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Published: February 12th 2008
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11th February 2008
Today we spent the day on Fraser Island, one of the largest sand islands to be found anywhere in the world (the 4th largest). It is 120km long and an average 15km wide and at it's highest point is 225m above sea level. A very large sand dune indeed. We had to drive from Maryborough to River Heads (just outside Hervey Bay) to catch a ferry to the island. At the entrance to the landing strip there were many seabirds resting on a sandbar, Fraser Island is a good place for bird watching.
On arrival we were met by a tour guide and a 4 wheel drive 50 seater coach. There are no surfaced roads on the island (they are all old logging tracks) and the coach has to be able to drive through soft sand and very bumpy soft sand roads. Our guide was very good and imparted the information on the flora and fauna and history of the island with obvious enthusiasm and Ozzie good humour, managing to keep his bus of tourists from many countries amused all day.
The first stop was Mackenzie Lake with clear blue water which was really warm. The white sand
was full of silica and would have cleaned jewllery very nicely. Next stop was the Wanggoolba Creek rainforest walk which is near the site of the old logging camp. The forestry company has replanted the areas cleared by logging with hoop pines which host huge stag horns on their trunks. One of the pine trees had a iguana resting on the trunk. There were huge king ferns and other tree ferns on the rainforest walk and a constant scratching noise from the cicadas. There were trees which were being overcome by the strangler fig which wraps itself round the trunks with criss cross vines.
Next stop was at the Eurong beach resort for a very nice buffet lunch before setting off along 75 mile beach which runs the length of the east shore. This beach is a bit like a motorway for 4 by 4's and buses. They roar up and down the beach at low tide so that camping on the beach, which is allowed in designated areas ,must be rather noisy. Camping is by permit only and there are strict rules for keeping food and rubbish away from the wildlife. The dingoes which live on the island are
amongst the purest of the dingo colonies as they are kept from domestic and ferral dogs. Their numbers (currently about 150) are controled by the scaresity of small mamals on the island. Visitors can be fined for feeding them or in any way interfering in the natural eccology of the island.
Our next stop was to view the wreck of the Maheno, a passenger liner, which was being towed for salvage by the Japanese in 1935 when the tow rope broke loose in a cyclone and it beached on the shore and has been stuck in the sand ever since. By now the rain that had been threatening all day started in earnest and photos were a bit blurry. We stopped again to look at the rainbow sands in huge sand hills where the different ores and silicas in the sand leach out making strips of different colours.
On the way back to the ferry we stopped to paddle in Eli Creek where the rain which cannot be absorbed by the sand pours off and runs down to the sea, creating a creek of fresh water on the beach.
Just as we were emerging from the forest to rejoin the
ferry, a dingo strolled across the sand road and into the trees on the other side. Our guide stopped the coach and we were all able to get a good view of this unique wild dog as he foraged around a tree for food. He was much bigger than I had imagined, more like an alstatian dog than a fox.
It was after 5 pm by the time we got back to River Heads after a very good day out. Off to Hervy Bay to find an internet connection now and decide where to move onto tomorrow as the weather is forecast to be heavy rain.
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Lucy
non-member comment
You have rain we have sun
We seemed to have swapped weather, its been amazingly glorious here for the last couple of days! Australia looks very very different doesn't it. The big question is did Mum get a picture of the dingo?