I arrived at “Beaches” hostel in Hervey Bay and was pleasantly surprised.\u00a0 I was informed when I checked in that I had to be in the bar area for 7AM the next\u00a0morning to be given the run down for the trip out to Fraser Island.\u00a0 I met two of the people who were going to Fraser Island in my dorm and both Katrina and Justin (both from Canada) made an instantly positive impression.<\/p>\n
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In the morning various alarms were going off and people were moving about but I was in a less than rapid mood.\u00a0 I eventually got up and faffed about for a while.\u00a0 Everyone else left and I decided I had time for a crafty fag and to put my make-up on.\u00a0 So I was sat outside the room when Katrina arrived and said that she had been instructed to find me and inform me that if I wasn’t in the bar area in two minutes they would leave without me.\u00a0\u00a0I asked that she didn’t report back that she found me sat outside the room smoking and doing my make-up and she went back to the group.\u00a0 When I got to the bar area there was an overly enthusiastic woman trying to get everyone organised.\u00a0 She gave us a list and said that we had two minutes to decide what alcohol we wanted before one member of the group went to the bottle shop.\u00a0 We then had a similar task with the weekend shopping.\u00a0 I ended up being one of two designated shoppers and the other nine in the group went off to watch a safety video and briefing.\u00a0 Michael and I were responsible for the shopping which turned into a kind of value supermarket sweep.\u00a0 I do think we did exceptionally well though.\u00a0 The group mocked us as we bought nine loaves of bread but there was less than half a loaf left on our return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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After the shop we met the group and loaded the four wheel drive which looked slightly crustier than those on the photos but still looked vaguely roadworthy, and more importantly island worthy.\u00a0 Eventually we set off and headed for the port where we were to get the ferry over to the island.<\/p>\n
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Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the World and is renowned for its wildlife both on the island and in the sea surrounding the island.\u00a0 There is very little in terms of development on the island with the majority of accommodation being relatively basic.<\/p>\n
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We arrived at the boat and made the crossing over to the island.\u00a0 When we drove onto Fraser Island we started out in a kind of convoy of four by fours heading through sand tracks imbetween the trees.\u00a0 We had a suggested itinery and obliged by following it to Eli Creek.\u00a0 The Creek was beautiful and we waded back through the clear waters.\u00a0 The next stop was “the pinnacles” which to be fair sucked in comparison to the real pinacles that I had visited.\u00a0 This was allegedly columns of different coloured sands but neither matched the real pinnacles or the Isle of Wight for that matter.\u00a0 It was, however, an extra place to stop off along the beach drive.\u00a0 The final stop on the first day was a shipwreck which was half in the sea and on the shore.\u00a0 It was a photographer’s heaven with interesting orifices and rusty structures with the sea lapping up behind.<\/p>\n
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When we got to camp we met Larry, one of the camp staff.\u00a0 He was a real Aussie character and his name was so befitting.\u00a0 Larry told us horror stories about how long it had taken some people to put up their tents so we were pleased when our efforts were relatively quick.<\/p>\n
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After setting up camp we asked Larry if there was anywhere else we could go to, or was that the other way round?\u00a0 He suggested we head to Allom lake where you could see long-necked turtles (although there was later some debate about whether he had said long-necked or long legged).\u00a0 I was driving which was actually a real pain as the track up to the lake was deep sand.\u00a0 When asked, Larry had said that the vehicle was up to it but it depended on the driver as some parts were quite steep.\u00a0 The soft sand was a bit of a nightmare in parts and it didn’t help having ten backseat drivers.\u00a0 On a couple of occasions the van was clearly struggling to get up soft hills in second gear and as I was about to change to first one of the German girls shouted, “Gas”, which was most helpful I must say.\u00a0 It was fine though, although I later realised that I had managed to drive one of the most difficult routes the first time I have ever driven a four wheel drive.\u00a0 Not that I want to go on about how great I am (no honest) but I think there was a reason this particular route wasn’t on the suggested itinery!<\/p>\n
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Antyway, when we got to lake Allom there was a short walk to the lake and then we were greeted by the turtles.\u00a0 They were very close to the side, probably as they thought they might be fed, and entertained us for a while.\u00a0 After lake Allom we headed back to camp\u00a0and\u00a0started cooking our first meal which was a barbeque.\u00a0 Well when I say we to be honest Justin did the whole thing and was getting quite into it.\u00a0 The only problem with this is that we ate really early which meant that we were clock watching wondering if it was a suitable hour to go to bed.\u00a0 Beer and goon drinking provided a useful bonding activity for the group and we headed down to the beach to watch the stars.\u00a0 As there was so little light on the island the stars were absolutely amazing and there were plenty of shooting stars.\u00a0 I also had some sparklers which provided great amusement on the beach.<\/p>\n
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The following morning we were up at six, had breakfast and left camp at around seven.\u00a0 We had been told that, due to the tides, if we didn’t leave by six there would be no point as we would miss a lot waiting for tides and then may struggle getting back.\u00a0 Leaving early did mean that we had a full day though.\u00a0 We headed North and our first stop was Indian Head.\u00a0 We climbed up to the top and had the most amazing view over the coast.\u00a0 From Indian head you could see small sharks swimming as well as turtles, rays and whales in the distance.\u00a0 At one point one of the rays leapt out of the water several times which was great.\u00a0 From Indian head Diego drove and parked the van at a bit of a comedy angle on some soft sand.\u00a0 We then walked the length of the beach to the “Champagne Pools”.\u00a0 These were basically shallow pools in rocks where the waves crashed over creating a trickle of white foam down over the rocks, hence the name.\u00a0 I was slightly less brave than others and paddled slightly (it was f-f-f-freeezing) and we chilled out on the sand.\u00a0 When we got back to the van we had a lunch of sandwiches made on the bonnet then, just as we were packing up, a ranger type dude arrived and pointed to the no parking sign.\u00a0 We pointed at the van and he conceded that it was stuck so we were okay.\u00a0 It was possibly slightly fortunate he didn’t arrive when we were all tucking into our sandwiches.\u00a0 When we got back into the van it was clear that we had not been lying as it was well and truly stuck.\u00a0 We tried pushing it in various directions for a while but it didn’t budge.\u00a0 I went on a mission to find planks of wood for extra grip but just as I got back to the van the guys managed to shift it.\u00a0 We headed back to camp and bought essentials at the camp shop which ranged from chocolate for some to ice drinks and ice cream for me.\u00a0 It was still majorly early and we considered going further North.\u00a0 We had discussed this prior to coming back to camp but several of the group boringly pointed out a big, “do not cross this line” line marked on the map.\u00a0 The woman in the shop unhelpfully told us there was not really anywhere to go before the tide played havoc and it became dark.\u00a0 Unperturbed we stared at the map and I pointed out a “scenic drive” marked slightly further South.\u00a0 In the end Katrina, Michael, Michael’s mate (whose name I really won’t be able to spell), Justin and I headed off.\u00a0 When we got to the track Justin took over and it soon became apparent why it was not one of the suggested tracks.\u00a0 Although it was mostly not sand there were divots the size of craters.\u00a0 The ride in the back ranged from uncomfortble to traumatic to the extent that, at one point, we had to stop so that I could get a cup of wine from the roofrack to calm my nerves.\u00a0 This proved a foolish idea as I then spent a good while avoiding tipping wine all over myself.\u00a0 I actually did a really good job until a set of particularly bumpy tree roots.\u00a0 At one point the road was so crazy that we all insisted on getting out.\u00a0 Helpfully we all then took photos and videos of Justin negotiating the mad track.\u00a0 I had my camera on the wrong setting and managed to record about two seconds of ‘truck going down hill’ prior to me saying on camera, “Oh I missed it, can you do it again”.\u00a0 Perhaps the hairiest moment of the track was one particularly bumpy stretch when the van seriously nearly tipped over.\u00a0 It wasn’t as worrying as it sounded as there were steep sand banks and the van would have fallen into one rather than straight onto its side.\u00a0 It felt like it was very close to doing so though to the extent that I was trying to undo my seat belt to move over and balance the van.\u00a0 Justin didn’t panic and motored on like a trooper bless him.\u00a0 It was after that point that I needed the wine!\u00a0 Perhaps the funniest part of the track was when the load became loose.\u00a0 Although we had unpacked all the camping gear there was nowhere at camp to store food so we kept this on top of the van.\u00a0 All the bumps had some affect and as I looked out the back window I saw a jay cloth waving at me.\u00a0 As I watched it it slid out and blew off in the wind.\u00a0 I found this hysterical and was crying laughing.\u00a0 The group started asking what I was laughing at and I was like, “the j-j……….c…..it fl…..the”, unable to get my words out through tears and laughter.\u00a0 It got even more amusing later as ominous liquids started dripping down the windscreen and various other windows, then coleslaw and the piece de resistance was chunks of breakfast cereal which landed on the windscreen wipers.\u00a0 With this finale we were all in absolute stitches particularly when Justin put the windscreen wipers on to clear the window of cereal and foodstuffs.\u00a0 This hilarity re-surfaced at various points such as when one of the gourp, who wasn’t on the trip, picked the cereal box up the following morning, turned it upside down and looked confused as four pieces of cereal landed on her plate.\u00a0 We had thought it best not to explain to the frowny group members who didn’t attend that we had lost or destroyed a great amount of the food and nearly tipped the van over.<\/p>\n
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Despite our best attempts the van emerged unscathed and we headed back to camp.\u00a0 A few members of the group went for a walk and I took the opportunity to have a (hot then very cold) shower and pack my things.\u00a0 In the evening we made pasta and I was delighted when the care in the community Canadian turned up at the camp!\u00a0 I was shattered and in bed by about half nine along with Katrina.\u00a0 As in she went to bed early too, don’t go getting any odd ideas here!<\/p>\n
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The following morning we had to be up at half four to pack up camp prior to leaving before the pesky tides caused havoc again.\u00a0 Yes you heard me right, half four…..and we were aswell…..and we managed to pack up so efficiently that we were on the beach way before sunrise.\u00a0 People were keen to see the sunrise, especially the two guys from Holland.\u00a0 I was less than keen to be honest and would have preferred the extra time in bed.\u00a0 I held my tongue though but am now able to say that the sunrise was a bit poor and no way as good as the one I saw in Noosa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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After watching the sunrise on the beach we headed to the first of four\u00a0stops of the day.\u00a0 The first three\u00a0stops were picturesque and peaceful but had nothing on the final stop.\u00a0 One thing which possibly is worth mentioning is that Michael managed to get seriously close to things on a number of occasions and, despite those of us sat on the left commenting on this, managed to wipe the wing mirror off on a tree.\u00a0 A couple of the guys went and retrieved it and to his credit Michael took it apart and put it back together on the van.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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I drove one of the lake stretches and was amazed at how much easier it was to drive on tracks, however bumpy, when it wasn’t deep sand.\u00a0 At the third stop, Central Station, half the group decided to walk to Lake McKensie.\u00a0 This left me as the only driver so I drove the rest of the group\u00a0to the lake.\u00a0 They were shocked at how bumpy it was and commented that it was the most difficult track we had driven – if only they knew!<\/p>\n
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The last lake was Lake McKensie which is apprently ranked in the top ten lakes in the World.\u00a0 If the employer for the role of “lake ranker” is reading can I just say, “Me, me, me”.\u00a0 Alternatively I would consider ranking waterfalls, beaches, temples, mountains (actually can we make that hills, mountains are a bit high), rivers, mojitos, abs….okay enough now.\u00a0 Where was I?\u00a0 Oh yes, lake McKensie, well all I can say is that the ranker did a good job and I’d be interested where to find the other nine.\u00a0 It was truly stunning with a white silica beach and luminous turquoise blue waters.\u00a0 The weather had been amazing for our trip and it held out for Lake McKensie also.\u00a0 Unfortunately someone had not told the lake what temperature its water should be but I guess you could describe it as cool and refreshing.\u00a0 That or something with lots of expletives and possibly canine genitalia slipped in for good luck.\u00a0 Okay that was not meant to sound as disgusting as it did.<\/p>\n
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Right, hu hum, so after swimming at Lake McKensie, having a rather rubbish lunch with what was left of the food and driving back to the port, we got the boat back to the mainland and Hervey Bay.\u00a0 When we took the van back we were amazed that we had not lost any equipment.\u00a0 They did, however, comment on the scratches on the bonnet which, “looked like someone had put cool boxes on it”, (us, never!!) and the fact that there were footprints all over it.\u00a0 Initially they said they were going to charge us $50 to buff the bonnet which, in all fairness isn’t much split between eleven, but they let us off.<\/p>\n
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Back at Beaches I did my washing, joined a couple of the guys in the bar and had an early night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I arrived at “Beaches” hostel in Hervey Bay and was pleasantly surprised.\u00a0 I was informed when I checked in that I had to be in the bar area for 7AM the next\u00a0morning to be given the run down for the trip out to Fraser Island.\u00a0 I met two of the people who were going to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zelmastrip.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}