Bushwalk Australia

Hi All,
A girlfriend and I have hatched a plan to walk the Great Walk on Fraser Island. The plan is to be dropped off at Dilli Village with husbands/kids heading to Orchid Beach to stay whilst we complete the walk. The topography map shows the walk finishing at Happy Valley however we want to continue to Waddy Point so we get the sense of 'walking the Island' as opposed to a section of it. We have seen all the touristy sites of Fraser so whilst it will be lovely to swim in the lakes, our aim is not to visit places for the first time and won't be keen to take significant detours to see places.

1: Itinerary: Has anyone walked Dilli Village to Waddy Point and if so, what was your itinerary? It seems that Dilli Village to Happy Valley is inland with us then having to walk Happy Valley to Waddy via the beach.
2: Are we idiots to go in a pair as opposed to a group of three? We will have personal epirbs, first aid, compass etc however we seem conditioned to think that walking in a 3 is the safest option. We don't really want to have a third person if it is not an idiotic move to just go as a pair.
3: Shoes: Are hiking boots a must? Would decent joggers suffice?

Any other tips or pointers, feel free to provide!

Thanks

1. Haven't walked it, but have driven and would suggest it only if you enjoy beach walking.
2. Couples would be fine. The whole walk is not far from the tourist 4wd routes.
3. I can't see any reason for wearing boots. May be worse for the beach walking.

Since there will be no reason for you to split up, a pair is fine. If you want to carry duplicates of gear you can, but the likelyhood of you getting separated is quite low, and if you did, whoever has the eprib can call for help.

As far as walking in sand goes, several of my co-workers have done beach walks in crocs, keen sandals, and similar, since walking near the surf is where its easiest, and having a bit of cool water on the feet is nicer than getting your feet sandpapered off while slogging through the soft stuff. It is personal preference and foot condition as well though. Plan for blisters, for some reason even well broken in shoes can do bad things in sand.

You might have already thought of this, so no worries if you have, I'd also recommend some high-vis stripes, since you would be walking near the traffic. Last time I was out on fraiser there were a few walkers along the beach from Eurong to Eli creek, and due to the high traffic in that area it was a bit concerning, since they didn't seem to understand where the vehicles would be heading. But if you've been up there in a 4x in the past, you'll have a better understanding of the conditions.

I have walked from lake mackenzie to dili village twice with my three kids and husband. It's an amazing and easy (in our opinion) walk, wonderful campgrounds. So I can speak for that section but I haven't done the northern part. We stayed at lake mackenzie, central station, lake boomajin, lake benaroon and dili village- we like to take it slow and enjoy the lakes.

I would be happy to do the walk in any size group, from alone to with 3 small kids. There are no real hazards and it is not at all isolated.

We have never brought hiking boots, for various logistic reasons. The tracks are so well maintained and they never become muddy- there's no mud on the island due to the sandy ground. We all wore runners both times which was totally fine for us. I might wear hiking boots next time as last time it was a bit annoying having wet runners when it rained. They dry quickly though and it wasn't a major problem.

We have used the taxi service on the island to take us to the start of the walk both times and that has been very convenient. You can email them to book it.

Hope that helps.