AUSTRALIA - Fraser Island (5)

16/2/06 - Today went on a two day safari tour to Fraser Island. It took 50mins on the ferry to get there from Hervey Bay. There were 24 people in our group and we travelled in a 4WD army coach, it was mad! Me and weeny were sitting right at the back so it was the most bumpyest, we were flying out of our seats!Fraser Island is a sand island 123km long. It has a seventy-five mile long beach which is actually used as a highway for all the cars. You have to drive a 4WD on the island otherwise u'll get stuck in the sand, and even then the 4WD's still sometimes get stuck. First stop on the trip was the Yidney Rainforest. We got off the truck and walked for 1/2 hour through an amazing rainforest. It was so much cooler in the rainforest then the island and really beautiful. There are many venomous snakes in the rainforest but luckerly we didnt see any just huge spiders which was just as scary! After the rainforest we got back on the truck for another bumpy ride to Indian Head Point the furthest point north of the island. We had to climb up a steep rocky hill to reach the view point, but once there the view was spectacular. You could see the whole of fraser island and way out to sea. We spent a while admiring the view and looking at sting rays and tuna in the sea. Unfortunately you cant swim in the sea at Fraser island but thats because its a breeding ground for tiger sharks and the current is very strong. Some of the group even saw a shark eating at the tuna. Next stop we were back on the truck to see the Maheno ship wreck on the beach which was 100s of years old. It had become very rusty and there HAD been alot of corrosion from the sea. But once it had been a very impressive cruise ship. After we got to swim in Eli Creek. It was freezing!! There are many creeks on Fraser island. And they are really lovely becuse they are not man-made they are just formed by the rain. That evening we had a BBQ buffet which was very yum and a group of around 14 of us played shed (a card game) using three decks of cards! It was a right laugh and we played for hours. That night we stayed in Tents but they were so nice we had a double bed and there was a wooden floor. It was the best nights sleep ive had.
The following morning we were up by 7 for breakfast and back on the truck to lake Wabby. We had to walk for 1/2 hour over the sand dunes in the scorching heat to get there!But once we arrived the walk had been well worth it. It was a gorgeous lake at the bottom of a big sand dune. We spent a few hours swimming and enjoying the lake before the 45min walk back to the truck. For lunch we had yummy fajitas and then made our way to our last stop lake Birrabeen. The lake was so beautiful the water was was completely clear and the sand was pure white it was just stunning. We swam in the lake for around an hour an it was so lovley and warm. After we had to get the ferry back to hervey bay. It had been such a fantastic trip, we met such lovely people and just had so much fun. Once back in Hervey Bay we picked up the campervan and made are way to Beerwah a couple of hours south from Hervey Bay. We travelled with a couple we met on the Fraser Island trip, Alex and Amy. They also have a campervan and our travelling down to Sydney.