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Published: November 29th 2011
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After a relatively short journey (5 hours) we got to Rainbow beach which would be our base for our tour of Fraser Island. We stayed at Frasers on Rainbow, unfortunately had quite possibly the most uncomfortable beds we have experienced to date, they had a water proof plastic lining around the mattress, we could only assume this was to prevent bed bugs and not in case we lost all control of our bladder through the heavy consumption of alcohol, but on the plus a balcony overlooking the pool and a relaxed bar and vibe.
To be able to cook in the kitchen supplied, one would need skills parable to that of a Krypton factor contestant as nothing was ever as it seemed and various kitchen implements were been used to peel the modest spud. So it came as no surprise that the hostel bar did a roaring trade with its $10 meals!
Before we settled down to our extra hot Thai Green Curry type concoction courtesy of Kev’s worse culinary efforts we decided that a nice early evening stroll along Rainbow beach was in order. The Beach itself stretched quite a distance and provided many a traveller the opportunity
to claim their own secluded beach spot to bathe and take in the lush soft sand and pristine blue sea (while avoiding the Jelly fish in stinger season)
We were confronted by what at first glance Lex suspected was a dead fish on the sand but after a closer look we discovered it to be a tongue of some giant non-descript creature. The tongue itself measured around about 2-3 foot long and was a dark grey colour (if anyone has any idea of what this belonged to please let us know via e-mail or post a reply to the blog)
After we had finished our beach walk and cooled down our overheated taste buds with a few beers and a bowl of chips we headed off to bed for a relatively early night so that we could get a full day of sun bathing by the beach and prepare ourselves for the Fraser Island tour the day after.
We did our Fraser Island Tour with Fraser Island Adventure Tours our transport was a large 4x4 mini bus come lorry, we drove to Inskip Point and took the short barge trip over to the east coast
of Fraser Island and caught our first sight of a Dingo as well as several freshwater pools.
We headed up to a small Eli Creek that loads of our tour groups were parked by, a boardwalk ran parallel to the clear fresh water lagoon and ended with a set of stairs that would allow you to wade through the creek all the way back to the 4x4’s. As the water depths did seem to alter throughout the walk it is little surprise that many a tourist would come out the other end rather wetter than they had anticipated. We returned to the vehicle for morning tea and cookies, before continuing on to see the ghostly remains of a Scottish made ship that had run ashore many years ago.
The rusting metal and haunting shadows created by the skeleton of the ship made for some amazing photo opportunities although due to the large group we travelled with some of these pictures were not possible.
We headed in land to the picturesque Lake McKenzie where we would get a chance to swim in the largest freshwater lake on Fraser Island as well as enjoy a traditional Aussie BBQ for
lunch. The Lake itself was quite the sun trap and with pure white sand surrounding the lake it was little surprise that the area was pretty busy on arrival. After drying off in the 30+ heat we tucked into our lunch and Kevin got true value for money with 2 steaks and 2 sausages as well as piles of salad and pineapple. We would finish our tour with a guided walk around the sub-tropical rain forest where the different shades of green and sunlight piercing the canopy made for some truly spectacular sights.
We had one more full day at rainbow beach to mix up our day with long walks to the local lighthouse (4 hour round journey) and more sun bathing on the beach.
We departed Rainbow beach on what would be our longest journey (time frame) to date all the way to Airlie Beach, it took 18 hours. The journey from Hervey Bay to Airlie Beach was a true eye opener with the bus driver been both overly strict and rather irritating with his insistence that you must not take up 2 seats or have any part of your body hanging in the aisle, as he
then proceeded to tell us an old wives tale of a girl the previous week that had punctured her lung on someone’s elbow when they tripped over someone’s large toe or something of that nature. All these strict guidelines led to a poor night’s sleep for all passengers until we changed driver at Rock Hampton.
We arrived at Airlie Beach Sunday morning and took the courtesy mini bus to ‘Backpackers by the bay.’ In total contrast to our previous hostel the beds were the most comfortable dorm beds we have thus far experienced. The rooms had AC throughout the night and a fan to keep the air circulating throughout the day; small things make sure a difference!
We had dinner at SALT, to share some deliciously cooked scallops wrapped in prosciutto with green beans and fish with a cumin tint with extra green beans and asparagus – was definitely one of the best meals we’ve had in a while. For those who don’t usually have scallops I hope this inspires you to give them a go the next time you’re out.
Cruising among the Whitsundays islands were amazing, sitting aboard the boat watching the gorgeous turquoise blue
waters was delicious. We spent the morning on Daydream Island, its petite size didn’t put us off, we walked through the tropical rain forest – spying a cockle-too munching (see our photos) we swam in the bluest of pools, had some fun on the creative mini golf course and eat fish again! Whitehaven beach did live up to its crystal clear aqua waters and pristine white silica sand stretch for 7km along the Whitsunday Island, the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Check out us in our fetching blue stinger outfits for a laugh!
Mexican for dinner and a tropical torrential downpour – great night! Followed by a wet, cloudy day in Airlie!
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