The sea is full of thousands of Blue Bottle, or Portugese Man-Of-War jellyfish, which give a very painful sting that wears off after a couple of hours. But worse is the Irukandji, the smallest and most venomous Box Jellyfish which can cause fatal brain haemorrhages and score 12 on a pain scale of 1-10! Fraser is also a breeding ground for Great Whites and Tiger sharks. So you don't want to go into the ocean! But the lakes more than make up for it. The lakes and creeks are so clear that if it is shallow you don't realise there is water there at all and just assume you are looking at a sandy dry river bed.
I started off in a hostel in Hervey Bay where I met my tour guide and other backpackers who would be heading to the island with me. After 6am briefings we bundled up into 4 giant Toyota Land Cruisers, and following the tour guide's vehicle in convoy, I drove my car full of 8 to the coast and reversed onto the ferry - not easy with such a huge truck in such a small space. Climbing out the passenger door with only inches of space and then up and over the bonnet because the wheel arches were so huge was a challenge!
45 minutes later we arrived on the island, turned on 4 wheel drive and hit the single lane sand tracks. There are no sealed roads, only sandy tracks that you need a 4x4 to drive. It was offroading to the extreme! Giant potholes, huge hills, fallen trees, and big muddy pools that spray mud everywhere, because of course it was raining.
I think I am camping cursed. We went camping so many times when I was small and every time it would rain. I thought it would be different in Australia, but apparently not.
Our first stop was Lake Burrendong. The rain eased off and we dived out of the cars and into the water, and watched the rain come back around. We could see the rain in the distance and watched as it very quickly drew closer and closer, a sheet of water raindrops steadily moving closer until it was upon us. Quite surreal.
Next was lake Boomanjin, the largest perched lake in the world. Though the rains had stopped the black clouds still hung heavy above us and no one quite fancied the idea of getting wet again.
Into the rainforest for a walk along Wanggoolba Creek. None of us realised the yellow streak we could see through the trees was the sandy riverbed, we thought it was scum on top of the water. The water was so clear that you couldn't see it until the (barely there) sun caught a ripple or a leaf floated down.Then for the real adventure as we headed to the camp site. Our car was at the back of the group, and we got bored of following them, so decided to get lost. Arriving at a cross roads with no sign of the others, Sebastien thought he saw a flash of white van going left. So we went left. Quickly realised they hadn't gone that way, turned around and headed back only to come across a giant pink 4x4 tour bus. Marit managed to reverse through the slippery sand right onto the very edge of the road which then fell about 20ft to the forest below, and the monster pulled past us.
Back to the cross roads we tried the right hand path. After a while, seeing no fresh tyre tracks as the road turned we again headed back. And so with one choice left we took the only other available road and eventually came upon the group. Well, only the other 2 trucks as the guide had gone out to search for us. They had pulled up to the side of the road and we joined them, waiting for the guide to return. It would have been a lot easier if our radio worked, but as soon as we were a distance away it went dead.
It was intrepid. But scary, as it was starting to get dark. Being lost in a jungle is not a good idea at night…
Our camp was small, a bunch of tents around a bbq and table covered by a tarp. As soon as we arrived the rain went wild and was pouring off the roofing and flooding the ground. We had to sponge out the tents before we could go to bed.
Camp was surrounded by electric fencing and you could only leave in pairs if you had a flashlight and a dingo stick. Snakes are all around, some incredibly poisonous ones, and dingos roam the islands. Large, feral dogs that will happily attack people - remember the "A dingo ate my baby" case from the 80s? Fortunately (or unfortunately) the rains kept them at bay and I never got to see one =[
Day 2
Today we were driving on the beach instead of inland tracks. It's great on the wetter, packed sand towards the water where you can go up to 80kmph , but higher on the beach, the soft sand is very dangerous. It's easy to get bogged down and flip the car over sand mounds. You slide around in the soft sand and have very little control, you can't slow down or you will sink, and turning corners when you head inland are scary because it is very easy to tip over.
First stop was Eli Creek, a lazy river that wound through the forest to the beach. We walked up the boardwalk and then back down through the water. It was VERY busy, a popular tourist destination and every tour bus and self drive tour was there when we were.
Then I drove us to the Maheno shipwreck. The rains came back with a vengeance and visibility was very bad. To make it worse, the driver side window was broken and stuck open so I was pelted with torrential rain and ended up sitting in a puddle. The guide gave us information about the wreck through the radio, but ours wasn't working so we heard every other syllable. That and my wet predicament made me pretty grumpy.
The Pinnacles are sand dunes that have combined with clay to create incredible red and yellow coloured rock formations.
Champagne Pools are natural ocean pools protected from the dangers of the open ocean behind a rock wall. The waves crash over the rocks into the pools and you bob up and down with the swell. I wasn't going to go in, didn't want to get wet again when I had just about dried off, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't. And I'm so glad I did!
Climbed over boulders and up the side of the headland to Indian Head where we got a great lookout over the ocean and back over the Island.
Day 3
For our final day the sun came out. Finally. I drove us to Lake Mackenzie, the most beautiful spot yet. The white sand is incredibly fine and full of silica. We rubbed it on our skin like a salt scrub, and in our hair and it works like conditioner. I got very close to 3 others, Marit, Sebastien and Fanny, and the 4 of us swam out to an island and lay in the shallow water that was so warm.
And then back to reality once more. Back on the ferry, where everyone fell asleep, and then to the real roads and traffic and concrete buildings. Being able to wash my hands has never felt so nice. To shower, put on clean clothes and get into a proper bed with clean sheets, and to be dry feel like such a luxury. The rain may have quite literally put a dampener on the trip, but it was still an amazing place to experience. It felt pure. With so little people (except in the touristy spots), no concrete and endless forest it felt like the world was still young, before we came along and ruined it.
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