Day 29 - Tour of K’gari, previously known as Fraser Island

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Oh now that wasn’t the easiest rise and shine! My alarm went off at 5:30. I think I finally opened my eyes at 5:35. That’s harsh! I got into bed early to prepare for this, but by the time I’d finished uploading the blog stuff, it was 11:30 …… aarrgghh….I only had one bar of signal on my phone. Apparently, I’m doing the well to get that. We can get WiFi in the bar and reception area, but not in the accommodation! I’m here, all present and correct, I have my Costa coffee mug and muffin in my hands, so alls good. Here we go on the day ahead!

I was greeted by a couple of kangaroos near my door this morning. It’s crazy, yesterday, I had never seen a kangaroo in the wild. Now, I can’t open my eyes and not see one! It’s a soggy start with the weather today. I’m hoping that’ll improve, as it’s still early! We are heading for K’gari, previously known as Fraser Island.

K'gari means 'paradise' in the native tongue. The name K'gari is derived from an Aboriginal Dreamtime story about a goddess named K'gari, who fell in love with the earth and never wanted to leave. It is situated just off the east coast of Australia. it is the largest sand island in the world. So, paradise…, here we come!

It’s now 6:50, the sun is showing itself, but I can see a lot of rain clouds in the sky, I’m not sure how this is going to pan out. I’m wearing a vest, shorts and flip flops… ha ha

I’m just watching out of the bus window… there is a forest on my right. I’ve been passing it for quite a while now…. It’s strange. Every tree is perfectly straight, of similar width, similar height, equally, yet intermittently spaced. I guess they were all planted at the same time. Which isn’t mind boggling… I get that, but it’s the sheer size of it, and I can only see on edge of it. I’ve been driving past it for about 20 minutes now, at about 60 mph!!! How on earth did they plant so many at the same time!!!! Crazy! The thoughts that run through my head are unpredictable!

Note: 5pm, I’ve just found out it’s a planted pine tree forest that has been planted purposely to be logged.

We pull in at the Servo for our pick up point. We are heading for Rainbow Beach. The sand gets covered due to oxidisation. Over thousands of years, iron-rich minerals have stained the sand with a complex array of yellow, brown and red hues, while pure white sand has been leached of all nutrients. The sand formations are known as pinnacles.

We got off Bruce, I went to the loo, and the huge 4 wheel drive bus pulled straight in. We thought that we would have time for coffee, maybe snacks etc, but no, it was an instant cross over! We have 20 minute drive to the ferry terminal. We’ve just been given a dangerous dingo safety chat!!! Eeekkk
That’s stressful!

The ferry crossing was only around 10 minutes. It was a little roll on - roll off. The huge 4wd bus, breezed across the beach, around all the tress that have been washed up.

We seem to be speeding along the beach. Maybe a tad faster than I like, but there is a whole bus full of people, and they don’t seem bothered, so I need to wind my neck in… ha ha

We’ve just passed our first washed out creek. The view of this experience is amazing. But as we splash through sand and mud, the windows are really dirty, so you can’t really take photos! We just went past a wrecked ship, well, you can only see the bow sticking out of the water! We have passed lots of ship related debris along the shore. Considering that we are so close to the sea edge, even going through it at times, and the waves are really big! It’s a concern… ha ha

We arrive at our first stop, At K’gari Resort for a toilet, and refreshment stop. Then it’s on to Lake Mackenzie. So we’re back onto the bus for a 45 minute drive. This is like driving on a trampoline… ha ha we are up, and over these sand dunes,? it’s crazy, but it’s what this vehicle is but for. They keep on talking about the dangers of the dingos.,.. jeez… I’m stressing it!

The trees we are passing are called scribble gums. In his forest there are trees of all ages, huge old ones, young saplings, and every age in between. As you would expect, not like in the forest I saw earlier. There is evidence of a previous bush fire, which occurred 6 years ago, but it is clearly recovering well.

The base floor of the forest is actually sand. The forest self nourishes by dropping their leaves and branches, which attract lots of insects, smaller animals, mushrooms, and a special fungus present, then the rain falls and a composting effect is then happening, but takes over 100 years to be sustainable like it is here.

The stop at the lake was amazing. I know I’m over using the word amazing, but seriously, it’s amazing everywhere! The sand was so white, and the water was crystal clear blue. It was a bit cooler, but that was perfect for the day! A great cool down. We stayed there for an hour. Then it’s back to the bus.But one big note.,. No dingos to be seen today! Phew!

That was a hairy moment! These 4wd buses are huge! And there certainly isn’t room for 2 to pass on to the single tracks…. But it did have to happen. It took a lot of skill, and clever driving on both driver’s parts. Only to be followed by a tight hairpin bend… crazy driving!

Note to self: do not try to take a drink of water from my aluminium water bottle whilst on a very bumpy track as I like my teeth as they are!!

We are in the rainforest here which is within the Central station area. it’s so beautiful! My photos just don’t do it justice! We walked on a raised, wooden trail through the rainforest to Wanggoolba Creek. The water is so clear.

We were told about the Satinay trees. These ancient trees form most of the high canopies. The guide also pointed out the King fern which is a prehistoric plant. It is one of the largest and most ancient ferns in the world, and most definitely is the oldest plant on the island. We could hear a kingfisher, but no one could find it!

We went to K’gari Beach Resort for buffet lunch. We all got a table together, which is always nice, and we invited a lone Irish girl to join us. The food was good, and there was plenty of fresh fruit for dessert. The only downside, I really fancied a sweet, sugary cake, or bun….but sadly there were none available!

At 1pm, we back on the bus, heading onwards across the beach known as 75 mile beach. We did get to see a few dingos, but we did have the safety of being on the bus!

We were lucky enough to be there when the flight pilots didn’t have any customers, so Temu, Charles, Angelika, Sarah, Lyndsey, (our new guide) and me all spontaneously accepted the offer of an island flight for $100. OMG…. It was so good, and Temu sat at the front with the pilot. We took off from the beach. We flew over the sea, took a bend to come round to fly over the canopy, a lake, and sand dunes. Then we flew back round in reverse to see it all again. I was so pleased that I did it! Then, later in the day I checked my pre pay card balance, incase I need to top up, they only charged me $80. (£41!) Great result!

Just near the flight finish point was the SS Maheno shipwreck. It is the most famous of Fraser Island's wrecks. Built in 1905, the SS Maheno was one of the first turbine-driven steamers. It was wrecked in July 1935, she was pummelled by a huge storm.

We continued in to the Pinnacles. They show as a display of hundreds of different colours which catches the light as the sun,and look light shines on them. You can see an array of oranges, reds, yellows, and browns. It is a marvellous sight.

On again, to Eli Creek, the largest creek on the eastern beach of K'gari, It pours up to four million litres of clear, fresh water into the ocean every hour. Angelika and I opted out of swimming, Angelika joined a group playing beach volleyball, was photographer on action shots. Ha ha

It’s now 5:25pm, we’re back on Bruce, and on the return trip to Habitat Noosa. We have an evening meal pre booked for around six-ish… I think!

It’s been a really good day, the flight was the best part! But it’s also been a long day. I’m shattered!

We are having a group dinner tonight. It will be the final dinner for Johanna’s parents, and the Brazilians. That will leave 5 of us to complete the tour. Temu, Angelika, Charles, and Sarah

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