they got stuck,” one person said.
“It’s too late now to give all this experienced advice… about disconnecting the trailer and recovering the vehicle separately,” said another.
‘But hopefully someone else reading this can gain some insight and knowledge before riding on the beach on a rising tide!’
“Seriously, how did it get so far in the water? I’m no expert, but even I know there are things you should avoid or wait for because of the tide,” a third person wrote.