15/2/2011 - 17/2/2011
After getting up at 6am to get all our stuff organised and ready for our big adventure it was time to finaly see the cars that we would be driving for the next few days. We had to check we had all our food and equipment for the trip, and make sure everything was in working order in the car. After these checks were done we got a very detailed safety briefing and demonstration on how to use the 4 wheel drive in the car. This it was time to hit the open road to Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, and has the purest breed of dingo living on the island. After the short drive and ferry crossing we were on the island and cruising along the beach to our camp site. After the drama's of people trying to put up their tents we were back out travelling to Lake McKenzie. We visited a few different lakes whilst on the island due to the fact that they were very stunning but it also acted as our shower for the three days we were there. Some of the driving was a bit bumpy and at one point when Kirsty was driving along a very uneven track I got thrown right up in the air banging my head on the roof. This provided great hilarity for the others in the car. We also got to go to a very scenic look out point right at the edge of the island where we could look right along the sand dunes. It was a stunning view to see all the lush green vegitation behind the white sand and blue sea. There is also an old ship wreck on the island that we visited. This ship was build in 1905 in Scotland and served the military in Australia up until 1934 when it was sold to a Japanese company for scrap metal. When they were towing it to Japan the got caught up in a cyclone and as they has taken the propeller off the ship to reduce drag, the ship was blown about in the waves and eventually got ship wrecked on Fraser island in 1935. The company made a couple of attempts to get the ship off the island but were unsuccessful. The Australian army used it for bombing practise during the second world war but the ship still remains on the island today. As we were cooking our own food on gas stoves at night it was really funny watching people trying to organise and cook on equipment they have never used before. A moment of panic set in as one of the guys from another car accidently kicked the hose off the gas tank and gas was spewing out of it. The guy got such a fright he just ran off screaming "EVERYBODY OUT THE TENT" to which everybody else then paniced and ran out of the tent. However an irish boy and myself went back to turn the gas off and turn off the other stoves that were still going as not to set the whole place on fire in one massive explosion. So thankfully everybody was ok and it was a source of much laughter later that night. The camping was a novelty for everybody the first night but after the second some people were beginning to want a bed as the ground was not the most comfortable place to sleep. Kirsty and I really enjoyed our time on Fraser island and met some really great people having lots of fun along the way. The funny driving moments, singing in the car and laughing round the dinner table at night all made it an awesome trip.
18/2/2011
Today we set off on the bus again for another 12 hour journey down the coast to Byron Bay. Kirsty and I were both really looking forward to being in Byron again as we had such a great time when we were there last.