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According to our trusty Lonely Planet travel book Fraser Island is "the largest sand island in the world (measuring 120km by 15km) and the only place where rainforest grows on sand", a trip here would be our next adventure. Three days and two nights (camping) on Fraser Island, driving ourself around in 4x4's (following a lead driver and guide, 'Crumpy') taking in the sights and scenery on offer.
After an early start and some free pancakes for breakfast we had another safety talk (no DVD or Merv this time though), loaded the cars, in this case a Toyota Landcruiser 4x4. There were 19 of us in total, split between two Landcruisers, Me, Belle, Joe and Koo were in the second car (the one which followed the lead driver) with two other English lads and two German girls, all aboard we hit the road. The sun was out and the sky was blue and after a twenty minute drive down to the ferry and then ten minutes on the ferry, we arrived on Fraser Island and got our first taste of off roading. We drove along the beach (actually on the sand) with hills, forests and sand dune's to one side and the open sea to the other, towards our first stop. First however we stopped on the beach and made ourselves a picnic lunch. Picnic on the beach done it was time to head off and change drivers (everyone who wanted to would get a chance to do some off roading over the next three days), Joe was our new chauffeur. From the beach we headed inland toward our first stop, Lake Mckenzie, doing some real off roading on the way. Up and down steep sand hills, round tight bends and rarely getting out of second gear. It was a bumpy but a fun ride.
Lake McKenzie is a fresh water lake, surrounded by a white sand beach (like Whithaven Beach in colour) and forest. The water itself is ridicuously clear (like what would come out of a kitchen tap), it really was breathtaking. Another thing that was breathtaking was the temperature of the water, it was cold. This wasn't going to stop us going for a dip though and like you hear on many occassions, once we were "in" it was "actually not too bad", you did have to keep moving though. After a swim, pictures and a short sunbathe it was time to leave the stunning Lake McKenzie and head to the rainforest, which meant more driving and a new driver...I stepped forward. We drove a simliar way to what Joe did but this took none of the fun out of it, and happily we made it to our next destination (the rainforest) with all passengers alive and the car intact, phew.
We followed a boardwalk through dense forest with a stream to one side (with water so clear you couldn't tell it was there) and a thick canopy above us. There isnt much else to say about our walk really, we saw a hollow tree which was still standing (pretty cool), but bar that there was no wildlife (that we saw) and there were alot of trees, oh and it didnt rain. Its not that the rainforest was boring but I guess it was one of those times when you need to be there. Anyway it was back to the cars and time to head to our last destination of the day, it was now Belle's turn to drive.
Before we left for Fraser Island we were told to leave the cars in gear when ever we parked. I had parked on a slight hill when we arrived at the rainforest, put the handbrake on and left the car in first gear. Belle being a little bit shorter than me (just a little bit), she wanted to adjust the seat and make sure she could reach the pedals before setting off and did so, pressing the clutch down in the process. It was then we found out why you are told to leave the cars in gear when parked, as we smoothely and effortlessly rolled backwards down the hill before Belle released the clutch pedal. Luckily / thankfully we didnt hit anything and nor did we run over one of the German girls who was attempting to get into the car as we started rolling backwards. Everyone still alive and seat adjusted to a comfortable position we were once again under way.
Our last stop of the day was to the ship wreck of the 'Maheno' a passanger liner which was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935. Due to the colur of the remaining wreck (rust) and the gradually fading sunlight, it seemed to appear out of nowhere as we made our way down the beach. We got out of the cars for a look around. The wreck has got smaller and smaller over the years, partly due to corrosion, but also partly (mainly I would guess) to the Australian army using it as target practice (for bombers) during the Second World War. What is left though is still pretty impressive and is a truely strange, almost surreal site.
We arrived at our camp site a little before the sun set which gave us enough time to claim our tents and then start cooking dinner. The camp site was like one you would find in England, somewhere like the New Forest or Dorset, a field with a single shower and toilet block with a large paved area with picnic tables and a roof over it, it was true camping.
Our first night was a steak dinner, cooked using a little gas burner. We heard you got fed well on the trip and this was defiently true. Our group of eight from the car clubbed together and helped prepare a dinner of steak, potato salad and mixed salad, with Belle taking the role of Jamie Oliver and cooking up the steaks. It was a dinner we would have been happy with if we prepared it in a fully equiped kitchen, so to say it was all cooked on a picnic table and on a single gas camping hob, was even better.
On our second day on Fraser Island we again woke up to a beautiful sunny day and started with breakfast at the camp site before setting off again to explore more of the island. Our first stop of the day were the 'Champagne pools', a beach with natural rock formations seprating the open sea from the beach, creating 'pools' in which it is safe to swim. To get to the pools we had to walk about 15 minutes, up a sand dune, along the top of a cliff (it was pathed so nowhere as dangerous as it sounds) and then back down some steps to the beach. It was the plan to swim in the pools (the only safe salt water swimming on the island) but a chilly breeze and 40 winks on the beach meant we well and truely missed that boat and had to head back to the cars and have some lunch, another picnic on the beach, before heading to Indian Head.
Indian Head is a cliff on Fraser Island which petrudes into the sea a little way and gives you a great view from the top of it. We headed up the cliff (although it was more of a hill to walk up) and once at the top we had an unobstructed view out to sea, along the several beaches and inland Fraser Island. We were told that whales and dolphins are often spotted from the top of Indian Head, on this occassion though we were not in luck. We did see a ray though, obviously he was milking the limelight as the whales didnt fancy it that day. After a windswept 40 odd minutes on the top of Indian Head we headed back down to the beach and into the cars for more off roading towards Eli Creek.
Eli Creek (or as' Hangover creek' as Crumpy called it) is more crytsal clear water making its way through Fraser Island and down towards the beach. When you arrive you stroll inland towards the start of the creek where you hop in the water and float effortlessly down it letting the current do the work. The water is only shallow though so I had to give the current a helping hand from time to time (adopting the walk of a crocodile on my stomach), with Belle taking the more elegant option of walking. After floating down the creek base camp was calling us, so once again we pilled into the Land Cruisers and headed back to camp.
It was the morning of the third and final day of the tour and this time the sun definitely didnt have his hat on as we woke up to clouds and rain. After cleaning out our tents (the amount of sand in them was ridiculous) and packing everything up, it was time to leave the camp and start to head back towards the ferry and ultimately Rainbow Beach. Before we headed back to the ferry though we first stopped off at Lake Wabby. It is about 3km in land from the beach so after a stroll we arrived at Lake Wabby, which is hidden behind a step sand dune which drops off steeply into the lake. It was cloudy and raining but I didnt mind, I was going to get in that lake. The water wasn't anywhere as clear as Eli Creek or Lake Mckenzie, infact it was pretty murky, (not being able to see what was below you) but me, Joe and some of the others on the trip went for a dip. Belle and Koo decided to spectate from the shore on this occassion and feed the fish, they were massive and lots of them. Fun had by all.
The time had come to head back to catch the ferry and back to Rainbow Beach so bidding fairwell to Lake Wabby we headed back for the return journey. We boarded the ferry, said goodbye to Fraser Island and arrived back to our hostel, all pretty tired from our camping experience.
Before we left for the tour the people who we met on the Clipper had told us that Fraser Island was a better trip. Its hard to call which one was best as both were an amazing three days, but like the Clipper, Fraser Island is one of the sites we came half way round the world to explore and take in and this is exactly what we did!
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del outstanding trip and blog