Fraser Island

Trip Start Jun 01, 2008
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13
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Trip End Aug 20, 2008


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Flag of Australia  , Queensland,
Sunday, July 20, 2008

For our trip to Fraser Island (the largest sand island in the world), we decided to rent our own 4 wheel drive rather than go on one of the guided tours in a larger group. The terrain is quite rough and sandy so a 4x4 is the only possible way of getting around the island. We rented somthing that looked a bit like a pick up truck, it was just as big too, but a bit nicer! The day started off with us having to reverse onto the ferry, which was pretty tough! The ramp was steep and very narrow and one wrong turn of the steering wheel would of ended up with us in the water! It was quite hairraising stuff.

When we got to Fraser Island we had to let down the tyre pressure, another challenge, in order for us to have more control whilst driving on the sand. When we got on the makeshift roads it was pretty cool driving through the rain forest. The first place we stopped at was called central station (looks nothing like a station though) where we did a rain forest walk with amazing scenery. We headed to Lake MacKenzie for a picnic lunch, which has crystal clear water (its like swimming in evian!) and is understandably the most popular location on the island.

The route to the beach was an extremely bumpy track filled with large tree roots, rocks and sand so it took a while to get there but we made it eventually. When we got the the beach it seemed quite surreal driving up it as the sea was so close to us. The beach is classed as a proper road with speed limits and left hand driving etc, just a lot less smooth! We could only drive on the beach for one hour because of the tides, and it gets dark early so we looked for a camp ground (this took a while!). By the time we found a camp ground the sun had gone down and we had to pitch the tent in the dark. By this time we had realised that anna had forgotten her sleeping bag...oops!! It was freezing and the thought of a cold night ahead was not nice! So we put together our gas cooker (with a little help from a nearby aussie) and made ourselves a hot meal of pasta, dolmio and cheese! We decided it was so cold that sleeping in the tent was not an option, so we spent the night in the car which was maybe a degree or two warmer. At one point we decided that sleeping in the toilets might be the warmest option but luckily it didn't come to that. It was, without a doubt the worst nights sleep ever!

We were very happy to see the sun rise in the morning and it was the start of a nice sunny day. We packed away our things and went to see some more of the island, including a shipwreck on one of the beaches and a clear water creek. That evening we stayed the night in the nearest town called hervey bay and enjoyed a nice warm bed, instead of cold car seat!
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