Soaked on Fraser

  Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
Saturday, May 31, 2008

Rainbow beach

Wednesday morning and we pass Australia Zoo again on the bus as we head towards Noosa. We have a brief stop to admire the glass mountains, and another quick glance at Noosa beach before arriving at Rainbow Beach. The beach is more black and white than rainbow - but I guess black beach doesn't sell as well to holidaymakers! We have an hour or so to avoid showers and enjoy the beach before carrying on to our final stop of the day as the sun is setting, Hervey Bay. I check into Palace Hostel for the Fraser island trip tomorrow and meet Katie and Andy in my dorm who are also on the trip.
 

Fraser Team 2

Thursday - it's a 6am start again. What is it with early mornings. We have to be checked out by 6.30am ready for the Fraser Island briefing. There are 29 of us which equates to 3 jeeps. Following yesterdays showers its raining steadily outside which does not bode well for camping. We are given the opportunity to delay, but the forecast doesn't look set to improve for a bit - and I have no time to delay anyway. All 29 decide to continue! We are given a few environmental videos on preserving Fraser island, the biggest sand dune island, on how to avoid Dingo attack and then sign away our lives and Palaces responsibility. We are allocated our 10 seat jeep, 8 in the back and 2 in the front and then off to the workshop to pick up our kit. It all gets carefully packed away in the roof of the vehicle like a cryptic puzzle - I only hope we can remember it for the next couple of days as with 8 people in the back luggage space is a premium,
 
Next stop supermarket. We are given a suggested menu for the next 3 days which helps prevent too much discussion and argument, but 10 people shopping together in a supermarket could be very interesting. Luckily it passed relatively smoothly; BBQ tonight, Spag Bog tomorrow and Cheese and Ham sandwiches - keep it simple! The jeep at the neighbouring checkout seemed to have different ideas with their trolley overflowing with interesting items - maybe they've anticipated extending their trip! Now quickly to the ferry, its important not to miss this as it's the whole point of our early morning. We line up and reverse on the barge for the short, wet and windy trip over to the expectedly sunny paradise of Fraser Island.... we can dream! Isn't it typical that the state has been in a drought for ages and the rain waits for us? Everyone else's pictures of Fraser Island are sunny white beaches - at least our trip will be original!
 

improvising for wet weather

Air is released from our tyres and we are all ready to go. The three jeeps head off in convoy towards Wabby Lake. Not off to the best of starts as we all head the wrong way. We can't believe that with the state of the dirt track it can possibly be the right route. Huge dips and slidey mud take us off into the depths of the rain forest at the heart of this sand dune. First stop Wabby look out. We can just about make out Wabby Lake below through the driving rain. The dustbin liners purchased have already come into their own as Vicky wraps one around her as a raincoat! To the left of the green lake is the yellow sand of the dunes stretching into the distance, whilst to the right is green lush forestry, an unusual combination. We climb down and cross the yellow sand in the howling rain making our way towards the lake. The rain breaks long enough for us to remove our raincoats and sit on the sand by the lake, a little paddle in the green water, whilst others immerse themselves completely - I guess they think they are wet enough anyway!

setting up camp

Now off to the beach to set up our tents. Hopefully the rain will hold off a bit. Unpacking, we follow the rules. Van sideways as a wind break. Next tarpaulins sloping down from van. This would be a lot easier if they all had rope. First bit of malfunctioning equipment. With Erika hanging from  a tree with managed to string 2 of the tarpaulins together for a reasonable roof, and give us a little shelter from te rain while we try and put up the tents. The firest tent is being erected. They are old square tents with the only rigid structure to the tent being the pole in the middle. The initial pole goes straight through the roof of the tent rendering it useless. Item two malfunctions. So now there are 2 small tents between 10 of us... Time for tent 2. We manage to get this standing although most of the peg holes are broken/missing. The large window and the door do not zip and the canvas does not look overly waterproof. Then similar situation with tent three. I hope no Dingoes find their way into the tents we can't shut! Now the park ranger comes round to warn us of gale force winds. She's impressed with the positioning of the van but warns us to make sure everything is well pegged down.  Well that's easier said than done with only a few peg holes! Time to say a few prayers for tonight!
 
Its now dark and after everyone's hard work it must be food time. We set up the stove ready for our BBQ. Great, only one ring of the double hob works. Cooking for 10 on one tiny ring is going to be a slow process. Luckily everyone's got their drinks to keep them going in the mean time as we go between camps checking them out and trying to find the driest place - generally that's the back of the van with the goon!

leaking tent

Eventually we decide to try and get some sleep. I head into one of the tents. There are a few puddles and the door and window are flapping about, but they are away from the wind directio so the rains not blowing straight in. We negotiate the puddles but after a couple of hours Vicky and Guy wake up being dripped on and surrounded by bigger puddles so head for the van. I'm slightly up hill with only smaller puddles under my mat so put one of the spare mats on top of the wettest bit and stay put watching the night sky every second as the window flys open as the winds pick up again. There are intermittent showerings of rain across the face every time a gust of wind catches the rain and brings it in the window. I am doing my best to try and sleep whilst not thinking of Dingoes coming in and any stories of maulings!! Then out for a bit more malleting before the tent completely blows away. The flapping window acts as a sale giving the tent lift and pulling at the few pegs and guy ropes! The next thing I am aware is Guy trying to get us all out of our tents to pack up and move on. Its 6.30 in the morning! Oh well, I must have got some sleep!

We will have fun

We have strict times to follow to allow us to drive along the beach during low tide, avoiding the hours closest to high tide which would be far too dangerous, or impassable, especially in this weather. We pack up all our kit back into the roof and head along the beach to 'Happy Valley' a toilet area and breakfast stop. When we get there there's a hostel, shop, café etc. We have our sandwiches and people going into the shop hear there's a government weather warning which has been posted. The warning states that 95km/hr winds are expected tonight on Fraser Island! We hear several campsites have had to close, some tour companies are pulling back their groups, other rumours include the ferries are stopping (ie we are stranded!) and apparently the route up the beach where we are headed is closed... The hostel state they will drop their prices (strange?!!) so we overrule those wanting to return (prob not possible) and book into the hostel. Bizarrely with the reduced price the Hostel is cheaper than the mainland anyway. There are only 13 places left, so we need to book our 10 in quickly as they won't hold them without payment. Fraser Island Backpackers has beautiful, clean, spacious rooms with comfortable beds, small numbers per room and ensuite. Good kitchen. Friendly. It comes HIGHLY recommended. One representative for us 29 rings and remonstrates with Palace but they are having none of it. They will take no responsibility for the shoddy equipment - we should have checked it before we left. They claim they warned us about the weather before we left. They did not warn us their equipment would not withstand such weather and is only suitable for sunshine! Palace were downright rude and certainly do NOT come recommended!
 

india head

Sorted for tonight, and all rather happier we head north along the east coach, along the beach to reach India Point. This is meant to be a good whale watching point and offers good views in all directions. Its quite a drive a long the beach and every other vehicle is coming from the other direction towards us. There is a long procession of vehicles, at least 50%, if not more are towing boats. Everyone's convinced that we are headed where they are being evacuated from, especially as the rumours were that it is closed where we are headed. However no one's warning us to turn around, and it looks more to me like they are just taking their boats inland before the storm hits, so we proceed. Someone waves us down, so we stop to see what's going on. It's just some guys mucking around bored in the rain wanting to say hi. We threaten to be back for a cuppa shortly and continue on past the wreck and pinnacles to get to the point. We park up at the base of India Point, the sea looks mighty close and harsh for low tide. We climb the path, past the 'danger cliff edges' signs and are rewarded with magnificent views at the top. Even in the overcast weather (its not raining at the moment!) the clear sea, the long stretching beaches, the rolling sand dunes and forest behind look impressive. As a bonus the sea raging in the winds, looking fierce adds to the atmosphere. No whales spotted - we did try and look for a while. However a torrential down pour put an end to that and we hurried back to the foot of the cliff to get back into our jeep. Somehow we ended up on a slightly different path coming down the rocks by the sea - as we neared the jeep we must have looked like drowned rats emerging from a wild sea!
 
We are dripping wet in a steamed up vehicle at the foot of the cliff as jeep 2 rocks up. I take the jeep back down the beach trying to avoid the big bumps where the tributaries join the sea whilst keeping the windscreen demisted so I can make out what lies ahead! As we head down the beach I can really feel the wind against the vehicle making it quite a workout to keep the steering wheel going straight. We make brief stops at the pinnacle land formation, and the rusty wreck on the shore side and then head back to Happy Valley to dry off in our cosy hostel. The relief to be well off the beach before the tide gets any higher is evident. Joys; Hot showers, Hot drinks, and a decent kitchen to prepare lunch and dinner (open sided so feel semi outside still!). Watching the rain whilst inside in warm dry clothes with a hot cuppa and biscuit is quite enjoyable - what a luxury this feels!
 
At 5pm there's trivia in the bar downstairs. I think due to the weather its quite full. Our jeeps combine making up 2 teams, and by the end with lots of yelling and disputing about fairness of the Landlords assistance we scrape a 3rd place - it's a $5 voucher for drinks so not too bad! Then Spag Bog for dinner - how we would have done this on our one ring hob and little equipment would have been interesting - but in our well equipped kitchen it was a joy as we watched the rain stream outside.
 

Lake Mckenzie2

After our luxury night of sleep we are off again quite early in the morning. Last night we were told that there was a 98% chance we would not be leaving the island as the barge would not be running in this weather - great concern as I and many others have buses to get. Then this morning we were told limited barges were running, so we phoned to confirm our place, and thank goodness we will be leaving the island this afternoon! As we pull off the beach the roads are extra bumpy. The rain and winds have pulled down branches and caused extra pot holes and ridges. We try one route and it turns out to be impassable due to a fallen tree and huge gullies. Apparently the other group tried this route and ended up on 2 wheels! We know that around central station the roads are said to be closed, so we turn back and retrae our steps many times trying to find an althernative clear route which is frustrating. Somehow we end up back at Wabby as day 1, so head down the main track back towards Kingfisher bay where we arrived, and eventually we see a sign for the famous Lake McKenzie. All the pictures for this are Crystal clear pale blue waters, bright white beaches and glorious sunshine. What are we going to get? Its clear at the moment, and we pull up at the car park and we are the only ones here - excellent. A quick change into our swimming costumes and then follow the track down to the waterside.

Lake Mckenzie

WOW! It's truly beautiful! There are white sands and crystal clear waters even when overcast! The sand is 86% pure silicon - only beaten by Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays at 98% (my next stop!). And amazingly - prob due to the weather - we have this place to ourselves. I'm straight off down the beach and into the water, closely followed by Ben. It's a little cool! After a while it gets greyer and the rain begins again so we retreat back to the jeep for our sandwiches. Then I take the jeep the final leg back to Kingfisher bay for coffee and cake and to catch the ferry back. It's a great opportunity for proper 4wheeldriving as we negotiate the uneven terrain. The only concern being any damage loses everyone's bond, which would make the driver incredibly unpopular! We make it back unscathed, just one hair-raising moment with an oncoming digger and a very precarious angle for a top-heavy jeep!
 
We make our way onto the barge and spy the first bit of blue sky in days - typical. This morning we were told that 30,000 people were trying to leave the island and we were lucky to be on the barge - it wasn't even full for our return trip - what was all the fuss about! We get back, drop off our shoddy kit, bit of a moan and all our jeep are in the same apartment, which is nice. Ben, Saun and I are heading off on the same bus to Koombit cattle ranch with Oz experience at 7am tomorrow.