The pick-up outside the hotel was 07:05 where we also met Stuart and Pete from The Netherlands and they became our travelling companions for the day. Stuart was accompanying Pete his father-in-law on his first holiday in 12 years, a 6 week tour of Australia. Stuart, born and bred in West Yorkshire spoke fluent Dutch with a great Yorkshire accent, we felt right at home.
Fraser Island is UNIQUE. It is the largest sand island in the world and measures 123km long by 15km wide. The dunes at the highest rise 244m and drilling has shown the sand to extend 100m below sea level. It is heavily forested with a number of specific habitats ranging from sub tropical rainforest, eucalypt forest and coastal heaths. It also plays host to the purest colony of dingoes in the world.
All forms of transport on the island have to be 4-wheeled drive as all the roads are sand tracks. Our bus did get bogged down at one point requiring us all to de-bus and walk to the next firm area while the driver took a number of attempts to get through. If you have to be a bus driver anywhere in the world then this island has to be the place to be!
We travelled across the island once off the ferry to seventy-five mile beach, a registered road with a speed restriction of 80km/h and boy did they all drive at the limit. This would have made bathing a hazardous affair with a greater than evens chance of being run over if it was not also for the rip tides and sharks. Along the way we came across two light aircraft with the chance to take to the air and see the island from another perspective. It was great taking off on the beach over the surf before wheeling inland to see the numerous lakes (more later) and tracks before heading out over the ocean to try to catch a glimpse of any marine life. The landing 15 minutes later was equally dramatic as we skimmed the surf again before touching down on the "road".
The beach also hosts a wreck that features on many of the tourist brochures for Australia. On the way to the Eurong Resort for lunch we had the chance to wade in one of the many freshwater streams that flow from the sand. It is weird but there is 1.2m of water falling on the island and the sand acts as a sponge however the weight of sand also squeezes out the excess so there are a large number of creeks.
After lunch we went to Central Station that used to be the centre of the logging operation before all commercial logging was stopped in 1991. We were able to see a number of trees unique to the island including the satinay that was found to be resistant to marine borer. Consequently timber from Fraser has been used to line the banks of the Suez Canal and to rebuild the London Docks after WWII.
In the creek we were lucky to see an eel and catfish to add to the sightings of a couple of dingoes seen earlier.
The tour ended with a visit to Lake McKenzie an example of a perched lake. This is formed by an accumulation of organic matter mixed with the sand to form an impenetrable layer. The rainfall then creates and maintains the lake with evaporation and leakage through the organic layer as the only loss of water. This leaves the lake slightly acidic and reputably very good for the complexion so we plunged in for a refreshing swim (Nicola could do with the assistance of the lake) before making our way back to the ferry.
All in all Fraser Island is quite amazing and well worth a visit if you are ever in the area.