FRASER ISLAND

We booked a day trip to go to Fraser Island. It is the largest sand island in the world. We got an early ferry over to the island. We were then taken in a four wheel drive bus around the island for the rest of the day. It was quite hairy at points. We got a chance to swim in Lake McKenzie which is so beautiful.

The water is so pure because it has come up through the sand and formed a lake. It is silicone sand so everyone was exfoliating their bodies and cleaning there jewelery, which was funny to see. The island is inhabited by Dingos and there are signs everywhere telling tourists not to feed them and that they sometimes attack. We were so scared and kept dingo watch for each other as we swam! We did not see any, but there were plenty of people talking about how they had had their bags and shoes taken by them and they had to chase them off!!

We went for a walk through the rainforest. Scientists marvel at the fact the trees grow in the sand as it is not supposed to be able to hold nutrients. It is also strange not to hear the sound of the river flowing through the trees and plantation. The guide said that is because it is flowing over the sandbed and there are no stones or rocks for it to trickle over.

We then went to 75 mile beach where the four wheel drive bus drives you along beside the waves and it is so wonderful.


As we were going along we spotted a couple of small planes taking off from the beach and landing.
I said I was amazed that anyone had the guts to do that!!!
Well half an hour later I was being strapped into a seat in the plane!!!! It all happened when we stopped to examine a shipwreck on the beach.
I walked past the pilot of one of the planes and said "I would love to go up in the plane and look over the island but I am just too afraid to do it" He said "That is a shame because there are very few places where you get the chance in the world to take off and land in a plane on the beach, and the views over the island are spectacular. Carolyn was eager to do it and she persuaded me to take a risk.



Well I have to say it was really worth the fear factor. I loved it but at the same time I was scared to death!
She sat up alongside the pilot and at one stage he asked her if she wanted her photo taking and he would let her hold the steering thing (Dont know what you call it in a plane) well you can imagine my reaction in the seat behind..I just shouted out NO! NO! NO! NO! like the fella in the vicar of Dibley! I had visions of the plane going into freefall if he took his hands off. They just laughed and told me it would be ok. We did get to see some spectacular views and the landing back on the beach was so smooth!! I was overjoyed when we got back safely and very proud of myself for doing it!! I have to say that Fraser Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

SAMMIE'S GONE

After three fantastic weeks of travelling with Sammie in Australia it was time for her to head off back to Birmingham and her studies. I was so sad to see her go. She had not had the chance to have her photograph taken with a life guard, so we took the photo opportunity at Brisbane airport, when we saw a life size figure of a lifeguard in the passenger terminal.
After she left I had a good cry, then got on with the business of enjoying my trip down under.
I went to visit Australia Zoo, which was set up by Steve Irwin, with Carolyn, the girl I am going to travel up the east coast with for the next three weeks.(Sammie and I met her in Sydney, when she was in our dorm, and it was at her BBQ in Byron Bay where we saw the frog!!)

We had a great time at the Zoo ,it is a fantastic place. We saw all kinds of animal displays, including the crocodiles.


The next day we took a four hour bus journey north to Hervey Bay. It is beautiful. We decided to hire bicycles to cycle along the special cycle route by the sea. It is 11km. Well, almost as soon as we set off the heavens opened and the heaviest rainstorm started.

Not to be deterred we put on our plastic ponchos and carried on. I was laughing at Carolyn because she tried to set off on the bike, with her bike resting stand still down, it was scraping along the road!!!
Thankfully it brightened up and we stopped halfway for a lovely lunch in a cafe by the sea.
Then we headed off again, and this time Carolyn was laughing at me as I had left my bike stand down and it was scraping along the ground. I had been so full of myself when I told her she had left hers down earlier on, so it made us both laugh like mad. We were also laughing our heads off at how crappy the bikes were and how hard it was to peddle, when again the rain started. This time it was torrential and we got absolutely soaked through. But we were determined to get to the end of the cycle route!(Not thinking that we had to cycle all the way back again!!)

Eventually we decended a steep hill and were thrilled to see that there was a lovely restaurant by the sea, so that we could dry off and get a hot drink. As we stood at the doorway dripping wet and clutching our cycle helmets in our hands, a guy, invited us in and told us not to worry that we looked such a mess, and that we were dripping rainwater all over the place. We were soaked and cold and planned to get a cup of tea. When we tried to order tea, a woman who it turned out was a guest at the wedding behind us, said we needed a drop of the hard stuff. We agreed that Champagne would be better and prompty ordered two small bottles for ourselves. It was the bridegroom who had taken pity on us when he saw us standing at the door, drenched! We had gatecrashed a wedding in our rain ponchos!! As we sat sipping champagne, with out bikes outside, we could not stop laughing at how rediculous the situation was.
We soon stopped laughing when we realised that we had 11km to cycle back again!!!
We were in so much pain by the time we eventually reached the YHA.