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We didn't do much on our arrival in Hervey Bay other than get some dinner and pack some things for the next days trip to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. When the bus came to pick us up we found out that we weren't on the tour we thought we were on and after a lot of head scratching we just decided to see what happened, we didnt have much choice. An email to our tour booker will be fired off shortly, bunch of amateurs.
There are 2 types of tours to do on Fraser Island. Either a self-guided tour where you're thrown in a 4x4 (4 wheel drives are the only vehicles that can go on Fraser, the only vehicles that can handle the sand terrain) with 9 or so others, camping and cooking your own food. Or a guided tour in an air-conditioned 4 wheel drive bus and staying in a holiday lodge. Not wanting to play the "Ive been drunker than you" game with 9 other idiots for 3 days (maybe thats just me being grumpy), we decided on the 2 day guided tour in comfort.
First stop on the tour with Warren our guide was Wanggoolba Creek and Pile Valley. A quick walk through the rainforest and a drink from the creek (i was told it was fresh enough to drink) and we were back on the bus, and what do you know i met a Reading fan on our bus! We visited the Maheno Shipwreck, the Coloured Sands and Indian Heads. Unfortunately we couldnt see the Champagne Pools as the sand on the "road" was too light and the bus couldnt get over it without getting stuck. The last stop for the day was at Eli Creek before heading back to our hostel for the night.
The 2nd day started with a trip to Lake Wabby. A 2km trek across a huge sandblow led to the lake. Walking across the sandblow was an experience in itself, the sandblow is basically a desert in the middle of the island. A 2km walk through sand is very tiring, and emerald green Lake Wabby appeared like an oasis. After a long relaxing dip in the lake we had to take the same tiring walk back. Unbeknown to us there was actually a Tsunami warning whislt we were out, an earthquake near the Soloman Islands put the whole of East Coast Australia on alert, and whilst the Soloman Islands themselves were hit, nothing much happened over here. Anyway, after our near death experience we went to Lake McKenzie. A much bigger lake than Wabby and was blue rather than green. Our stop here was cut short by some rain, but having only 10 minutes left there anyway we made our way back to the bus which took us back to the ferry and Hervey Bay.
We had planned on doing a camel ride in Hervey but it appears the Lonely Planet lied to us and there is no such thing. After a couple of days here we're off to Airlie Beach. The same people that booked our Fraser Island trip have booked our Whitsunday cruise, so we're hoping its a little better organised. Fingers crossed!
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