Frazer Island.......What a Trip!!!!

---

23rd January 2009 - ARRIVAL IN HERVEY BAY AND GROUP SHOPPING NIGHTMARES!!!!
We arrived in Hervey Bay just before 3pm and were taken to Next Backpackers Hostel. There wasn't a lot cracking off at the hostel....it was basically just a base for people going and coming from Fraser Island trips. Once we had checked in we went to our Fraser Island meeting to find out a little more and meet our group. The guy giving the talk was called Chris and he explained more or less everything. He gave us an itinerary and warned of the dangers. Fraser Island is a breeding ground for Tiger sharks so no swimming in the sea and Dingos are rife.......I was rather worried especially when he said not to do all of my natural instincts such as run, flay my arms about and shout/scream for help!! Instead I would have to cross my arms over my chest and stare at the dog!! Oh dear!!! He then gave us a few suggestions for our food shopping, told us to buy no more than 4 toilet rolls for 3 days (was he having a laugh....9 of the group were women!!) and left us to it advising that they would be back the following morning at 8am to pick us up!!

The group seemed ok.....very mixed. 3 French Guys, 2 Swedes, 1 Scottish, 1 Irish, 1 Canadian, 1 German and us 3 English!! Everyone seemed nice enough though apart from one girl who reminded me a little of a certain German man who ruled for a while and had a moustache!!! We all chipped in $20 for food shopping and then set off to the shops. It was a bit of a nightmare as there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I had to bite my tongue so many times I thought I may have to go to hospital for them to stitch it!!

We bought a lot of food......bread, milk, cereal, spag bol ingredients, bbq stuff, sandwich fillings, cookies, crisps, fruit, cordial etc etc etc!! I wasn't worried about going hungry anyway!! We also bought some goon to take.......8 litres of questionable wine (goon) for $20 between 3 of us which is about 3 quid each......cheap as chips!!! Once shopped up we headed back to the hostel, got our stuff packed up and chilled out until bed time. I had a feeling the next 3 days would be very busy!! I crossed my fingers that the group would all get along and that the trip would be dingo free!!

24th January 2009 - DAY 1 ON FRASER ISLAND!!!!
I woke at about 5.30 this morning...what a joke!!! I got up not long after, showered, sorted the remainder of my stuff, had brekkie and then went to pick the bread and meat up from the butchers/bakers!! The whole group met in reception at 8am as instructed where we loaded up the vans, watched a scaremonger video about driving accidents and were given instructions on how to use the 4 wheel drive. We were also given a shovel in case we needed the toilet during the day and weren't around any facilities!!!! I hoped I would never need to use it!!

At around 9am we were ready for off. We had 7 girls in our van (us 3, the Swedes, the Scottish and the Irish). I was happy and everyone seemed cool. The 3 Frenchies (guys), the Canadian and the German went in the other van. We then rode in convoy to the ferry port......Goodbye Hervey Bay....Hello Fraser island!!!

Jo did the driving for the morning and I didn't envy her as she had to reverse the beast of a van onto the ferry. She did really well though as it was a big vehicle to manouvre. The ferry ride lasted about half hour but was good as we all chatted within our group and got to know one another a little better. I had been told previously that the group can make or break the trip and thankfully we seemed to have done ok!!

Once off the ferry we put the beast in 4WD and set off through the rain forest to Lake McKenzie. The Swede (Linda) had her MP3 plugged into the radio and so we listened to some Swedish tunes along the way!! DJ Hatty skipped a fair few thank goodness!! The roads were a little boggy and very bumpy. Us in the back were flying all over the place but it was funny and thankfully we didn't get into any trouble!!

Lake McKenzie was gorgeous!! It changed colours as it became deeper and looked so inviting despite the sky being grey and producing a mini downpour!! We spent an hour or so in the lake playing volleyball and splashing about. We also did a few timer shots which was funny to see about 8 girls running from the beach and into the water to try and look natural in 10 seconds. We needed a few attempts!!

Once done in the lake (I didn't want to get out but so much to do and not enough time) we had lunch on the picnic tables before Nat took the wheel and drove us to the beach. It was another bumpy ride to the beach but again it all added to the fun!! You can't help to get to know people when almost headbutting one another in the back of a van!! Funny to see Nat drive too as she is so little and the van was so big!!!

Once we hit the beach the ride was a lot smoother and it was amazing!! There is something about driving along sand with the sea next to you in a 4WD that I can't describe. Awesome!! Occasionally we passed over a creek/washout which was cool as it gave an element of surprise as we all flew in the air!!Cool to see all the other vans on the beach too having similiar experiences!!!

The other car was stopped by the police at one point.......2 of them were given $300 fines for not wearing seatbelts!!! Not good!! I couldn't help but laugh though when the Canadian girl said she didn't realise that she had to wear one and she hadn't been told that she had to in the briefing!!! I know I don't have the most common sense but even I know about seatbelt rules!!!! She couldn't even blame being blonde!!

That afternoon we had a quick stop at the Maheno Shipwreck which was impressive. It had been washed up onto the beach in 1935 by a cyclone and was good to see and get a few photos of. We also stopped at The Pinnicles which was interesting in it's own way! So far I loved Fraser apart from one thing.......the sand flies!!! They were huge - like big wasps - and they stung you!! Rarrggghhh!!!! Once sight seeing was done, Nat drove us further along the beach and then up the Woralie Track to the Aboriginal Campground.......our stop for the night!!!

The night was a good one. We cooked a BBQ and drank goon from around 6pm. Daniel...the Aboriginal guy, lit a camp fire for us for which we had a go at chopping the wood. He was impressed with my wood chopping and said I hit it with some force.....I still didn't manage to split it though!!! As the night drew in (it got dark at around 7pm) we all sat around the campfire, toasted marshmallows (or set them on fire if i'm telling the truth) saw some aboriginal dancing and heard some didgeridoo playing. Apparently women can't play the didgeridoo as it's mans work and women will become infertile if they play. I didn't really believe it but didn't want to chance it!!

There were 3 different groups staying at the site and we all merged as time ticked on. Everyone was super friendly and it was a good night. The French guys tried to learn us some french and I brought out my favourite line that I used to use at school "Je ne comprende pas". They thought this highly amusing!!! I was nicely merry by 9.30pm and didn't drink anymore after that. I had taken one for the team and volunteered to drive the following morning and so didn't want to be hung over!!! Nat was hammered which was funny, we (Nat, Hat and I) had a heated debate about culture and we didn't see a Dingo!! All in all the night was a roaring success!!!

Everyone wandered to bed at different times but we (Nat, Hat and I) went at about 1am. We didn't have to put tents up as our group were staying in a big hut. We were even given mattresses though had a formidable scent....I wasn't worried about bed bugs though as I am not sure anything could stand to live in them. They were musty and on a normal day I would not have gone near them......backpacking is a different world though...hygiene standards sometimes have to be overlooked (only when necessary though I might add). I made certain to lay on my back to keep my nose as far away as possible...it wasn't pleasant though goon helped slightly and I had no trouble falling asleep!!

25th January 2009 - DAY 2 - AWESOME PLACES, BAYWATCH & BEACH CAMPING!!!
I woke up with a pretty clear head....unlike some of the others who were suffering from the goon effect (Nat in particular)!!! I tucked into my cereal for brekkie and once we were all sorted and cleaned up we hit the road...or should I say beach!!! I was the driver for the morning and I loved it!! I also had my ipod plugged in so we had some funny tunes on. So glad I put the Baywatch theme tune on as it was perfect for driving along the beach!! Shame we didn't have a Hoff!!! We got a few laughs for it too from people we passed!!! I tried to get the rest of the girls to run at the side of the van in their bikinis but they weren't up for it!! I wonder why?!!!

Our first stop for the day was Eli Creek. The water was freezing but refreshing. We walked up in against the current (good workout for the legs) and then floated back downstream. It was definitely one of my favourite places. So tranquil, trees to swing from and very relaxing!!! I loved it there!! Once we had done at the creek I drove North to Indian Head. The drive was such a good experience....so glad I volunteered!! Once we arrived we had lunch on the rocks and chilled out in the sun. No swimming in the sea though with the killer jellyfish and sharks!!! Even sat on the rocks I was stung by a sand fly.....bloody thing!!! Took me by surprise and went for the ankle...drew blood too!!!! I killed it!! No mercy!!!

Once lunch was eaten we walked up Indian Head where the view was amazing. I know I use the words 'amazing' and 'awesome' a lot but things truly are out here!! We were on top of a rock face looking down on golden sand either side (75 mile beach). You don't get that very often in life and I made the most of the views!! From there we were supposed to walk to the Champagne pools but they were miles away. Instead we got Joe (one of the French guys) to drive us through the really soft sand around the back of Indian Head. He did well in difficult conditions and we were at the pools in no time without getting the van stuck!! Woo Hoo!!!

The pools were gorgeous. Large pools of sea water to sit in separated from the sea by the rocks. You could see the waves crashing up behind us. The water was clear and occasionally bubbles would form from the waves coming over.......champagne pools were an apt name!!! Some people had an awesome set up and had taken a cool box full of beer, sun umbrellas and food. They positioned themselves there for the day!!

We had a good hour in them relaxing and chatting. Once again...I loved it!!! Some Aussie Guys who had set up for the day were entertaining too as they were playing charging games with big rubber rings. They got a bit lairy later though and one guy started pulling moonies.......that was one white aussie arse I didn't want to see!!!

We dragged ourselves away from the pools at around 3pm and Linda took her turn in the driving seat to drive us south back to Dundubara and our camp. We had made a group decision to just use the camp facilities to eat and shower and then to find a spot on the beach to camp at. We wanted to make the most out of our Fraser experience. One of the French guys (Ben) was a chef and so he cooked our Spag Bol for us whilst the rest of us showered and cleaned up. He used so much butter I thought I may have a coronary but even so it tasted good and we all cleared our plates.

By the time we had finished eating and washed up it was dark and we still had to find a spot on the beach to camp at. I did the night time drive for our van and gees it was different to driving during the day. The tide was higher and so the driving was tougher and everything looks different in the dark. Thankfully we were in convoy with the other van in our group so we had a bit more light!! I was doing ok until all of a sudden water sprayed up on all sides of the car. I could not see a thing and neither could anyone else in our car as I had driven at speed through a good few inches of sea water. We all screamed and laughed whilst my heart went into my mouth.......why did I volunteer to drive in the dark?! A few seconds later I had driven out of it and sighed with relief whilst laughing! Scary but fun!!

After driving even further up the beach and starting to panic that we wouldn't find anywhere we spotted some lights set back in the distance........woo hoo!!! Another 6 or so vans had set up camp and without further ado we pulled up and joined them. We then set our tents up in the dark (good job they were simple tents), got our roll mats out to sit on and hooked a light up and some music. We were camping on the beach.......Awesome!!! It was brill to look out and see around 40 tents all in close proximity, everyone drinking or cooking and generally having a good time!!!! There were no facilities but it was dark enough for no one to see and none of us had to use the shovel thankfully!! We stayed up for a while before retiring to our tents for some sleep!!!! I had loved day 2 on Fraser!!

26th January 2009 - AUSTRALIA DAY ON FRASER ISLAND!!
My nights sleep went ok though I had a few interruptions. At one point it poured it down though enjoyed cosying up in my sleeping bag whilst hearing others outside running about trying to put a top sheet on....I said the night before that it was a risky little game!! Hat snoring was my second interruption........oh my god!!!! There should be medication for it!!! I kept jabbing at her with my elbow and eventually it ceased!!!! I also had a nightmare about being mauled by a dingo and sat bolt upright with a start. Not the best when I was sleeping in known dingo land!!!

I woke up properly at around 6.30am. It was Australia Day...woo hoo!!!! Time for the boxers to come out again!!! It was nice to hear the sea crashing in on the beach and see all the other tents camped there. Once in a lifetime I think!!! We sat on the hill to eat brekkie whilst watching the sea. The only thing spoiling it were the sand flies!!!! I hate them or as the french would say "Je n'aime pas les mouche"!! The french guys had slept outside during teh night up to the downpour and following that they slept in the van. Apparently there were a fair few dingos about during the night....so so glad I am a heavy sleeper!!!

Once we had all eaten, put the tents down and packed up we set off. Our van was a state and it was a good job it wasn't full as the seats were piled high with roll mats, tents and bags! We really hadn't grasped the concept of putting stuff away. It was around 9am when we got off and the tide was pretty high. Hatty drove and once we got to Eli Creek we had an unscheduled stop for a while to refresh!! Bit quieter than yesterday morning and the water was a little higher so we could properly float. I'd love to wake up there every morning!!

Once done at the creek we drove further south and parked up near Hammersmith Sandblow. It was cool passing all the other vans sporting Aussie flags......they really got into the spirit of their national day....as did we in our boxers!!! Once at the sandblow we set off on a 30 minute walk to Lake Wabby. It was hot and the walk was tough but we got there in the end. The lake was not as spectacular as I thought it might be (very green and looked like a place crocs would hang out) but we still got in for a swim with the catfish. Too hot not to get in for a little dip!!!! Once we had cooled off we walked a different way back over the sanddune and to the van. Good views once again!!!

The final afternoon drive was done by Catherine and she drove us to lake McKenzie for a final look and photo before getting the ferry back to Hervey Bay. The drive was hairy and at one point she stalled on a hill, rolled back a little and struggled to start it again. It was funny though and to be fair to her the driving conditions were tough!!! We also lost a few pieces of cutlery from the roof along the way....not sure how though as the top sheet was on and secured or so we thought!!!!

Lake McKenzie was even nicer than on day one as the sun was out. We only had 5 minutes though as it was already 1.45pm and we were supposed to arrive at the ferry at around 1.30pm......oh dear!!!! We made it for 2.15 though and although we were nearly at the back of the queue we still got there in time for departure at 2.30pm. I didn't want to leave....Fraser Island was Fantastic!!!

The ferry ride home was funny with 2 drunk Aussie women singing and getting everyone to chant Aussie Aussie Aussie....Oi Oi Oi!!! Elder ladies they were and I am sure if any of them were my mum I would have hid my head in my hands but as they weren't I joined in!!! Once off the ferry and after getting shouted at by an old man for not turning the wheel locks off we set off on the journey back to the hostel. It was eventful!! We saw the other car (which was behind us) flashing and then saw a sleeping bag fly off the roof. I had paid a $12 deposit for a sleeping bag and I wanted it back. I flung the back door open and jumped out in dramatic fashion to retrieve the sleeping bag!! Passing backpacker cars were taking photos and laughing as I ran down the road after the stray sleeping bag. Turned out the car behind flashed because a crate had fallen off too!!! The top sheet was not secured at all!!! We were lucky no damage was done and that we got back in one piece!!!! Added to the amusement though!!!

Once back at the hostel we parked up (in a fashion), cleared the van and checked back in. I was sad to be back as the weekend had been awesome but pleased to be able to have a shower and see a proper bed with a pillow!!! Some luxuries you take for granted....not anymore!!! Loads of Aussies out and drunk to celebrate their day......it would have been a good night but we were all shattered. A few of us from the group went out for a meal, one drink and then said our goodbyes before heading to bed for much needed sleep.

The situation with fellow travellers is weird. So many people come in and out of my life. Weird to think I have just spent 3 solid days with people and shared lots of stuff about myself knowing that I will probably never see or talk to them again. Most of the time it's fine and I accept that meeting lots of people is what travelling is all about. Occasionally, like with Iris in Thailand and Hatty in Oz, you click with people and it's harder to accept. All part of the experience I suppose!!!

---