Orchid Beach, Beach on Fraser Island, Australia

Orchid Beach is a holiday settlement and beach on K'gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland, on Marloo Bay about 35 km south of Sandy Cape. It consists mostly of holiday houses, with a fuel station and a shop; the firm sand of the beach serves as a landing strip for small aircraft.

Orchid Beach was founded in the early 1960s by Baron Sir Reginald Barnwell, who ran an airline from Maryborough to the island then called Fraser Island. He planned to land his planes on the sand and build a resort nearby, but the Middle Rocks made hauling building material to the beach difficult, so simple lodges went up first, where flown-in anglers catered for themselves. Construction of the Orchid Beach Resort began only in 1968 and the complex opened in 1969.

Orchid Beach is a holiday settlement, not an Aboriginal site: it was founded in the early 1960s by Baron Sir Reginald Barnwell, who flew anglers from Maryborough to land on the sand. Simple lodges came first, where guests fed themselves; the Orchid Beach Resort followed in 1969. Today most buildings are holiday houses, with a petrol station and a shop.

Reaching this beach requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle because the sand is soft and regular cars cannot pass safely. Be prepared for uneven terrain and changing conditions throughout your visit.

Orchid Beach's sand doubles as a landing strip for small aircraft, a practice begun by founder Sir Reginald Barnwell, who flew anglers in from Maryborough in the early 1960s. The beach lies in Marloo Bay, about 35 km south of Sandy Cape, with the Champagne Pools near Indian Head to the southeast.