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Katie's Travels
Arrived in Hervey Bay and was collected by my hostel - Kookaburras - from the bus stop. My first impression of the hostel wasn't great, although after a while I realised it was actually quite a cool, laid-back place. Checked in and met one of my room-mates, Max from Germany. This was the first mixed-sex dorm I'd stayed in. The room was quite prison cell like with no windows and squeaky beds! I was in a bit of a predicament that first night, as my camera was full from Brisbane and Noosa and I needed to get my photos onto my iPod to free it up for Fraser Island. Unfortunately, the hostel pc's didn't have XP (which is required to do this). I asked at reception if there was anywhere else nearby that could do it. She offered to phone round a few other hostels for me. The first one she called - Fraser Roving - said their pc's could do it. So she wrote down their phone number for me and gave me vague directions of how to find them on the Esplanade. However, I had to wait until our 5pm meeting was over. Our group of 22 which was due to leave for Fraser first thing the next day, had to meet to pay the relevant fees and watch a safety video etc. Seemed like a nice bunch of people - very broad range of nationalities that was for sure! 4 english, 2 irish, 3 german, 7 dutch, 1 french, 2 finnish. After the meeting ended at around 5.45, I set off for Fraser Roving. Found the roundabout and saw a sign for the esplanade going off to the left. So I turned left and walked. After about 15 minutes I thought I'd better check that I was in fact on the right track. So I phoned Fraser Roving and told them I was coming to use their internet. Told the woman I had just passed the Fraser Island Resort Motel and she said that was right and just to keep walking as I had another couple of km's to go yet. And so I walked....... and walked and walked and walked. After an hour of walking and no sign of life - just housing, housing and more housing. I decided something definitely wasn't right. I'd been walking so fast too as the finale of Lost was on at 8.30! So I phoned her back and told her where I was. "Aww Hun, you've been walking in the wrong direction and our internet is closing soon". ARGH!!! I was so annoyed. She said they would've sent their courtesy bus to collect me but it was already out on a pick-up. I phoned my hostel, Kookaburras to see if they could come and rescue me, but she said they only go to the bus stop and I had walked 6 km's to the other side of town! So she gave me a taxi number and I phoned. The guy was really nice and sent one straight out to save me. While I was waiting though, I just sat down on the corner and burst into tears! I was so annoyed that I would miss the final Lost and I wouldn't be able to clear my camera and so couldn't take any photos on Fraser Island! When the taxi arrived I tried to compose myself, but I got in and just started crying again! Think the guy felt sorry for me, as I'd only been in Hervey Bay a matter of hours and had been walking in the pitch black! He drove me to Fraser Roving which cost me $15 and then gave me his card incase I needed a lift back to Kookaburras. I thanked him and ran inside. Luckily I managed to get my photos onto my iPod. I then ran back to reception to see if I could hitch a ride back in their minibus. The guy told me I'd literally missed the last bus run by about 1 minute! So I was back on the phone to Tony the taxi driver and he came and ran me home - for another $9!! Arrived back at 8:28pm and just in time to see Lost! So it wasn't the best start to my time in Hervey Bay and I just prayed that it got better from that moment on.
The next morning, we were up at 6am to check out and store our bags. We then collected our booze and headed down to the 4wd place to load up our two Landcruisers with all the food and camping equipment we would need for the next 3 days. Then we were all aboard and off to the catch the barge across to Fraser Island. After a nice crossing, Max (who was our first designated driver) led us off the barge and onto the World Heritage Listed Island. Fraser is the world's largest sand island and it was weird driving on sand tracks, bounding along over the bumps and potholes. Our first stop was the magnificent Lake McKenzie - crystal clear turquoise freshwater and glorious sandy beach. We stayed here for about an hour and those who wanted to, had a swim. I didn't have my swimmers on unfortunately, so just lay down in the sun and took it easy. After some lunch here, we drove to the other side of the island onto the beach, which doubles up as a highway and cruised north. Here we lost the other group, so our lot decided to check out Eli Creek. This crystal clear freshwater creek is a great place to spot eels and little fish swimming against the current. Then we drove on some more and eventually found the others, who had found our camp for the night and were busily putting up their tents and getting their dinner on the go. Our camp the first night was just off the beach behind the sand dunes. There was a group of older men just down for us who come here for a week every year to fish. One of the guys son's was with them and it was his 25th birthday, so after we were suitably tipsy on our Goon, we headed down to join them for a bit of a get-together. They had lights and a stereo and lots of makeshift alcohol - like homemade Bailey's - which was delicious! We partied well into the early hours under the most amazing starlit sky and full moon. The next day, there were a few people quite the worse for wear! But we packed up early and while the other group threw together some kind of breakfast, nobody in our team could stomach anything, haha! Turns out we'd already lost 3 cups, so that would incur a charge when we returned! I then took a turn behind the wheel (which wasn't as hard as I'd thought driving a 4x4 would be) and drove us north past the Maheno shipwreck and up to the Indian Heads lookout, which we climbed up to. From here we spotted whales and could see just how amazing the sand drifts looked from up high. Then we walked about a mile up the beach to the Champagne Pools, which are the only safe place to swim on the whole island (excluding the lakes), as there is the threat of sharks and jellyfish in ocean itself. After a quick dip (which I felt was most definitely required in the absence of a shower!) in the FREEZING water, we lay on the sand for about 2 hours and everybody just went to sleep, recovering from the night before! Once we all woke up we felt a bit better and walked the mile back to the cars. Then we headed back south to the resort of Eurong, where we made some lunch of hotdogs and salad at a proper campsite and those who could be bothered had a shower (hardly anybody by this point). Our group also cooked the baked beans that we were supposed to have eaten for breakfast, so were suitably full after that. Then we set off to find our next camp for the night. This one was far better than the first night. We all arrived at the same time, and so pitched our tents in a big oval shape with two kitchen areas at either side in the centre. We were also protected by a big sand dune and so it was far more sheltered than the previous night. Dinner that night was casserole and rice and let me tell you, trying to cook enough rice to feed an army in too small a pot in the dark, is no easy feat! Consequently the rice turned into what can only be described as a mushy soup like substance! But we were hungry and it was dark, and as we couldn't see what we were eating we just ate it anyway! Plus, we'd been waiting for it to magically turn into normal fluffy rice for about 2 hours and we simply couldn't hold on any longer! Surprisingly, though we all agreed that this meal was better than the previous night's meal of steak, which had consisted of more fat and grissle than actual meat! Yum! After dinner, we piled the dirty plates and cutler into a box and into the back of the car - got to be Dingo Safe you know! Then one of the lads, Mike - the lighting technician - got an illegal fire going and candles and oil lamps set up around the place. We got back on the goon and soon the campfire songs were happening. Mike was on top form "DER DER DER DER DER ..............BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!" and were all in fits of hysterics. At around 12, Saskia and I called it a night and headed into our tent. I was sleeping in my filthy clothes in a filthy tent, filled with sand with my big fleece lined jacket on and the hood up and tightly fastened around my head - it was soooo cold!!! Slept well though, and the next day we were up again, although not as early as previously and away from our camp slightly later than we were meant to be. Our aim for today was to visit Lake Wabby - the deepest lake on the island and slowly being engulfed by a huge sahara like sand drift - but as the 4wd place had put down the wrong high tide times on our itinerary, we weren't sure if it was safe to leave the car on the beach while we made the 40 minute trek to the Lake. So after much humming and hawing, we decided not to risk it and instead headed back to Lake McKenzine. Spent a lovely few hours here and this time I went in for a swim. Don't think I've ever seen water so blue! It was cold, but you soon got used to it. At the very bottom of the beach the water turned dark dark blue, almost black but there was a single path of turquoise that you could walk over to this island and then round the corner to a completely deserted section of the lake! Edward (frenchie) did another mammoth swim to the other side of the lake - which was quite a distance! We lay about some more and then had a nice lunch of burritos filled with salad, fried eggs and leftover vegetarian casserole - which were actually really nice. We had lunch surrounded by 2 goannas which were quick to pounce on any dropped crumbs. I accidentally approached one from behind and it whipped me on the legs with its big tail, which was pretty sore! Soon we were packed up and heading off back to the barge to meet the other group and sail back to the mainland. Was weird to think this was the first time I'd left the Australian mainland since arriving here. On the way back, we saw dolphins in the water!
Back at the centre, we had to wash up all our dishes and rinse out all the eskies. Our group got charged $10 for losing the 3 cups but as I was at the gas station buying an ice-cream at that point I didn't have to pay! Then we headed back to Kookaburras and we were all put into the same 10 bed dorm together for 1 last night. After some dinner, we put everyone's photos onto Hannah and Mike's laptop and watched them as a slideshow. Next day, everyone left early except Hannah, Mike, Chris and myself. So we spent the morning pottering about the hostel, doing laundry and packing stuff up. Then after lunch we drove down to the beach at Hervey Bay in H&M's camper van Kermit and spent a couple of hours lazing on the sand and playing bat & ball. Then it was back to put away the clean laundry which had been drying on the line (this hostel may not have the nicest rooms, but it more than made up for it with its excellent laundry facilities!) and put together some dinner. Hannah concocted a salsa type pasta dish and I made a pasta and sauce thing I had and we through it all together and it was surprisingly very tasty! Then I had to leave on the shuttle bus back to the main bus terminal to catch my 14 hour overnight bus to Airlie Beach.
Had an absolutely amazing few days on Fraser Island and met some great people who I'll hopefully keep in touch with. Definitely one of the highlights of the entire east-coast!
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