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Published: November 3rd 2005
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After finishing in the Whitsundays and returning to Airlie Beach for a couple of days, we set off on another midnight bus southbound. Desination: Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. Upon arrival @ our Beaches hostel we are introduced to the group we will join for a 4-wheel expedition of Fraser Island - the world's largest sand island. Holden elects to be the group leader - only after no one else speaks up. Thus the 3 day/2 night journey begins.
The group consists of eleven members: 2 french women named Sophie and Cecille; a Frenchman, Thomas; a German named Andreas; Nathalie, from Canada; and an English contingent of four - one couple(Adam and Sarah), Graham, and Will. We were all strangers at the beginning of this trip, but not for long. We are quickly asked to decide on the food and alchohol we should bring for such a stay - the latter being of much more importance. So on and so on. Oh, and did we mention that our group has been dubbed 'Team Crikey' in anticipation of our adventures?
That evening, after the errands were attended to, most of the group joined together to meet over drinks and dinner.
Everyone with a different background and story but all in Aussie for a good time.
Next morning we begin around 7am with a quick breakfast and a ride to the 4wd rental facility - where they brief us all on the dangers of driving on the island and our responsibilities to keep the vehicle intact. It becomes obvious that they value the vehicle more than us. So, at least we know that we have a good vehicle - we hope. They also go on and on about how to treat the Dingoes.
After said briefing and some time spent packing the roof rack, we we're off. Remember the group has eleven members and, thus, we need to store all our gear on the roof in a covered rack. A quick ride to the ferry and across Hervey Bay and we are on the Island.
Graham is elected to drive first, and does so like any of us would have - cautiously. (As a note: with more experience we all began to feel more comfortable driving.) Out first stop is about 10 km away up in the rainforest @ Central Station. There, we needed to get water -
very crisp and pure, by the way - and take a walk through a scenic rainforest boardwalk. Then it was off to the Lake Wabby lookout and our first taste of the bumpy(and sandy!) path that lay ahead.
Its slow going in the hills, but the beach goes much quicker. The beach is broad and dry @ low tide to allow two-lane traffic and even small planes landing. The driving arrangement provides for three people in the front seat and the remaining eight people getting cozy in the back. Most passengers were vocal about all of their apprehensions, and they had every right to be. Still, we had no accidents or even any close calls to warrant any worries in the long run.
Time for a quick lunch @ the Wabby Lookout, which showcases the beautiful Lake Wabby below. Lake Wabby is situated in a large sand dune that is slowly engulfing it - very slowly it seems. At this point the group is becoming familiar with the March Flies that love to bite, but are so slow they become an easy target for termination. Thats about it for lunch.
Will takes over driving and we're off
to float down Eli Creek. The creek has a boardwalk which leads to a point above its mouth on the shore. From that point you can get in and just drift down the creek. It would have been smooth sailing if it had been raining, but the creek did become rather shallow at points, so we had to crawl. No matter, we all decided to have a race down anyway. Nathalie and Will blew away the rest of us.
On the way to camp we cross the path of an old shipwreck from the WWI era, The Maheno. This former medical ship was on its way to Japan for use as scrap metal, when it ran ashore during a storm. Later used as bombing practice in WWII, so it is now only a ragged rusty skeleton.
Finally, we reach camp for the first night. After setting up camp- which we shared with other groups like ours- it was time to relax, eat, and drink (and drink, and drink, and drink....). Most groups were involved in raucous drinking games including singing, emulating apes and dingoes, and performing ridiculous dares. Some group of guys went around with a bag of
box wine demanding we all 'spank the wine!'. Overall our group was no different. Adam introduced us all to quite a card game and pretty soon the 'waterfalls' were flowing all around.
After the dishes were done the group sauntered down to the beach to respect our sleeping neighbors and to see a few stars. A few stars would be a gross understatement. Everybody was amazed at the starlight and sheer multitude of stars. But, we were all tired, and eventually ready to head back to camp and sleep.
Next morning we were all up early. After a quick brekkie and clean up we were off to our first destination: the Champagne Pools. It is the only safe salt water on the island enclosed in a rocky jetty. All the rest of the sea water is inhabited by box jelly fish and is the worlds largest breeding ground for tiger sharks - not to mention a fierce rip tide. We were all looking forward to a swim in Lake Wabby later in the day, so no one went swimming anyways.
After that we headed to Indian Head, which is a rocky outcropping overlooking the ocean from several
stories above. It was hot and clear, and everyone was hoping to see some sharks since the East coast of Fraser is their breeding ground. But, alas - No Dice. We did see many Turtles, a school of Tuna, and some Stingrays. Oh well.
We decided to revisit Lake Wabby and actually go swimming this time. After a shoreline lunch we hiked into the lake over 2 km(?) of sand dunes in the midday heat. We found relief storming the lake from the sand dune above. We spent hours lounging in the water - eventually finding the small fish very interested in nibbling upon us. We even ended up fishing for catfish using the dead March Flies we had swatted.
We must have stayed too long, because we were racing against the tide to get back to camp in time - before the sea swallowed the road. Andreas made sure we made it in time.
Same old story for last night at camp. One exception was that Julia tripped on a hidden tree root and badly damaged her right toe. The whole campground heard about it too. Otherwise, good times all around!
The final day we
were off to find more lakes. First lake Birabeen, which we dubbed 'Lake Beer'. Afterwards we drove to Lake McKenzie- the crown jewel of the island. We finally got to spot some dingoes there, and they weren't too impressive at all. Just a few skinny shy animals scrounging for a living.
It was finally time to depart the island, and we made sure we made our ferry. We arrived an hour early, only to get eaten alive by sand flies.
Back at the main land we suffered through the check out process at the 4WD rental company. But, having only lost a spatula, and gained a mug and a knife, our deposit was safe.
Back at Beaches we all showered and then met up for one last hurrah. Everyone exchanged information and told more stories of their own travels and future destinations. After Cecille and Sophie left to meet an overnight bus, the rest of us were off to find a well cooked meal. Everyone enjoyed some wine and their choice of entree. Then it was time for one last jug of beer between Team Crikey.
Too bad it had to end. Everyone on the trip
must have enjoyed it immensely. The people were the best part, and the scenic enviroment of Fraser Island is unique. We hope we speak to or see everyone again.
Now its back to Sydney for just a bit, before moving on to Hong Kong and Asia. CHEERS!
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