Day 16 & 17

So as you might have worked out, there was no Saturday diary written. That's because we were off the mainland for the weekend, enjoying the two day Fraser Explorer Tour of Fraser Island.

Once again we had to wake early, as we had a 7.20am pick up in a bus to take us to River Heads where the Fraser Venture Barge was to get us to the Island. Well this was eventful in itself, as the large current caused by the tide made embarkation of people and particularly 4x4s somewhat exciting. However we all managed to get on safely, and around 35 minutes later we met our tour guide Les who got us on board the largest bus I had ever seen. The need for this customised bus was almost immediately apparent, as all the roads on Frazer Island are, like the island itself, made entirely out of sand. This meant the roads were very very bumpy and caused a significantly jolly ride.

First up was Lake Mackenzie, a lake on the island with no source except the rain and no way out except for evaporation. The waters were very clean and quite cool and it was itself a cool way to start the trip, albeit a bit busy.

Les then had us on a rainforest walk where we saw a large lizard and some other bits an bobs, including some massive trees. Following this we went to the Eurang beach resort for a buffet lunch and then hit the beach, doubling as the highway, up to Lake Wabby, where a 40 minute walk took us to some incredible sandblown dunes and a cool lake at the bottom. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, before walking back to the bus and heading back to Eurang for dinner and a nights sleep.

Happily on the way back, we bumped into some dingos, stereo dingos in fact as there was one on either side of the bus. Although very slight and cute to look at, the number of stories Les told us meant I was happy we saw them in the van and not face to face. Dinner was again lovely and plentiful, and after a couple of beers at happy hour at the beach bar we went to bed.

Another early start so we could get back on the beach and drive up to Eli Creek, a large natural spring, where we had a swim (a real lazy river) sunbathe and watch all the backpackers behave stupidly. Once Les got the van across the Creek we headed North to the Champagne Pools and Indian Head. Here we saw some great views, but also were lucky enough to see sharks, dolphins and a turtle in the sea below us.

Back on the bus to a larger beach as the tide had retreated and we had lunch at the Maheno Shipwreck, before heading back to Eurango for a last shop and wash before a slow and relatively long trip back to Hervey Bay via Kingfisher Resort this time due to the tides. All in all a great weekend, with our guide Les really making the trip with his informative, humorous and educated stories and tales.

Dinner was a forgettable Mexican.