Fraser Island
On Safari!
The hostels each run their own ‘safari’ packages to Fraser Island and as the hostel I was in didn’t have anything going to the island for a few days I got a tour with a load of others from a different hostel. A three day self-drive deal cost the same as a 1 day guided tour so it was a no-brainer. The self-drive is where about 10 people get a 4×4 and some equipment and are sent off for 3 days to miraculously return alive.
There were 20 in total in our little gang – Germans, Irish, Dutch, Portuguese, an American and few British – going in two trucks. We had a short meeting the evening before about what to see and tips on the best ways to get there from a guide which was handy. They also gave us a itinerary based on the tides so that we could see as much as we could and not get caught out by the tides which was handy.
The next morning we gathered to depart and have a final meeting about driving the trucks. An old guy gave us a fire and brimstone speech about the dangers of driving 4×4 on sand and what would happen if we weren’t careful. He had posters and videos of death, mutilation and paralysis, not really the way we wanted to start the trip. He kept saying “If you do this you will die” or “you will not be coming back from the island” except in a heilcopter if you’re injured. His speech would have been funny if it wasn’t so serious. A few were even wondering if we could get our money back. But we survived it and got ourselves over to the island for some adventuring!
Speeding along the beach!
The weather before we got there was suspect, it’d been raining and cloudy but the few days on the Island were great. We had a ball, got the see lots of the freshwater lakes and took postcard perfect pictures that even Peter Lik would be proud of. Mozzies were a bit of a problem and the little ba!#@rd’s mutilated my ankles. I even got two bites on my eyebrow and one on my lip of all places! No longer would I be without insect repellant thats for sure. At camp the first night we stayed at K’Gari the aboriginal camp on the island. There we had a open fire to sit around – the only place open fires are permitted on the island. Just before we cooked dinner an aboriginal guy called Joe did some songs and dances for us dressed in traditional clothes and body paint. It was pretty cool.
Indian Head
Second day we went to Indian head which is a little rocky outcrop on the edge of the island. From the top we could see sharks attacking schools of fish which was really cool. We also saw some sea turtles. Didn’t see any Whales though. Those in the other truck had some mechanical issues and were behind us be they got to see some rays too. That afternoon when we got back to camp I went for a walk up a trail.
Carpet Python
On my way back it had gotten dark and I was stepping on branches and roots to avoid tripping on them. As soon as I stepped on one I knew it wasn’t a branch and this 6 foot snake whips around at me. I’ve never jumped so fast in my life, I almost crapped myself. I had my camera so I leaned in to get a picture to show someone to find out what kind of snake it was. Turns out it was just a carpet python and pretty harmelss but it increased my heartrate to never before seen levels!
The last day despite not going to bed ’til 1:30 I woke at 5:00am to see sunrise on the beach again. I got some nice pictures the previous morning so I had instruction to get some people up to see if I was going. Only one managed to make it into conciousness. My favourite response was “just a second” whilst simultaneously zipping up the sleeping bag in her sleep. Maybe it was just as well for them though, it was cloudy and nowhere near as impressive. Later that morning we went to Lake Wabby which is being slowly filled by a massive sand blow. It’s cool, the beach into it is about 40 degrees steep – ideal for sprinting down. The water depth drops off as steeply too though which is not a good thing when you’re as strong a swimmer as I am 
The water there is coloured green from the tea trees and it tasted almost sweet, it was lovely.
Postcard Perfect
Our last stop before our departure was a return to Lake MacKenzie. It’s rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world and the first day it was cloudy and not too impressive but second time ’round the sun was shining and it was stunning. The water as crystal clear, 25m visibility when you open your eyes underwater. We could have stayed there all day. Eventually it was time to go but none of us were really keen to head back, we were having such a good time. All good things must come to an end but check out the picture to see why we didn’t want to go!