Fraser Island
30th March - Rockhampton to Rollstone
After picking up our hire car in Rockhampton we met up with Huw and set off on our road trip to Hervey Bay. Our first stop was to be Carnarvon Gorge which was supposed to be nice. Unfortunately the drive took far longer we had been told and we arrived just as the park was shutting. We did manage to fit in a short walk but it started to rain. There didn't seem to be anywhere to stay in the area around the park so we decided to head back the way we had come and try to find somewhere to stay in a place called Rollstone. The drive back turned out to be entertaining, what with the rain falling on the unsealed road which made driving very tricky and further obstacles of frogs, emus, cattle and the odd kangaroo. Eventually we arrived at Rollstone, an outback town with a pub, cafe and caravan park only to be told that there were no vacancies. We did manage to talk the caravan park man into letting us stay in some rooms that were housed in a structure that looked as if it had been made from cargo containers. Then it was time to head to the local pub for some food, drink and a few games of pool.
31st March - Rollstone to Bunderburg
The following morning we were up early and heading south towards a place called 1770. 1770 is supposed to be the first landing point of Captain James Cook in, you guessed it, 1770. It's a really nice little place which is joined with another small town called Agnes Water, which looks like it’s going to be a very exclusive place to have a holiday home in the next few years. From Agnes Water we headed further south to a place just north of Bunderburg called Mon Repos. We had been told to stop there to see baby turtles hatch and make their way to the sea. Actually this was slightly disappointing because although we did see the turtles hatch, they were then rounded up and taken down to the sea later by sanctuary staff. That evening we travelled on to Bunderburg and stayed in what has to be the worst place I’ve booked in Australia. It was the City Backpackers in Bunderburg but it felt more like a triad refugee camp. I guess the only good thing about our stay was that we discovered a new drink called 'Dark & Stormy' which is Bundy rum and Bundy ginger beer. We sampled several that evening, just to make sure we liked it, before heading back to camp triad.
1st April - Bunderburg to Hervey Bay
Another early morning start and more driving, south to Hervey Bay. At Hervey Bay we met up with David and another friend of Rachel's, Anna. We had booked a self drive 4x4 trip to Fraser Island which started the following day, so we spent the afternoon preparing for the trip. After eating and drinking at our accomodation, Koala's hostel, we turned in for the night.
2nd April - Fraser Island, Day One
We were up at 05:30 to collect our van and equipment and after a little help with our packing we were ready to go. As we came off the ferry on Fraser Island, we were introduced to 4x4 country straight away. The only way around the island is by sand tracks or the east coast beach. It was decided that we should head over to the east coast so we could use the 75 miles of beach to head north, and this meant that everyone could have a go at driving on the sand. Anna has to get the prize for the best driving as she forgot to slow down crossing Eli Creek (a fairly large river). With a big bang we dropped into the creek and with another bang we came out the other side, water pouring through the windows. We decided that this was a good time to stop and a group of us walked up the creek, jumped in and let the flow of water carry us back to the beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon just lazing around on the beach waiting for the tide to change so we could continue north (the rental agreement forbids driving through salt water). That night we set up camp on the beach and as it was Lucy's birthday we celebrated with a bottle of bubbly and a potato full of sparklers (it would have been too hot to bring a cake with us). Another 4x4 group stopped and pitched their tents next to ours and we spent the evening playing drinking games together.
3rd April - Fraser Island, Day Two
We were all up with the sun the following morning and after a breakfast cooked on the barbie we headed for a place called Champagne Pools, where the waves break over the top of the pools creating champagne like bubbles over the surface of the water. We headed up to Indian Head to see the tiger sharks swimming in the sea, after which it was time for another swim. There are too many sharks in the sea around Fraser Island to swim safely in it, so you have to find a lake to swim in. We chose Lake Mackenzie, stopping by an old shipwreck on the way to have lunch where a dingo decided to join us. We arrived at Lake Mackenzie as the sun was setting - it was amazing as I’ve never seen such clear water (this is because it is filtered through the sand). The fact that the sun had set, making it a little chilly, didn’t stop David swimming. That night we again set up camp on the beach and after another sandy meal and a few drinks we retired to our tents.
4th April - Fraser Island, Day Three
Up early again and off to find another lake. We had all agreed on Lake Wabby, however we must have taken a few wrong roads getting there and it took far longer than planned. When we eventually turned up it was good fun; the lake is right next to a huge sand dune and you can run down the dune and dive in the (somewhat green) water. Our time here was limited as we had to head back to catch the ferry. On arriving back in Hervey Bay we had to unload the van and try to de-sand everything. The sand on Fraser Island is amazing - white and extremely fine - but like all sand it gets everywhere and after three days I had had enough of it. That evening we all stayed in the same hostel, went out for a nice meal and had a few too many to drink.