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Arrived to a pitch black Rainbow Beach on Wednesday evening. Couldn't really judge what it was like so had to wait till the following morning for that but we were told it was small.
We checked in at the lively hostel, grabbed our free meal and propped up the bar for the rest of the night.
Managed to get a good nights sleep so I woke up feeling refreshed. We headed out into the town to have a look around and get some breakfast. Rainbow doesn't really have much to offer apart from a massive stretch of hard sandy beach. There are a few shops scattered around but other than that there isn't alot to do.. it attracts the tourists because it's the most popular route onto Fraser Island.
We had a meeting in the hostel to go to at 2pm to meet the rest of the people in our group for the Fraser Island trip and to watch a safety video. I had a bit of time before that so I decided to go for a run with no idea where I was going. I ended up running around a golf course and onto the beach.. the hard sand was perfect for running and I came further out than I was intending so it was an hour before I got back. Was great to run by the ocean again with massive waves crashing against the deserted beach :)
It was time for the meeting.. with the safety video making us aware of the dangers of driving 4x4's on the sand and the wild dingo's on the island!! We also met the rest of our group and the people we'd be sharing a jeep with. It was the four of us and two other English girls called Lizzie and Carlena who seemed really sound.
At 4pm there was an organised walk arranged by the hostel up to the top of a nearby cliff where the sand has blown inbetween over thousands of years creating a beach across the top which is about the size of a dozen football pitches. It was a half hour uphill walk but it was definitely worth it.. absolutely stunning views of both the ocean and inland.
We did some sandboarding down a very steep hill, threw some boomerangs around and watched the sun setting over the land.. WOW!! :)
We made a spaghetti bolognese for tea, went to the Bottle-o to get our booze and packed a bag for the trip in the morning. We had to be ready for 8am so had a few beers and then I was off to bed to get a good sleep.
It was Friday morning and time for the Fraser Island trip. We met outside the hostel to be greeted by our team leaders Brendan and Jimmy who turned out to be great guys and a great laugh over the course of the weekend. We loaded up our jeeps with food, tents, cooking equipment, our bags, the booze and we were ready to go. We would all be taking it in turns to drive whilst on the island so I was a passenger to start with. We followed the lead car to the ferry crossing which takes the jeeps over to the island in just a few minutes.
Our first destination on the island would be Lake McKenzie. After an hour or so I got my turn to drive through the bumpy sand tracks which snake their way through the inland forests. It was the first time I had driven since leaving the UK in January and I loved it especially as it was something I have never done before and in a very powerful jeep too.
We eventually arrived at the lake.. and WOW again!! Crystal clear waters that are apparently perfect for exfoliating your skin. We were given a couple of hours to have some lunch and relax on the white sand surrounding the lake under a perfect blue sky in the sun.
We then drove to a beautiful rainforest for a short walk around a creek which had drinkable water that has been filtered through the island over thousands of years. We jumped back in the jeeps and headed further up the island to where we would set up camp.. this time driving along the hard sand next to the ocean. We arrived at camp around 3.30pm which was situated up a sand track in the trees just off the beach. We pitched our tents, drank a few beers and had a group meeting about the dingo's on the island.. no food could be left inside or outside the tent after dark because they will try to get in. All food had to be left in the back of the jeep or in the secured trailer. Even chewing gum and toothpaste had to be left in the jeep because dingo's will go for those too!
There was several groups around camp, probably about 70 people in all and we set about making our tea.. our group had Hoisin Chicken Noodles which was really good. Dingo's were scattered around to see what they could get but they didn't get too close.
Drinking games began after we cleared everything away.. was very, very funny! Lights were turned off at 9.30pm which meant we had to walk down to the beach if we wanted to continue the night. Down to the beach a few of us went feeling rather tipsy.. and WOW WOW again!! We were met by a clear sky littered with thousands of sparkling stars.. it was stunning and sobered me up somewhat. Then the most memorable moment of all.. I saw a shooting star dart across the Milky Way, the first I have ever seen. Then if that wasn't enough I saw another just a few moments later. Very special! :)
We called it a night at around 1am and walked back to the tents were the majority of people were already sleeping.
It was an uncomfortable sleep on the hard ground and I awoke around 6.30am with no chance of getting any more due to the sunlight and noise from other people. I felt fine and wasn't hungover which was suprising with the amount of rum I had drank the night before.
Anyway, it was either a cold shower or nothing before breakfast so I didn't bother since we were all going for a dip in an hour or so.
We had breakfast then drove down the coast in a convoy to a famous shipwreck that has been beached on the island for a long time. The ship was a posh cruise liner that was on it's way to be used in the Pearl Harbour bombings. It is very old and decrepit and we weren't allowed within 3 metres of it. We took some pictures and drove 5 minutes down the coast to Eli Creek or what the guides like to call Hangover Creek. We walked up a small path from what looked like just another one of the small streams on the beach and followed it up 200 yards to a splash-pool at the top of the creek where you step in and slowly float down to the beach. It was definitely beautiful but the coldness of the water totally distracted me.. it was possibly the coldest water I've ever gotten into. It took my breath away when it came up to my waist and then it took a further 5 minutes to eventually get my shoulders under.. Haha what a wimp! We caught a bit of sun and had a few beers at the bottom of the Creek before driving back to camp for lunch.
We got back in the jeeps and drove up to Indian Head at the tip of Fraser Island! A big cliff edge with lush beaches which guards a corner of the island. We climbed the steep path to the top of the cliff edge where the views were spectacular and if that wasn't enough we saw a group of 3 or 4 whales swimming along whilst stood at the top. Another special moment!!
We then made our way to Champagne Waters.. small salt water pools lined along the shore just a short drive from Indian Head. It was my turn to drive again.. this time on the hard sand which was fun getting the jeep into 5th gear for the first time blasting along the beach whilst huge waves crashed against the shore. We chilled there for a while before heading back to camp for tea.. Bolognese Pasta was on the menu for our group and it was good.
Had alot of fun and a great laugh with everyone playing drinking games and then moving on to the beach again once the lights were turned out at 9.30pm.. saw two more shooting stars too! :)
Called it a night at 1.30pm after we had finished off all our drinks.
It was another uncomfortable sleep and I woke again at 6.30am. We made our breakfast, took down our tents and loaded up the jeeps with all the equipment. We left camp and drove 20 minutes down the coast. We parked up on the coast and made a 45 minute walk inland to Lake Wabby. The majority of us weren't too happy about the walk especially after not much sleep over the previous two nights but we did it anyway. The walk was a killer but we eventually got there. There's no doubting the lake was stunning but everyones minds were on the 45 minute walk back so we didn't get as much out of it as we could of. After a short time chilling we made our way back to the jeeps and set off on our return to Rainbow Beach. We grabbed some dinner and drove onto the ferry before making it back to the hostel where it was great to have a nice warm shower!
We decided to eat out for tea and I'm glad we did because we came across a fish & chip shop/restaurant where we ate in and had a Thai Green Curry with rice and chips.. probably the best meal I've had in Oz so far! Soooo good!!
Each group and their group leaders met up in the hostel bar in the evening for our last drinks together. It was another good night and topped off an amazing weekend! I've met some really nice people over the past few days so it was sad to say goodbye after having a great time with them.
I got to bed after midnight to get some shut-eye for the early start in the morning. We're jumping on the 7.30am bus up to 1770/Agnes Water where we have booked a Scooteroo tour around the town on some choppers. Should be fun!! :)
xx
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