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| Driving on Fraser Island |
Rainbow Beach…a beautiful, sometimes sunny and ridiculously boring place to be. That pretty much sums up the five days that we spent at Fraser’s On Rainbow, after having to extend our stay before our weekend trip to Fraser Island. After arriving on the Monday and coming to the conclusion that there was next to nothing to do, the realisation that we were stuck there for the next week hit us hard. Luckily, the amazingly speedy wifi soon perked us up, and within the hour we were happily downloading movies and catching up with the latest How I Met Your Mother in no time (Finally got to see the ending!)
To be fair, we did eventually manage to find some things to keep us entertained. For $30 on Thursday morning we headed over on the ferry to Tin Can Bay, where we were able to see a group of wild dolphins coming in for their breakfast. For another $5 we were actually able to get in the water with them and hand feed them, which was an amazing experience - despite the fact I had a slimy dead fish in my hands and the woman told me off for wearing my flip-flops near the edge (apparently dolphins are well known for their dislike of Havaianas)
That afternoon we also did the hostel’s daily sunset walk, which took us up to the Caloola sand dunes where we went sand-boarding and, you guessed it, watched the sunset. That was definitely one of those ‘I can’t quite believe this is my life’ moments, as we sat together in silence and took in the beautiful view, with only one woman’s ukulele to be heard.
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| Caloola Sunset |
On Saturday it was the time we had all been waiting for since early March - Fraser Island! The three day/two night camping trip to the island had finally arrived and spirits were once again up as we met our group, had orientation and loaded up the 4x4 cars ready to go. We were in the leaders car for the trip, which meant for us having a very enthusiastic Greek man by the name of Christos driving and singing his made up songs for the duration. Once on the island and after a quick lunch that really didn’t fill me up as much as I would have hoped, we drove for an hour or so to the base of Lake Wabby. There we were told it would be a nice relaxing walk up to the top of the mountain where we would find the lake and could spend the afternoon. Forty-five VERY sweaty and puffed out minutes later we finally reached the top, barefoot, dirty and no longer communicating with anyone. However, Lake Wabby was absolutely gorgeous, and just what everyone needed after such a grim journey to get there. It was also filled with the fish that salons use to eat the dead skin of your feet, (sorry if you’re eating whilst reading this) so in the gorgeous sunshine we were able to sit at the edge of this lake and have a completely free fish pedicure whilst we took in the sights.
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| Lake Wabby |
Afterwards, we were asked if we would like ‘a nice refreshing shower to clean away the hard, hot walk?’ Naturally we all said yes, but grew wary as we pulled up to what I can only describe as a large, murky pond. We were told to strip off, leave everything in the cars and to follow Christos, where he then proceeded to line us up and make us dive under the 30CMs of water. Cold yes, refreshing…slightly. Clean? No. So once again we trudged back into the cars, even sandier and wetter than before and finally made our way to Camp K’gari. K’gari is an aboriginal piece of land, translating to paradise (or something entirely different if you speak Italian.) There we found our tents, unloaded the food into the ‘kitchen’, and was shown the wooden shack ‘nightclub’ called Winkies - which basically consisted of an iPod lead.
Dinner was chicken stir-fry, which was an experience in itself trying to cook on a gas stove from the 1930’s. Goon soon followed, and the rest of the night was spent smuggling toilet paper out of the bathrooms to light a fire and getting merry on the G.
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| Blame the goon |
The next morning - after the most uncomfortable, cramped and sweaty nights sleep I’ve ever had, we headed to Indian Head. Climbing up the cliffs many wet, slippery and jagged rocks, it was a miracle that I actually made it up and back down without falling over. That is, until I got to the very last rock actually ON the beach and went flying, breaking my flip-flop in the process… Because of Cyclone Ita, the Sunday and Monday absolutely poured it down, but that didn’t stop Christos from stripping us down and dragging us along to every freezing inch of water he could find. First we ventured to the Champagne Pools, which was probably the strangest experience yet. Warm, bubbling water with freezing rain pelting us in the face as we huddled up to shield ourselves. Next was the Hangover Creek, where we provided much entertainment and many photos to the crowd of tourists who were there, nicely wrapped up against the elements and watching us in bewilderment. Lastly we visited Lake Mackenzie, my favourite out of the three days. The fresh water lake was so clear, and had sand so fine you could actually exfoliate your face, condition your hair and brush your teeth with it. Just what we needed after not showering all weekend!
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| Lake MacKenzie |
Overall, the Fraser Island experience was one I will never forget. The ‘judge free zone’ motto meant we didn’t have to feel insecure about the state we looked during the three days, and the friends we made have continued on with us. I wouldn’t say I’ve become a huge fan of camping itself, and if I never have to sleep in the adjoining tent to someone having sex for as I long as I live, I will be VERY happy. But it was an experience that’s for sure, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
- One pair of flip-flops will be sufficient
- Take your own snacks and DON’T store them in your tent! (Learnt the hard way)
- Bring your own goon
- Take plenty of shorts and tops - they will get wet and you will want them for the evening
- And lastly, say yes to everything - don’t be the one person who doesn’t swim because it’s ‘too cold’ and end up missing out
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