Central Station and Pile Valley Rainforests
Fraser Island has an amazing rainforest living in the centre of the island with many species of plants and ferns of ancient
origin. Outstanding among all the rainforest pockets is the Wanggoolba Creek valley near Central Station. Here magnificent trees, huge kauri, satinay, brush box, hundreds of airy piccabeen palms and many more push upwards for the
sunlight. They are so dense in places that its light does not penetrate their canopy. The angiopteris fern as well as the
piccabeen palms are a rare and very ancient species. The angiopteris is notable due to its use of water pressure rather
than structural tissue to keep its fronds erect.
Central station in the heart of the rainforest is so named because it was the central Forestry Department station from
1920 to 1959. This is now one of the most popular scenic areas on the island. There is a small museum here, where you
can learn all about Fraser Island’s sand mining and Forestry History. Timber felling became a big industry on the island
during this century, but ceased when Fraser Island attained its World Heritage Listing in December 1992. Many of the
tall rainforest trees near the museum are festooned with huge crows nest ferns and staghorns which the early foresters
saved from felled trees and brought to this area.
Rainforests like Central Station and Pile Valley remain one of the island's most controversial features. Though the island
was heavily logged, large areas of Satinay trees and brush box still remain. Pile Valley between Central Station and
Lake McKenzie, where much of the logging took place, now has some of the tallest trees.