Wanggoolba Creek at Central Station flows silently over white sand along the floor of a thick rainforest. A major port of call for visitors, Wanggoolba's creekside walkways pass the angiopteris ferns, an ancient species boasting the largest single fern fronds in the world. Stop for a while and spot the kingfishers as they dart amongst the pandanus and casuarinas. It would be hard to imagine lakes clearer than those on Fraser Island. The water is so pure that the 40 or so lakes support relatively little life.
Window lakes occur when the ground drops below the water table.
The fine white sandy base acts as a filter, giving the water its clarity. There are several window lakes including Yankee Jack, Ocean Lake and Lake Wabby. Lake Wabby is also termed a barrage lake, which is formed by the damming action of a sandblow blocking the waters of a natural spring. It is also a good example of the sandblow phenomenon, gradually encroaching on the deep green waters of Wabby as the sandblow makes its gradual progress westward across the island. Perched lakes occur above the water table.