Brisbane to Fraser island

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We arrived in Brisbane late evening so spent it in the only place that made sense- the bar! It was student night so drinks were cheap and the music cheesy! The next day it was up and at them early to catch the bus over to the koala sanctuary. It was incredible! There were hundreds of koalas chilling out in the eucalyptus trees and you could get really close for photos. There was also other native wildlife on show such as the dingos, kangaroos, platypus and lots of bats and birds! We hand fed the kangaroos, which blew my mind. I didn't think they would be that tame and we would be able to get that close. I stayed a good clear distance from the emu though, it looked like it had its eye on us for dinner! The birds were beautiful from the pure white cockatoo to the multicoloured parrots. We were wondering through the sanctuary we stumbled across the flying foxes in mating season, which Darryl found hilarious! As part of our experience we had a photo taken holding/cuddling a koala bear which we all said was amazing! They're so cute it's unreal!
Next stop we were off to Noosa! Noosa appeared to be a sleepy little town with not a lot going on- again we arrived early evening. Tonight in the bar was pub games- we opted out of this and good job we did two. You needed to be in pairs to perform sex position's - none of the options to pair off here would have been appropriate! Early night for us and then up early to the beach the next day.
The beaches here were lovely but the surf and waves were big so no swimming today! When we got back to the hostel it was quiz night! We fancied some of this with Lady Luck on our side after the time before. We ended up joining forces with two welsh guys, and Aussie and a swede! We won a £50 bar tab and came second over all- this didn't stop us from partying like we won. 2am stumbling home from the club seemed like a great idea at the time, however 7am came around to get the bus quite quickly and we all felt worse for ware!
We arrived in Hervey Bay late afternoon for a briefing for the Fraser Island tour, but managed to get a quick peek at the beach before.
The briefing was informative and we met our tour leader Sid- later to be nicknamed Sid the sloth- he was quite a character! Now we were ready to get in the 4x4's for some off roading!
The first day we were pretty much scared into submission about the snakes, spiders and dingos! Checking out a few natural lakes for some swimming, one where the water was really red but completely safe to drink- quite an odd site.
We made camp on the beach and settled in for the night, prepped with our dingo sticks and torches for protection! We made food and drank a fair bit. Had a stroll on the beach, found some crabs and a baby turtle. The stars were incredible and the Milky Way was so visible due to no light pollution- total paradise.
The next morning we were all a bit fragile as we headed properly off road, driving along the beach. Darryl appeared at breakfast with a cut across his forehead, having walked into a tent pole drunk- this earn't him the nickname Harry Potter for the rest of the trip! He was behind the wheel through a particularly tricky part of the morning and nearly rolled the jeep! This didn't bode well for me driving and I lasted all of 5 mins hating every min. Today we visited the champagne pools, another fresh water lake and the Mohino shipwreck sight!
Back at camp everyone was a bit more subdued this evening and ended up in bed fairly early!
In the morning we packed up ready to head back- jo was behind the wheel this morning and loved every minute of it. She even made our German companions squeal! We arrived at lake Mackenzie and wow! It was as beautiful as the pictures. I can't explain how clear the water was. We enjoyed a beautiful swim before heading back to the mainland on the ferry. All in all Fraser Island really delivered.
A quick turn around and we were ready to get back on the bus- destination Arlie beach for the Whitsundays! Catch you at the beach- Lauren, Jo and Harry Potter!

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