Fraser Island

It is the middle of May and we are finally going to Fraser Island. Pretty much since we got here we have been told that this is a place not to miss, so we are both looking forward to it. The afternoon before we leave we meet the group we will be leaving with. There's eleven of us in total but would you believe it there are eight girls and I can't work out if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

After a briefing and several reminders to be dingo safe ( I feel so much better now I've been told to cross my arms over my chest and walk backwards quietly or if I fancy start shouting "dingo" to scare off and protect us from these wild dogs) we all set off to do our shopping for the next couple of days, which went surprisingly well despite having a vegetarian who insisted on buying and cooking for herself.

In the evening we all went out for a drink and dinner and to get to know each other a little better. We're a motley crew and with all those girls I still wasn't sure how it was going to turn out! 

   Gem looking busy as we pack to leave
It is the morning to go and there are 4 vans heading out, and our van was the last to be packed and ready. All due to the lack of man power I reckon, despite the evidential photo!  I have put my name down to drive but it has been a while so one of the other lads takes the wheel as we head out to the ferry. That is a nice little trip and then we are on Fraser, off road and I feel ready for some 4 wheel driving! Inland the speed limit is only 25mph and it is blooming bumpy, but great fun, except for the unlucky few who are sitting over the rear tyre. Um..yeah that would be me. Shame I can't drive yet as it takes us a while to reach the sea front so it is a little dull waiting and the tomboy in me would have probably thrived on it. The weather is great but I unfortunately ran over a snake who was sunning itself on the track, but we think it survived. It was the snakes fault. About 2 hours later we finally make it to the beach highway, about 75 miles of flat, straight sandy beach where you can go 60mph, which suits Gem's speed thrills!

Halfway up the beach we come to an old ship wreck. It is pretty cool and slightly surreal and everyone gets out and takes pictures before we realise the time is 3.30pm and we only have about 2 hours of light left in the day. A little further down the beach we set up camp and then I realise why having 8 girls in your group can be a great thing! The stove is set up and the girls cook up a brilliant spaghetti bolognese while Kian and I start on the beers. The meal was memorable for Gem as well as her and a couple of the other girls had a heck of a job pinning down and carving up the mostly still frozen beef with table forks.

After eating dinner in the dark kindly assisted by my fellow sisters we had our first night with the people from the other two vans that set up camp next to us, so we all had a big drunken beach party. No skinny dipping mind, as going in the sea was strictly forbidden because of the sharks and strong tides. However, there were other dangers lurking inland as we were all wary of the dingoes, epecially when going to the toilet in the bush, which made it a doubly fascinating experience for us ladies as all we had was a torch, toilet roll and a spade.

  Cookie Culprits..and yeh, that is a toilet roll in my hand..even I don't understand except to say that my dearest mum has obviously taught me well to be prepared for any eventuality.

A big cause of contention for Alex on the first night was the case of the missing cookies. I had lobbied hard at the supermarket to get them in the trolley and they were going to be one of my little treats, but when I went to have a couple with my breakfast they had all vanished! A bit puzzled I started my investigation and it didn't take long before Dav's conscience got the better of her and she confessed, but there were a few others who stayed silent, but thankfully a snapper was on the scene to gather all the neccesary evidence and secure a guilty charge. Upset as I was Gem attempted to soften the blow by saying they were surprisingly tasty. I really appreciated that.

 

  Stephanie


  Dav                                          Jenny

  Kate and her cookie                                               

  Oi Oi!                                     Caught sneaking off to bed with Al in tow

Seeing the beach was beautiful to wake up to, and it was a shame we couldn't have had a bit more time just relaxing though we had a tight itinery so had to make a move. While all the girls were nursing hangovers it was left to the boys to tidy up and get us moving out of there.

Our first stop was Indian head, a tall volcanic outcrop which gave great views of the beach and ocean. We were told you might see sharks from up there but unfortunately we didn't, but I did see a Dugong, which is basically a sea cow! After that we walked further up the beach to the Champagne Pools. Once we got there we didn't want to leave. They are turquoise rock pools where the sea spills over to give the impression of champagne bubbles. They look great but they are still pretty cold! .

 View from Indian Head (above)

                                                                   Champagne Pools




The champagne pools are like a little treat. We waited for the waves to wash over the rocks and lather up around us giving a tingly sensation. Us girls were also greatly entertained by these funny little molluscs that open and close on the rock surface spouting water which added to the champagne effect.

We could have stayed there all day just soaking up the sun but we had to get back down the beach to see Lake wabby and set up camp again. We had lunch, at which time we saw our one and only dingo just stroll past us like we weren't there, and then we set off for Lake Wabby. We wanted to see it as we were told it won't be there in 10 years due to the big sand dune that is slowly engulfing it. Unfortunately by the time we reached it the sun was beginning to go down, and it was an extra hours walk there and back to get to the waters edge. This was our one regret of the trip because speaking to other people it's great fun doing sand boarding, but we just didn't have time. We also ran out of time for Emma who was asked by some random guys to appear in a commercial they were trying to shoot for some 4x4 rescue device, but in the end it got too dark and the opportunity was missed.

We still had to make it a camp site, but we ran out of daylight and I took the wheel and drove off road in the dark, managing to run over another snake on the way, though this one definetly survived.  We weren't impressed at having to put up our tents in the near dark in the pouring rain and still in our bikinis, all before the nine o clock curfew was about to set in and with dinner still to cook.  I seem to remember the happy approving faces of Alex and Kian standing by with beers in hand watching the spectacle but we all had a good laugh about it the next day.
 

 Lake Wabby

                                                                    Lake McKensie

 Kian!                                                                     Goanna