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March 7th 2010

Published: March 7th 2010

Well I survived Fraser Island, but just barely.... Despite being shown a hour long video about the dangers of the island we definitely were not prepared for the events that happened. The recent storms we have been having left the island in terrible condition and the driving was horrendous. The roads were pure mud about 2 feet deep, they were all one lane, and were so bumpy it was like being on the Indian Jones ride at Disneyland (minus the safety harnesses). To make things worse all of our camping stuff was stacked on the top of the car so we were very very top heavy which made things even scarier.

Our first stop was lunch in a rain forest, while it was very beautiful it was also very wet thus the mosquitoes were in full force. In the time it took to walk back to the truck to get the bug spray 20 of them had already bitten me. Oh also the flies bite here so on top of the mosquito bites I had about 20 fly bites. After the rain forest we continued and finally got the beach where the best "roads" were. Sometimes there were 4 lanes of traffic on these beach roads and the speed was 80 kph! However while the road is not as bumpy it is still very dangerous because of the soft sand, hidden shelves, and rocks. I didn't really know it but driving on the beach is almost like driving on the snow. The back of the truck swings a lot because the tires have no traction, and getting bogged is very easy on the soft deep sand. Despite going less than the speed limit our truck hit one of those shelves which are created by rivers of freshwater that flow into the sea. Luckily our driver didn't panic and instead of trying to swerve out of the way (which given our weight we would have surely rolled) he went down it. It was about a 2 foot drop which immediately led into another 1 foot hill that we were forced to go up as well. All of the bags and groceries fell out of the top onto us below, luckily all of the heavier stuff (like the bbq and coolers were further back). After the initial check to make sure we were all okay, it took us a good 10 minutes until we could collect ourselves enough to get out of the car to check the damage. The truck was okay except for the front right wheel which now tilted inwards.... Given the condition of the roads on the island we knew our truck wasn't safe so we immediately drove to the closest pay phone (which thankfully was only about 20 minutes away). The mechanic on the phone said that if we changed the tire we should be fine. Unfortunately for us though we would have to wait to do it in the morning, it was 4:45pm and the island has a very strict law of no driving on the beaches after 5pm because of the tides, also the sun here sets at about 6 so we wouldn’t have time to set up camp and change the tire before the sun set. We carefully and slowly drove back to the campsite which was about 15 minutes up the beach.

It of course started pouring rain as we set up camp but the joy of being alive (and the goon-cheap backpacker box wine) helped us to get through. Another group from our hostel showed up so we made one huge camp and had a bbq. Once the sun went down the dingoes come out and quickly surrounded our camp. They weren't very aggressive though and they kept their distance. But we still made sure to go to the "bathroom" together, while two people went the other two scanned the bushes with the flashlight and knocked sticks together (which scares them away).

After a great night we were very optimistic for the next day and right when we woke up we started working on the truck. The optimism faded though when we learned our jack didn't lift the truck high enough to change the wheel. As a group we decided to move on, I was reluctant but unfortunately the next ferry didn't leave the island until the next day anyway so there wasn't much we could do. Right when we were about to leave the camp the other group discovered that their battery was dead. We weren't given any jumper cables so we had to flag down a car and borrow some from them. It was a small setback but very easy to fix. But of course even after charging their battery the truck still didn't start, after looking at the engine we learned that it was a problem with the starter. The group called the company we were with to get some help and they were told "we are not able to come to the island to help, better push-start it and park on a hill from now on." Lucky for them they had 6 guys in their group and we had 3 so the boys then proceeded to push the truck (through soft sand for 100 yards) to get to a flat part of the beach. Thankfully (for both groups) the truck started and we were all free to go on with our day. Driving in our truck was terrifying, despite going very slow the truck was very wobbly and we all held our breaths as we prayed for the wheel not to fall off. But we got to see some of the island, a few more dingoes, and the Champagne Pools. After having not showered for close to 30 hours by now we were so excited to jump in. I was having a wonderful time relaxing in the water until a guy in my group told me to watch out because there was a blue jellyfish next to my leg.... needless-to-say my swim in the pools were over. Of course the fun couldn't last forever and that same truck required another push-start, this time though all of their guys had hiked out of the pools so this time it was 7 girls and 2 guys that had to do the pushing. It was able to start and this time the driver drove the truck right to the island mechanic and was willing to pay anything to get it fixed. After this we stopped by Lake Wabby on our way back to a camp site, here we got to ran down the face of a sand dune right into a beautiful warm lake. The water felt wonderful but we could only stay for a few minutes because of the 5pm beach curfew.

This night we set up camp with both of the other groups (there was a total of 3 of us on this trip). We had steak and potatoes for dinner with some goon of course. The dingoes at this camp site were a lot more aggressive and at one point I was flipping the steaks and looked up and noticed one was watching me from about a foot away. At one point a dingo even stole our trash. The evening though was still awesome, mainly because it for once wasn’t raining. But the storm did hit at 3 in the morning and was so violent that one of the tents collapsed so we were forced to fit a couple of extra people into our tent.
By the second morning I was more than ready to leave this horrible island. We were unsuccessful at finding a place to do dishes or throw our trash so we were forced to keep it all in the car with us. The last stop on our schedule was Lake Mackenzie which is a huge freshwater lake with clear teal water. While the lake was beautiful it was still pouring rain so we didn’t even stay that long. The ride there was horrible and all 8 of us were silent as the truck went over every bump. At one point our truck got stuck in the mud and lucky after some skilled maneuvering by the driver we made it out. By the time we made it to the ferry our truck and the group reeked, were drenched and covered in sand and mud. The ride from the ferry to the hostel is short but dangerous because of the low pressure in our tires (which is needed to travel in the sand) and all of the water on the roads don’t help. The conditions are bad for even a properly working truck so for us it was even more dangerous. So of course our trip from hell continued until the moment we drove into the parking lot. But we did make it!!!!

We found out the problem with the wheel was a bent rim, the mechanic could fix it with a hammer so were still able to get back our deposit (which we thought was lost for sure). The shower I had when I got back was incredible! But I think it might take a few washes to really get all of the dirt off, that goes for the clothes I wore as well. I of course I slept like a baby in my nice soft bed last night, never in a million years did I think I would ever say that about a hostel bed lol.

Now that we made it back safely I can honestly say I am glad that I got to see the island because it is really is an awesome place. But it truly was a terrifying trip and we were so lucky that nothing worse happened. And we will be celebrating our survival in a boat on the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow!!!! We leave tonight for an overnight Greyhound bus ride to Airlie beach (it will take 13 hours) and tomorrow at 3pm we deport for the Whitsundays. For 3 glorious days and two nights we will be snorkeling, diving, and feasting on top of one of the worlds greatest wonders. This is the part of the trip I have been most looking forward to and I am so glad it is finally here.

Finally back on the Mainland

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