Were it not for the tourists or an occasional glimpse of the ocean in these photos, you could be forgiven for thinking they were taken in the Sahara or Gobi deserts.  But actually the first four (courtesy of Sand Island Safaris) were all taken in the region of Indian Head in the northern half of the island's east coast.

Sand blows are major sand formations occurring on the island, resulting from the gradual action by which sand shifts across the island.  The Knifeblade sandblow just north of the "Maheno" wreck is the island's largest, but pictured here providing great amusement for tourists is the Tukkee sandblow just north of Indian Head.

Multiple layers of sand deposits which make up the island's massive dune system provide a geological record of climatic and sea level changes over the past 700 000 years.  Coloured sands occuring on the island are another attraction, consisting of sands compacted and bonded by silt and clay to a hard consistency.  Where they are exposed they give the island some of its most magnificent scenery.

Over time, sand blows can form new "barrage" lakes by daming up a natural spring; they can also fill in existing lakes.  Lake Wabby, pictured here, is being reduced in size due to a massive sand blow that advances around three metres a year.

Wabby is relatively close to the ocean side of the island and unlike the other lakes it supports several varieties of fish.  Swimmers report thousands of tiny fish mob swimmers and "groom' them, cleaning the sweat and scabs off their legs!  Others have reported catfish as large as 3 feet long gathering in the depths.  Giant freshwater tortoises too inhabit the lake, which is the deepest on the island.

Near Rainbow Gorge, the Kirrar sandblow looks like a small desert, and here, in the middle of all this sand, there is a beautiful spring, running for about 20 - 30 metres to a little waterfall before disappearing back into the sand.  (Manfreds Bushwalking Pages photo.)