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Published: April 23rd 2006
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Fraser Island
THE B-TEAM!! front row - Chris, Nat, Gro, Mona; Back row - Orla, Katie, Maria, Shane, Dave, Kim, and Emma I've arrived at the Sunshine Coast - I'm once again a traveller!! I flew into Maroochydore a week ago - Easter Sunday. I stayed at a backpackers called the Cotton Tree Beachhouse Backpackers - it was a nice, quiet hostel. Sadly, though, the first day I stayed in Maroochydore it rained...and so instead of heading to the beach, I spent a few hours at the shopping mall. Not exactly what I had planned for my arrival at the sunshine coast. I DID, however, meet some nice people at the hostel, and it was nice to hear their tales of coming down the coast, and to start planning my stop-overs on my way to Cairns (thanks Joyce!).
The second day I decided to head up to a place called Rainbow Beach - it is the second alternative to Hervey Bay for getting a trip organised to Fraser Island. Everyone seemed to rave about it - and so I booked a Greyhound and a few nights at Dingo Backpackers. I arrived at about 6 in the evening, and it was obvious right away that there was a lot of energy at the hostel. I ended up drinking at their bar with my
roommate Marie from Sheffield (as a backpacker people lose their last named...they are replaced with their town/country of origin).
The next day Marie and I went to the beach with some boogie boards. It was great to be in the sun again - although my pasty skin has returned, and I could only spend a few hours outside before I began to get scared of burning! In the evening Marie's friends - who she had met on the way down the coast- arrived, and we spent the evening chilling by the pool. At 4 I found out I'd be able to leave for Fraser Island the next day (I was on a waiting list)!! At 4:30 we had a briefing about safety during our 3 day self-drive tour...and we met our group. My group consisted of 8 girls and 3 guys.
On Thursday morning all the Fraser Islanders had to wake up at 7 (free pancakes!) and pack their gear. The intro to Fraser Island was done by a guy named Shane - who had so much enthusiasm and excitement towards the trip that it definitely gave a fantastic atmosphere into the truck for the beginning of our
Rainbow Beach
At Dingo's Backpackers- being entertained by Ryan the Canadian (Marie, Julia, Ryan, Michael) journey!
By about 11 we were on Fraser Island, and although I didn't get to drive on the sand, all the drivers seemed to find it quite challenging!! Our first stop was Lake Mackenzie - it's a lake in the middle of the sand island - and a very refreshing stop after the packing and travelling! That evening we found a great stop on the beach to camp. All the food for the trip had been given to us - with menu's and recipes for each day (a fantastic change from the 'what should I eat...and where am I gonna get it?' backpacker problem!). Everyone in the team was really helpful, and setting up the camp and getting dinner ready went really smoothly. Finally, after dinner and with drinks in hand we actually got to know each other. The three english boys - Chris, Dave, and Shane- were travelling together up the coast, three of the girls - Katie, Emma, and Nat- were also travelling together (also english), two other - Maria and Kim - were doing a quick 5 week journey from Sydney to Cairns. and the others - Orla from Ireland and Gro from Norway were both
Fraser Island
Sunrise Day 2 travelling alone.
We played some drinking games, and although we only went to sleep around 1, some of us decided to wake up for the sunrise. So at 5:30 the next morning, a few of us were up- ready with our cameras. It was really refreshing to be up so early - and gave a good, early start to the day!
That day we drove to Indian Heads (a cliff - which is a bit of an anti-climax after all the hype) and walked to Champagne Pools - named after the frothy residue from the waves that crash against the shore and move into natural pools which everyone swims in! In the evening we headed to Eli Creek - where all the other groups showed up as well! We ended up playing a big game of rounders in the shallow water at the end of the creek. In the evening most of the groups came together and set up camp together. the evening was fun, with lot's of goon (boxed wine) and beer for everyone!
The next morning we woke up for sunrise again - and walked to a near-by shipwreck. However - the clouds covered the
Fraser Island
Preparing to Leave - Nat, Maria, and Kim sunrise, and it wasn't as impressive as the previous day! After breakfast we headed to Lake Wabby - where there's a huge sanddune which you can slide down and land in the water (rolling was definitely the best alternative)! We spent a few hours there. Then it was time to head back to the ferry. 😞
Fraser Island was definitely a fantastic trip - and hopefully I'll be able to stay in touch with everyone from the trip! I'm heading up north today - getting a ride from the English boys up to 1770! cheap surf lessons, and a fun hostel!
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