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Gday dingos!
Well! This is going to be a long one, maybe longest yet! The last few days have been very good ones! Got the 4hr bus ride to Hervey bay on Friday afternoon ready to go to Fraser Island on Saturday. Stayed at the YHA hostel in Hervey, which was nice, even nicer as we had our own room!
So we had booked a 2-night/3 day cool dingo trip to Fraser, which is a 120-x 15km sandbar just off the mainland. It also has a lot of rainforest/freshwater lakes/sand dunes/gorges/streams. It's a place that is never missed on the backpacker trail. You either do a self-drive or organised tour. The self-drive you meet with 12 others and take in turns to drive the 4wd and camp and buy and cook you're own food. The self-drive was cheaper but after buying food it was only $200 difference. We were also worried that the group wouldn't want to go everywhere so we went with the safe option and are glad we did.
So on Saturday am got taken to the port and got the 30min ferry to Fraser where we met our guide and group. The group was 29 including 7 US uni students and 4 teachers, they mostly kept in their own group, the boys more talkative than the snooty girls. There were 4 Korean girls who didn't talk but gave us entertainment by sitting on the very bumpy backseat and went flying up in the air at every bump. There were 2 annoying German girls and 4 pleasant but fuddy duddy Scottish girls. Then there were the people that we spent most of our time with. There were two English sisters called Katie and Alice who were lots of fun, a nice young Canterbury couple called Johnny and Antonia. Also 2 other Americans called John and Mike who were hilarious especially when drunk. The last was a London bloke called George, later nicknamed poler bear George. This was due to the fact that in the night when it was freezing, the boys woke up as he had turned off the heater and opened the window! He was also good comedy value without realising it. The last very important person was Peter our driver. This bloke was the best, very very funny with amazing stories; don't think there is anything he doesn't know. He's been doing it for 15yrs and we all felt very lucky to have got him.
So we got straight on with our tour, the bumps starting immediately. All roads are deep soft sand, as they haven't had rain for a month therefore this makes for a rough but fun trip! The self-drivers frequently got stuck but not us. The first place we went to was reached by a 20min uphill trek, not good! This was to reach a small freshwater basin lake with turtles, turquoise waters and white sand, looked amazing but was cold. We then walked through the forest, better fun walk and I was leader! Saw trees that looked like giant flakes and streams that were so clear all you could see was the sand at the bottom. It was then lunch, which was a delicious buffet in the forest. From there we drove to Lake Mackenzie, on the way we all got out as Peter moved a 2m carpet python from the road, was cool! The lake is a big one - only rainwater with the same colouring as the last but bigger beaches, water was still cold but went for a dip! Didn't see any turtles but did see a wild dingo run along the beach, just looks like a dog but there are warnings everywhere not to encourage them. The girls were in the toilet and when they came out it was in the toilet drinking water. Had lots of jokes about the dingos, as Fraser is famous for them and infamous as it has attacked and killed children. Got back just in time to watch the sunset. Stayed in a resort with cabins with 5 rooms each, first night had our own room. Had a buffet dinner then a few drinks. There was a coach load of 50 who were on a no clothes night wearing all kinds of stuff, weird but funny. Ended the night lying on the road watching the amazing stars with the others!
0800 start on Sunday after a five star hotel type buffet breakfast. The day was all based on and around the 75mile beach, cant swim in the ocean though due to the sharks. The first stop was to look at the 1935 maheno shipwreck, on the beach since then. We then looked at the Pinnacles, which is an eroded section of different coloured sand cliffs. After that we pulled up next to a plane parked on the beach. The pilot came on the bus asking us if we wanted a 15min 28-pound flight, landing and taking off on the sand and going above the island. Still cant believes our penny pitchiness caused us to turn it down. We then went on a dune walk where we jumped down it. For lunch we took our picnic up the 180m high rock face, Indian head. The girls and us managed to go up the wrong way, walking straight up the rock face instead of the path but it was fun and quicker! This has amazing views of the beach and sea as we sat on the edge of the rocks, bit scary! Saw loads of dolphin pods; the others saw whales and sharks. We saw many manta ray including a 4m one just next to the rocks on the surface, Peter said that was a rare spot due to its size. Also saw a stingray. Anyhow the spot was the best, did have a stumble, nearly giving myself a heart attack and have got a miner but definite war wound! We went to the champagne pools, which are natural rock pools that the waves crash over making bubbles, these are cool. We walked over a rock divide on the beach to a deserted beach on the other side covered in cool shells. Had a dip but cold as usual. We were late to the bus due to the shells so couldn't watch the huge pod of active dolphins that we saw on the way back up! On driving back along the beach, someone spotted whales, we stopped to watch, they were 50m out jumping around and splashing their tails, 2 big ones and a baby, was very very cool. Just as we were watching, a low fighter jet steamed past us, this made it! Peter said he had arranged it especially! He then took us to watch the sunset on the pier where we also saw a dugong. On the 30 min trip back Pete played some very cool tunes, which made it like the karaoke bus, also YMCA, which was funny! That night was a quieter one, weren't impressed either as had a foreign couple in our room who spent the whole evening in our tiny room in bed together making it very difficult for us to get ready!
Ok last day! Monday drove to the sand dunes, on the way Peter showed us a black butt tree that was shaped and looked like a dragon. He then dropped us off at the top of a sand blow. This steep dune went in to Lake Wabby, the other 3 sides of the lake were surrounded by eucolypt tree forest. It was the usual Fraser colour contrast, white sand/green lake. We had 2 boggie boards and took it in turns to go down the dune head first. If you go fast or out of control you end up in the lake! The 2 uni american boys did it loads, going fast and they went to the other side of the lake! Most people were put off by the absolute killer hike back up! I went down once, didnt get wet but wished i had off to justify the walk back up, thought i wasnt going to make it! Paul also did it and did get wet. We were there for 2 hours but it was fun watching. Pete came and met us and had a go. Then just before we left, polar bear George took a photo of us and dropped our camera in the soft sand. The camera wouldnt work at all and could have cried. We then had the worst hike ever, a 30 min trek over the sand dunes uphill also, it was very soft which was hard then as we got nearer had twigs in which was painful! It was a killer, even the fit 20yr uni boys were moaning, probably worked out some of my anger though! Anyway luckily for me Pete is a famed photographer (we bought his fraser book) and he taopped anfd tapped the camera and it now works! Had a barbie buffet lunch then went to Lake Biribean where the uni lecturer William taught us how to throw a boomerang, i was useless, Paul abit better. It was then time to get the ferry and say a sad farewell to Fraser, Pete and the bus, Stayed in Palace hostel and met Katie, Alice, Mike, John, Antonia and Johnny for dinner in an irish bar, Mike was very drunk and was very funny.
Yesterday went whale watching early morning. Hervey bay is said to be whale watching capital of Oz and one of the best in the world (alledgedly) The whales are on their way back down from great barrier reef where they had babies. I spotted the first whale although the captain credited Paul! Spent a couple of hours going between several pods. Got quite abit of action as they flipped and splashed, some as big as 15m right next to the boat was very cool! Came back at 1300 ready to get the 1430 4 hr bus to Agnes waters/1770. So will let you know what we have been ip to here soon. We are leaving tomorrow night on the overnight bus to Airlie beach. Photo putting on is still impossible but am always trying!
Sorry it was so long, cant help it!
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL LOADS LAURA AND PAULXXXXXXXX
PS WE ARE VERY IMPRESSED WITH U JEN EVEN IF YOU REPEATED YOURSELF TWICE!
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