Fraser Island and Whale Watching 4th - 8th October

---

Journey to Fraser Island

With military precision we readied ourselves for the 07:30 pickup outside the campsite. On our way to the docks the radio announced that Daylight Saving had come into effect in all states apart from Queensland which was lucky for us as we could have been late!

Our boat left around 09:00 and we enjoyed the short journey across to the Island on sparkling waters cast in sunshine. Our bags were taken care of on our arrival and we were met by our tour guide, Kirsty who, like all are other tour guides in Australia had a really sunny disposition and a really enthusiastic manner which was much needed as our group seemed more subdued than all the other tours we had been on. After writing our names on stickers and answering the 'register' we proceeded to the heavy-duty 4wd bus and headed to our first destination of Basin Lake.

Basin Lake

We were under the impression that we would be doing a little swimming here and that there were turtles in the water that we may be able to get close to. Kirsty explained that the Parks Service had closed the lake for swimming due to people applying sunscreen just before entering the water and it then washing off straight away and leaving a film on the surface. She also said that people even washed their dishes in the lake which left most of us shocked. This meant that we could only walk around the perimeter of this fairly small lake which to be frank was pretty pointless given that nobody saw a turtle!

To get to the lake and every other point on the island it is necessary to use tracks in the sand carved through the rainforest which means a bumpy ride for all and getting bogged for some of the self-drive tours and holiday makers. When you consider that these are single tracks if someone does get bogged they end up holding everyone else up too.

Central Station

Straight after Basin Lake we undertook a walk through the rainforest to Central Station where we had lunch. Central Station was a former settlement for loggers who used to work on the island prior to its listing as a World Heritage Site.

Wanggoolba Creek

After lunch we embarked on a rain forest boardwalk alongside Wangoolba creek which was a little easier than the morning walk which had been on energy sapping sand and uphill. The creek moves purely over the sand and is therefore completely silent. It is fresh water that is drinkable without treatment and many of the self-drive tours on the island rely mainly on this water supply. Along the walk we got to see a few of the giant Satinay trees which loggers hated until they realised that they were resistant to salt water and could be used to build docks.

Lake Mckenzie

We were driven to Lake McKenzie, a 'perch' lake with beautiful blue water and white sandy beach. The sun was shining and despite a slight breeze, swimming in the lake was a fantastic experience. Apparently the sand here is good for exfoliating the skin - whatever that means! We saw our first Fraser Island Dingo whilst at the lake, it came out of the forest and started sniffing around people's bags. Unlike other dingoes these have little fear of humans because of constant interaction (i.e. people used to feed them) and therefore pose a slight risk. Kirsty told us that if confronted by one we should not turn our backs and run as they would probably chase us. Feeling the eyes of everyone staring at it, the dingo slunk away.

We spent some more time in the water before having a hot coffee and a blueberry muffin or two! We then went through the itinerary for day 2 and then drove back to the Kingfisher resort where we had a few beers.

75 Mile Beach

Unlike our previous tours we had a comparatively late start (we left around 07:45) which meant I could keep going up for more breakfast at the buffet!

We drove up the roller-coaster (the nickname given to the sand track from the resort because of how bumpy it is) and onwards to 75 mile beach (I still don't know why it's called that!!). After 1 hour of driving along the beach we got to the 'airport' - a stretch of sand that they fly light aircraft from on scenic flights over the island. Lisa went up on one whilst I stayed on the ground due to the bumps of the morning drive and the beers from the night before. Lisa found the flight to be very worthwhile and enjoyed seeing a bird's eye view of all the lakes and 75 mile beach. Although take off and landing were a bit bumpy on the sand, the flight was quite smooth and she found it fun to fly at a slight angle over the ocean whilst trying to catch a glimpse of a passing shark to two.

In the meantime, those not in the plane got back in the van and drove another 10 minutes down the beach to the site of the Maheno shipwreck where we met the landing planes. It was washed up in 1935 when it was on its way to Japan to be scrapped. They had to sell the propeller to finance the trip so it had to be towed. A powerful cyclone snapped the tow-rope and the powerless ship drifted onto Fraser Island where it became permanently stuck in the sand because there was nothing powerful enough to drag it off. Lisa landed and we got some photos of the wreck where it is fast being consumed by rust. The fact that the Australian Air force had used it for bombing practice in the Second World War did not help either.

Champagne Pools

We then headed on to Indian Head and beyond to a stretch of sand off-limits to hired 4wd vehicles and turned into the car/sand-park for 'Champagne Pools'. These natural formations are rock pools that are refreshed by the constant flow of waves, but have high enough walls to prevent dangerous rips and ‘nasties’ from coming in. It was fun swimming in them and getting close to the edge and then letting the force from a powerful wave push you back into the middle of the pool. Michel (a bloke from Belgium) decided to climb onto one outer wall and when one of these waves crashed down he ended up shredding 2 limbs on the rocks which looked a bit sore. We grabbed the opportunity to get some photos of the pools and the views from the boardwalk leading down to them before heading back to the bus for a pre-packed lunch which was much needed.

Indian Head

A 10 minute drive later and we were back at Indian Head where Kirsty pointed us in the direction of a walk to the top. It afforded great views of the beaches it bisected and of the clear water below. We got to see a few rays and a turtle but no sharks. It was known as Indian Head because when Captain Cook sailed down the East Coast he saw Aborigines gathered on the rock watching the ship. In those days every non-white person was referred to as 'Indian' hence the name of the rock.

On the way back to the Kingfisher Resort, we stopped at the coloured sands known as the Pinnacles where newer sand had piled on top of older sand and the wind had cut into these dunes to expose sand from several periods of time. The last major stop of the day was at Eli Creek, the largest Creek on Fraser Island where you could walk up the creek along a boardwalk and get in and let the current slowly carry you to the sea. People can drink this water without boiling it so you can imagine how clear it was. After a bit of rain I could imagine the 'rapids' could be quite good fun!

We stopped for a quick photo at a lookout over Stonetool Sand blow which enabled us to get yet more photos. The sand blows continuously move as sand is shifted by the wind (self-explanatory really).

Lake Wabby

The next day we said goodbye to the 2 day tour group members and headed straight to Lake Wabby which we first glimpsed from a boardwalk lookout over the lake and sand blow. Perhaps after 200 years the lake will no longer exist as the sand blow is slowly covering it. To get down to the bottom we had to walk across the sand which as you can see from the photo is reminiscent of the Sahara! The lake is green due to deposits from the surrounding Maleuca trees unlike Lake McKenzie which is not surrounded by vegetation.

We had a good swim in the lake before everyone started playing silly buggers and rolling down the steep banks into the water, I joined in and felt rather dizzy - unlike the last time I did it when I was about 5 years old.

We had a long walk up the sand blow in the sun which made me want to run back to the lake and jump in and it was a bit surreal being surrounded by so much sand. Upon our arrival back at the bus, a few of the ladies started asking about toilets. Kirsty's response was 'every tree is a lavatory'. We headed for lunch at Eurong Resort where we saw our second dingo of the trip running across the resort from the restaurant window.

Lake McKenzie Again

Our intended destination after lunch was another lake called Lake Birribean, but due to a few days of dry weather the sand tracks up to the lake had become very soft causing many vehicles to become bogged. Kirsty took the executive decision to take us back to Lake McKenzie where we all had another enjoyable afternoon - this time with a football!

We caught the ferry back at around 17:00 having had a congested ride back to the resort due to bogged vehicles in the sand. Lisa and I really enjoyed our trip here and would recommend visiting Fraser Island for a few days. The only consolation on our departure was that we would no longer have to listen to Rolf Harris style music!

Whale Watching at Hervey Bay

We left the wharf about 09:00 having been picked up by a shuttle bus. We crammed on to an over-crowded boat (apparently the boat had not gone out for a few days due to strong winds) and on an overcast, drizzly day which was in stark contrast to the previous 3. Despite the weather, we looked forward to the possibility of seeing some whales on their southerly migration to the Antarctic.

Not long into the voyage we encountered our first pod, quickly followed by a second. Hedging his bets the captain decided to position the boat between the pods so that the more active one could be followed. It must have been their version of a Sunday because by and large they were quite inactive. A few tail slaps and pectoral fin raises were the highlights, but the best moment was when a mother and calf swam directly under the boat, giving everyone the chance to see how big they really are. In the end we were glad we had chosen to go on the cruise as we got a chance to get close to these majestic creatures in the wild. It would have been nice to see some back flips, but if we want that I suppose we could go and see Shamu in Disneyland!

We arrived back mid-afternoon where we stocked up on some provisions for the van and planned the next leg of our campervan trip.

---

Photos

Whale Tail
After 100 photo attempts...