‘Was told by 6 different people to not go’: Amarok driver loses battle with Mother Nature after trying to jump Ngkala Rocks queue on K’gari

An impatient driver has learned an expensive lesson after hydrolocking his vehicle while trying to jump the busy Boxing Day Ngkala Rocks bypass queue on K’gari.

The driver of a VW Amarok learned an expensive lesson after trying to jump the queue of vehicles waiting to cross Ngkala Rocks on Fraser Island (K’gari) on Boxing Day.

In video posted both to TikTok and the popular “I got bogged on Fraser Island” Facebook page, the vehicle can be seen attempting to drive across the ocean side of the rocks instead of taking the bypass, only to lose momentum and come to a grinding stop.

Gus Porfiri, who posted the videos to the social media sites, said in his comments that the driver had been warned by multiple people that it was a risky move.

“[The driver] was told by 6 different people to not go, and yet overtook half the line up to get in front,” he wrote in the caption.

“Couldn’t wait another 30 minutes like the rest of us to get through.”

Hundreds of users commented on the posts, with some asking why those watching had not jumped in and tried to help the hapless driver out of his predicament.

“Nothing we could do,” the original poster responded.

“Sucked up water so we couldn’t push, no way to get in front to recover it and if he was winched back it would have skulldragged the ute all along the coffee rock and written it off anyway.”

“Looking at how it is getting thrown about, I can’t see it being particularly safe, so then the question is ‘is a 60k car worth more than someone’s life?’” another user mused.

Others posted in the comments wanting to know what happened to the car.

The driver of a VW Amarok lost the fight against mother nature and hydrolocked his engine after trying to jump the queue for the bypass at Ngkala Rocks on K'gari on Boxing Day.

“Engine was hydrolocked and just got bashed by waves for the next 15 mins until it was pulled out,” the original poster replied.

The car was recovered from its unfortunate position about 15 minutes later by a tractor sent from Orchid Beach, and was then towed off the island by Fraser Island Towing, who said the vehicle would be a write-off.

Ngkala rocks is notorious for bringing drivers unstuck as they attempt to cross the bypass track and fall victim to its soft sand, often resulting in long delays for those behind them while they dig themselves out.

Crossing between the rocks and the ocean is possible, but should only be attempted when the tide is right, a spokesperson from Fraser Island Towing said.

“You can get through, but you need to time it right, and it’s really only suitable around low tide,” the spokesperson said.

“The king tides we are experiencing at the moment mean the water is higher too, so there is less time where it is suitable to drive through, and the big swell is combining with that.”

A Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said the department urged drivers who were visiting K’gari to slow down, be patient, drive to the conditions and not take unnecessary risks.

There is plenty of information for safe driving on K’gari available on the department’s website.