Four Wheel Driving on Fraser Island

Town of 1770s was a really great town, where I had a much needed few days of doing nothing! Having not really stopped for the last month, the lack of sleep and lack of good food was catching up on me so I was pretty tired and had a cough and cold. I only planned to stay there two days but found myself in the best hostel I've stayed in. It was called Cool Bananas and had a huge lounge area with free DVD's, free (and up to date) gossip magazines and huge comfy sofas, which might not sound that exciting but they are all things I take for granted at home. There was an immaculate kitchen, a camp fire and unlimited free tea and coffee (also something I really miss!). It was set on a lovely beach and there were hammocks outside every room! To top it all off, the atmosphere was brilliant and so relaxed and the other backpackers there were really great and I met loads of brilliant people. The town itself is really small and by the end of my second day, the locals were recognising me in the street and shop keepers new my name. S o my two night stop turned into six nights as I just couldn't bring myself to leave! Most of the time I relaxed in the hammocks, or on the beach but I also took the opportunity for some water sports. Firstly, I took surfing lessons which is something I've been meaning to do for a while. I discovered its much harder than it looks and spent much more time falling off than anything else but I did manage to catch a couple of waves, stand up and ride to the beach so I was happy with that. I also took morning fitness sea kayaking sessions which was really great fun but also pretty hard work too! Eventually I had to go as I had a trip booked further down the coast but by the time I came to leave, I felt 100% better.

The trip I had booked was four wheel driving on Fraser Island which is the largest sand island in the world. There are no roads on the island so it is all off road driving, including driving on the beach. I was put in a group with eight other people and there was no guide so were given a huge four wheel drive car big enough to fit twelve people in, camping equipment, and a map. Those over 21, with driving licences were allowed to chose whether they drove or not. I was absolutely terrified about driving! As most of you will know, I'm only used to driving my little Cleo on nice, flat, smooth roads. This was completely different, driving over rough terrain and through deep sand with eight people in the back!! But I was determined not to let the opportunity pass and I agreed to be a main driver. Everyone in the car could drive but there was only myself and two other guys who were prepared to give it a go, which turned out to be a good thing as I got more time behind the wheel (if you look closely at the pic, there I am!). I'm so glad that I did as it was such an amazing feeling, especially driving on the beach alongside the ocean.



On our first afternoon, we went to Lake McKenzie, which is the most beautiful fresh water lake with stunning blue water and white sand. It was paradise and everyone just ran into the water and dived in! It was brilliant! After much splashing around and lots of laughter we piled back into the car and set of for a rainforest walk before setting of to find somewhere to camp for the night. It turned out that we had left it a little late to be setting back and we ended up with a race against the tide up the beach which was a little scary. The tide was coming in fast and we couldn't find anywhere to camp! Eventually, we came to a turn off the beach which took us behind a sand dune where we found the other groups who had also set out that day so we set up camp next to them. There were no campsites, so no showers, sinks, or toilets! Going to the toilet literally involved a shovel, a torch and a bush! As the island is covered in Dingoes we had to go to the toilet in groups so that people were on dingo watch, so we quickly got to know each other very well!! We saw so many dingoes and could here them round our tents at night but they seemed to keep their distance when people were around so it was fine.

After a fairly sleepless night listening to the various strange noises around the tent, we awoke early to set off to the shipwreck. It was a huge ship that had crashed onto the beach and had been there many years. It was pretty awesome, especially when the waves came crashing through it. After the shipwreck we headed further north of the island to Indian Head which was the furthest north we could go. From here we took a walk (shark watching a long the way) to the Champagne Pools. These were rock pools by the sea, where the waves would crash over the side into them. As they did, the water fizzed like champagne, it was like a huge spa! We spent ages in the pools, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. After the walk back it was time to stop at Eli Creek for another swim and then to our campsite.

On the second night we decided to camp near the shipwreck. We met with the other groups again and one guy had a guitar so we all sat around singing and cooking steaks! We went for a midnight walk to the shipwreck that night which was pretty spooky, and even the guys felt a little creeped out by it! I took photos and there were orbs in them (only "Most Haunted" fans will get that one!). The next morning some of us got up extra early to watch the sunrise over the wreck which was well worth doing. It was amazing, as the sun shone through the

wreck.

After waiting for the tide to go out we set off to our last stop on the island, Lake Wabby. It took a walk through the forest, followed by several huge sand dunes to get there. Every time we neared the top of a dune we were sure the lake would be the other side of it but each time there was just another dune to climb! Although the walk was exhausting in the heat, it was an amazing walk as the scenery and the dunes were so beautiful.

Finally we reached the lake which was really beautiful and quite different from Lake McKenzie with sand dunes on one side and forest on the other. We all loved it there, and consequently missed our ferry back to Rainbow beach to take our car back. Nobody really cared though, as none of us wanted to leave. We finally rolled up about 4 hours late but everyone must do it as they didn't seem to mind.

It was so sad that the trip was over, I could have stayed on Fraser Island for so much longer. I had a great time and met some brilliant people in the process. Some of which, came with me to my next and last stop in Australia, Noosa.