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Published: January 25th 2010
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After a 5½ hour bus ride we arrived in Airlie Beach - The Gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Having already done the three day sailing cruise and altogether not enjoyed it much, I decided that a day trip to Whitehaven Beach would be enough this time around. Kayleigh decided that she would stay with me too because three days on a boat, feeling sick was not her idea of fun either. So the following day when the other four went on their three day cruise, Kay and I booked a day trip to Whitehaven Beach on an Ocean Raft! The only problem was that we had two days to kill before our trip and the sun was so strong that I had to buy more sunscreen. 😊 In fact the weather was outstanding and we spent our spare two days lounging around the lagoon, going for the occassional dip in the pool and sipping on a nice chilled beer from time to time.
Finally Sunday came and it was time to go Ocean Rafting! When we arrived at the dock we saw the raft for the first time. It looked a bit like a big banana to be honest, with
some huge powerful engines on the back. It was very fast and several times I lifted off my seat. Our first stop was a short bush walk to look at some aboriginal caves. It was interesting but we didn't hang around too long because we wanted to have as long as possible on the beach! At our second stop we had the chance to go snorkeling. I went in right away and had about twenty minutes looking at the reef. After that I went back to try and get Kayleigh, who didn't fancy it, to come with me. She agreed to come in for a little bit and we made our way over to the coral again. Everything was going fine until a Jellyfish swam accross Kay's mask! That was it for her and to be honest I wanted out too. Unfortunately I found that a swarm of Jellyfish had come all over the part of reef that we were snorkeling over. They were horrible looking. See through with a little red part that I can only describe as a brain! Kayleigh didn't want to put her head under the water again, so I dragged her through hundreds (no joke!)
of these nasty little things back to the raft. It was only after we got back onboard that the crew told us that although these ones could sting you, they were not deadly and very unlikely to anyway. It made us feel a bit better but we decided that we had had enough of the sea for one day! Finally we made our way to Whitehaven Beach. Once we arrived the crew prepared a delicious lunch and then we had two hours to relax on the gorgeous white sand. We found lots of Jellyfish washed up on the water's edge and I even touched one...not before I saw a crazy Ozzy bloke do it first obviously! After that it was a very fast ride back to the dock. At one point I got to sit on the side of the raft which was great fun! When we were safely off the Jellyfish infested waters, we met the others who had got back from their trip earlier in the day. They all loved it and had a wonderful time. The following evening, after another lazy day by the lagoon, we jumped on our next bus heading for Hervey Bay and Fraser
Island!
After thirteen hours on the big red bus we reached our destination. We were spending the night in Hervey Bay before setting out early in the morning for Fraser Island. After a terrible nights sleep, in a room that felt like a sauna, we found that our group consisted of eleven people:
- Steph (Somerset Girl)
- Rachel (Somerset Girl, who lived in Cyprus)
- Jessey (Canadian Legend)
- Dustin (Guitar playing Canadian)
- Travis (Canadian and all round dude)
- and us 6!!!
This is the second time that I have done a Fraser Island trip and both times I have been very lucky to get a great group! Jessey actually worked for Beaches and that came in handy by the end of our trip!
First thing I found different about this trip was how strict it was this time. On my previous 'Fraser Experience' we were basically given a map and told to go where we wanted within reason. This time we had a strict route to follow and some places we were not even allowed to go because they wouldn't insure us! Lake Wabby was one of those and I was very
disappointed with that. 😞 Anyway, I was elected to drive first and so off we went to the barge. I drove all the way to our first stop, Lake McKensie, without any problems, even though the cars infront kept getting stuck. Lake McKensie was still as beautiful as I remembered, even with the weather not being as good as it could have been!When we decided to head for camp it was Stewey who took over the driving. We had been going about 10-15 minutes when we hit a problem...well actually hit a plank of wood sticking out of the road. Our back left tyre had gone completely flat. Poor Stewey was blaming himself and saying he wouldn't drive again! Jessey and Travis got straight to work changing the tyre and I only helped when needed (like letting Jessey know that he was tightening the tyre not loosening it). After a short delay we were on the road again with Stewey at the wheel. We all told him that it could of happened to anyone and not to worry...although he was driving a little fast (just joking Carl)! The second thing I found different this time around was the camp. Gone
was the nice shop, showers & cooking area. We were camping at the new Beaches site and it was crap! The showers didn't have lights, the water kept running out and the lighting by the cooking area was terrible! After some goon it all seemed much better though! I ended the night with a walk along the beach to see the hundreds of stars in the beautiful nights sky. The following day was quite quiet. Firstly Josie drove to Indian Head, where we all climbed to the top of the cliff. Then Claire drove back to camp. It was 1pm and because of the rules we were no longer allowed in the jeep! We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and the Canadian lads showed me how to throw an American football properly...sort of. The evening was spent round a fire, singing songs and of course drinking lots of goon! The final day we decided to be rebels and go against the set route. As soon as we were ready we headed straight for Lake McKensie. The sun was out and it was really hot with no shade anywhere to be found. Rachel drove us along
the beach and then Stewey got us to the lake in one piece, this time! We spent a few hours there chillin' out on the sand and just having fun. Then we headed for the ferry. When we got back to Beaches, Jessey sorted us out so that we didn't have to pay for the tyre that Stew...we broke! That evening was spent in the bar, playing games, drinking and dancing on tables.We ended up staying in Hervey Bay for five nights after the trip. It was cheap accommodation and the people were nice. We didn't really do much else other than make plans for the rest of the trip. It was nice to have a few days of doing nothing! By the final night though, I definately felt ready to leave and get to our next stop...Rainbow Beach!
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