We’re leaving on a jet plane…….

12th January 2007

The next stop on our journey up the East coast of Australia was Hervey Bay, jumping off point for Fraser Island.

Fraser is a 120km long sand dune in the Pacific Ocean, 10km off the east coast of Hervey Bay, Queensland. There is minimal development on the Island itself, and with no tarmac roads the only way to get about is to hire a 4wd truck and take your chances on the sand tracks that criss-cross the island. We had chosen to do a 3 day, 2 night self guided trip, partly to keep the costs down but also to share in the ‘survivor style’ experience with a group of like minded travelers!

Our adventure began on the evening of our arrival at the hostel in Hervey Bay, when we met up with the rest of our group. There were to be 11 of us in total; 2 honey-mooning couples from England (Paul and Sue, Matt and Lisa), 3 Irish girls fresh from a fruit picking stint (Barbara, Paula, and Rosie) and a Brazilian brother and sister combo (Paulo and Patricia).

We spent the evening getting to know each other and being briefed by the hire company on the many dangers waiting for us on the island. In descending order of scariness; the man eating sharks infesting the ocean, the packs of wild dingoes partial to snacking on vulnerable campers taking ‘comfort’ breaks in the bush land, the customary venomous snakes & spiders, the real risk of being stranded by the high tides, the certainty of getting stuck several times in soft sand, and finally the need to be aware of planes landing on the beach which is the main ‘road’ up and down the island. In my opinion the most dangerous risk of all, namely Irish girls in possession of 5 litres of wine each was strangely omitted from the list!

After the scare tactics of the briefing, and signing up to various insurance policies to cover our arses in what now seemed like the inevitable event of an emergency, we got our heads down in anticipation of the early start the next morning. At 7am the following day, we picked up ‘Lizzie’ our 4wd Toyota Land cruiser from the garage, were given our camping gear, food, and a 5 minute overview of how to drive a 4wd (we had 6 designated drivers in our group including myself and Charlotte). With that we were sent on our way into the unknown and along with about 20 other groups of Super adventurers, we boarded the ferry for the 45 minute crossing to the Island.

Upon our arrival we headed out to the first stop on our itinery, ‘Central Station’. To Charlotte’s surprise there were no trains to be found on this sand dune (!), instead we parked our van up, and started the 30 minute walk to basin lake. The walk took us through the pristine rain forest that covers most of the interior of the island, crazy to think that such an environment can exist on a pile of sand in the ocean! On arrival at the lake itself our breath was literally taken away! A clearing in the forest revealed the perfectly still, clear waters surrounded entirely by brilliant white sand, circled by the dense rain forest. The filtering properties of the sand cleanse the rain water which falls on the island as is makes its way into one of the many lakes to be found on the interior. With the temperature in the mid 30’s we wasted no time in jumping in for a quick swim in what looked like the finest still mineral water on the planet!

After cooling off in Basin lake we headed back to the van and over to the Eastern beach, which is the Islands equivalent of the M1. A 30 minute drive up the sand and another walk through the forest took us to another, equally impressive Lake, Wabby. This lake had the added attraction of a steep sand dune on one flank which gave us the opportunity to run down the dune before diving into the lake, brilliant! On the walk back to the van, as dusk approached, we began to notice the ridiculously big spiders hanging from almost every tree, which along with our first dingo sighting gave us a slightly nervous feel about our nights accommodation, namely a tent just off the main beach!

We set up camp with last light, and fired up the gas stove, to prepare ourselves the ambitious camp fire meal of steak and salad! The meal turned out well, and after washing the dishes in the shallows of the ocean (watching out for tiger sharks!) we set about bonding with our fellow campers by engaging in numerous drinking games! The games lasted well into the night, and after the inevitable back catalogue of Irish folk anthems, (plus the Anfield rap, courtesy of Charlotte and a muddled rendition of the Blaydon races by myself) we headed of to bed completely at ease camping in the relative wilderness of the island.

The next morning was up with the sunrise as the tents quickly heated up with no shade from the sun (perfect for a hangover, not!). A quick breakfast and away we went, heading north past the ship wreck of the passenger ferry Moheno (a victim of a storm in the first half of the last century) and up to Indian Heads, at the northern tip of the island. From the lookout on the cliffs above the ocean at Indian Heads, we spotted a small reef shark, hunting in the shallows, a pod of dolphins playing in the surf, a gaggle (?) of Mantarays cruising by and a sea eagle soaring above our heads!

After the excitement of Indian Heads we walked up the last bit of beach, to Champagne pools for another chance to cool off from the scorching sun. On our way we were again treated to a display from the Dolphins as they played in the surf, showing much more ability than our previous efforts in Byron Bay and Noosa! On our way back to the van, we spotted a couple more Dingoes, which we clearly not scared of human contact as they approached looking for some leftovers from our lunch of hot dogs. It was at this place on the island a couple of years ago where a 9 year old boy was eaten by a pack of the native wild dogs, about ten years after the famous ‘Dingo got my baby’ incident in the outback.

We found ourselves another camp site for the night after visiting Eli creek for the chance to cool off in crystal clear fresh water. The second night was a much more dignified affair, enjoying a couple of cold beers reflecting on a brilliant day, under the incredible night skies that clearly revealed the milky way together with literally millions of other stars!

Our final day took us back down the island and inland for our final activity, a couple of hours chilling out in Lake McKenzie, pretty much a scaled up replica of the basin lake on our first day. We headed back to the ferry landing and made our way back to the mainland in the early afternoon, desperate for a shower, but having enjoyed every minute of our trip (even digging the van out of the sand proved to be a laugh!).

We checked back into our hostel, and said goodbye to some new friends over a few beers. Next stop Town 1770, before heading up to Airlie beach for our trip to the Whitsunday Islands!

Tags: Australia, Fraser Island

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