This week wasn't really going to be that much of a camper week as we had both a tour of Fraser Island and the Whitsunday islands to do. Anyway we started early (4.30am) in the camper and left the best rest stop we'd been to so far at 5am. Harry's maths wasn't quite right and we ended up being an hour early for the dolphins!! We only had to pay $10 to go into dolphin cove where two wild dolphins were waiting to see us! One male - Patch and his girlfriend - Mystique. We put our arms in the water to see if they would come forward to touch us, but they didn't. As we were the first people there we got some great photos of us next to the dolphins. We had to wait until 8am to collect one fish each which we then fed to the dolphins. They were very gentle taking the fish and the whole time we couldn't believe these wild dolphins were so clever! After feeding them we fed ourselves, then as it was a Saturday there was a small local market on. We wondered around looking at the stalls but didn't buy anything. Next we drove to rainbow beach, hoping the weather would be better there. For the first couple of hours it wasn't great, when it eventually got slightly better we headed down to the beach, it still wasn't quite warm enough to swim! We walked along the beach to see the cliffs that give rainbow beach it's name- due to the different coloured sand/ rock running through the cliffs. We took photos, had showers then went back to the hostel ready for our fraser island team meeting at 4pm. As there weren't enough to make two groups they had combined our tour so there were 35 of us! We watched a safety video then were split into four groups. Harry and I were in group 4, with two Irish girls (Nicola and Clare), a welsh guy (tom), then Leo from Italy and rob and ady from Germany. We had a quick chat then all set about packing for the next morning and eating dinner. We had to be ready to leave by 7.30am although we didn't actually leave until 9am! We checked off our food to make sure we had everything we needed then another safety breading, packing the cars then piling in! Harry volunteered to drive our car first and Leo sat in the front with him. We drove on road up to inskip point the closest point to Fraser Island. From here harry got his first taste of how slippy the soft sand was, particularly when we were trying to get on the ferry. Once on the ferry we all hopped out the car to enjoy the views of both Fraser Island and rainbow beach. It was only a 10min ride so we got back in the car and prepared for the adventure on the island! First challenge was to get off the ferry and through more soft sand. The lead car with tour guide Mick went first then we all followed his tracks. The first one of our cars with the Irish boys in got stuck within 20m of coming off the ferry- it took them a while to get going so the second car and ours made sure we got up some speed then drove straight past them. Harry drove all the way up the beach to our lunch stop which was pretty early today. This was our first opportunity to see what food we had in store for the next few days. We had a written food bible which told us exactly what we could have each meal. We decided to change it slightly so the meat would keep fresher for longer. After lunch Clare decided she'd take the next drive which was only 45mins- what we didn't realise was that it was on the inland tracks which were extremely bumpy, steep and generally a mix of conditions!! She didn't stall once and kept up with the rest of the group, we eventually reached lake Mackenzie. This is meant to be the most famous lake on the island and is apparently normally a lot clearer than when we saw it, it was still amazing though. Even if it was too cold to swim for the girls. Mick found a little turtle to show us, who we named Marshmallow then watched him swim back out into the lake. It was really nice chatting to lots of the girls while paddling in the lake, I got lots of advice for southeast asia! After a quick dry off we got back into the cars, this time rob chose to drive us back to the lunch area. We were all quite nervous passengers as he stalled a couple of times and got rather close to a few trees!! When back on the beach we swapped drivers again, this time tom wanted to drive. As the tide had come further in it was going to be a slightly harder drive as it meant dodging rocks and waves, there was also a nice soft sand creek which we had to cross- making tom a bit nervous. We all made it safe and sound to the campsite, where we parked up and had a tour from mick. We saw the famous 'Winkeys' nightclub for the first time, as well as the camp we were in, the kitchen, dining area and campfire area. Mick told us that as this campsite was owned by aboriginals there were only two rules- first was no whistling at nighttime and second was no spitting on the campfire. Most teams started cooking dinner straight away, so we decided to go to the beach to watch the sunset first. We had to go through the dingo fence on the way out of the campsite then a short walk and we were at the beach. We didn't stay down there long as it got cold pretty quickly after the sun went down. When we got back to camp Clare and I started chopping the vegetables for the stir fry we were having that night. As we'd learnt earlier in the day Leo's job was related to being a chef, he was nominated to cook dinner. He did a great job and we all enjoyed our meal - particularly the fruit cake afterwards. We had a couple of glasses of goon that evening and played a few drinking games with the Irish boys, chatted to lots of different people then went to bed. It was quite chilly in the tent overnight so we wrapped up in several layers. To wake us up in the morning mick played bob Marley songs starting at 7.30am, which was a nice way to wake up! Leo then cooked us scrambled egg with tomato and onion on toast. When everyone had finished breakfast it was time to start the drive for the second day - which I decided I'd do! First I drove us to the famous shipwreck, where we jumped out and took loads of photos. Mick gave us the history of the boat and it was weird to think that two floors of the boat are actually under the sand. Next stop was Eli creek (also known as hangover creek), we emptied our water containers out then walked up a wooden path to the top of the creek then hopped in. It was a bit chillier than expected!! Mick took a few group photos then we all began to float down the creek to where we had parked the cars. The current was quite strong and the creek was only about 2m wide, with logs and trees providing mini assault courses for us on the way down! When we got to the end we took more photos then a couple of us went up for another float down. When we finished we all stood by the cars attempting to dry off in the sun and chatting. When Mick got back we all got back in the cars then I drove us to a cute little camping area for us to have lunch. On this drive I had a few creeks to deal with as well as bumpy inland tracks and some slippy soft sand - all very different and fun to drive on. Lunch was wraps today, along with fruit and cereal bars. The boys decided to purchase a mini blow up ball and I bought some marshmallows to roast over the campfire that evening. It was Leo's turn to drive us now. We went back on the inland track until we came out onto the beach. We followed the beach for what seemed like miles, all the way up to Indian head point. When we got there we saw whales and dolphins out in the ocean. We climbed up the rocks and when we got to the top we got an even better view, we could even see stingrays on the ocean bed below us as the water was so clear! We stayed up there a while admiring the view. Next stop was champagne pools - unfortunately that didn't mean we got free champagne! The water was absolutely freezing in the pools so most of us paddled in for a bit then just sat on the side of the rock pools watching the tide come in. The boys nearly lost their brand new ball within a few minutes of playing in the pools - luckily for them they managed to get it back. After champagne pools we got back in the cars and had quite a long drive back to the campsite, straight along the beach. When we got back a few of us had showers then we decided to start preparing dinner. The BBQ took a while to figure out how to make it work, once it got going it was great. Dinner this evening was steak with fried onions, fried potatoes and salad. Everyone enjoyed the dinner, i loved my marshmallows to follow, then we got cracking on the goon again. This time almost all 35 of us sat around the campfire playing a drinking game called 'slaps'. It was a really funny game and great that so many of us were playing. Part way through it started raining so we moved into the undercover dinner area for a bit before finishing our night in Winkeys nightclub - with some crazy dance moves. Back in the tent for another not so comfortable nights sleep then we were up early for our last morning on the island. This morning we were slightly delayed leaving the camp as everyone was pretty hungover. Our group was in Mick's car which meant none of us needed to drive with a hangover which was very much appreciated. After packing up we headed back down the beach to my favourite lake of the trip - lake wobby. It took 40mins for us to walk there, through thick rainforest bush, which then opened out to a huge sand dune, which you walked 80m down to a cute green lake. This lake was warmer than the others and had the little nibbling fish in - not that we managed to attract any unfortunately. We didn't have long at the lake as we had to walk back then drive to the same place as day one to eat any food we had leftover. As our group had planned so well we had plenty to eat for sandwiches, fruit and cereal bars. No one else wanted the other bits leftover so harry and I took them for the campervan. We all put everything back in the cars then we were back on the soft sand heading to the ferry. One car got stuck going onto the ferry, but amazingly none of us got stuck coming off the other side. It was just a 10min drive from there back to rainbow beach. When we got back from Fraser we were all shattered, so we spent 10mins cleaning out the cars then headed to where we were staying, planning to meet up later in the evening. Harry slept for an hour plus, while I went to Skype home and sort a few things out on a computer. After we realised we needed to leave rainbow beach that evening or we'd have too far to drive the next day. We grabbed our food out of the fridge then said bye to Nicola and Clare before going to the other hostel on a search for the others, luckily we found everyone and said our goodbyes. We headed up the coast, aiming to get as close to 1770 beach as possible. It was quite a long drive and dark so we both got tired and decided to stop at a rest stop about an hour and a half from 1770 beach. We had a great nights sleep- nice to be back on a comfortable mattress!! In the morning we weren't up very early and still had to sort out our bags from Fraser. Once we eventually got going it was about 10.30am. I dove this morning and frat brief stop was 1770 beach, where we realised we couldn't be in the right place as there was limited sand and no waves. We went to an info centre who told us the better beach was Agnes water beach, so that was the next stop. The waves weren't great so we decided not to hire surfboards and instead just chilled on the beach reading magazines and relaxing - which was nice as we were both still pretty tired from the previous few days. We had a late lunch at the beach then got back on the Bruce highway, this time aiming for Rockhampton. There were so many roadworks it took a while to get there, we also had to fill up with petrol on the way. We watched a beautiful sunset over the mountains just before getting to Rockhampton. As it was dark already we drove around the town, a lovely traditional town - which looked very much like some of the small American towns we visited. Next stop would be a rest area just 30mins north, so we were already part the way to the next stop in the morning - Mackay. We were up early and on our way to Mackay, a three hour drive away. When we got there the Laguna was closed for winter so we wondered along the promenade for a bit, taking in the views of the river. We popped over to the shopping mall and had a look in a few shops for an hour then decided to make our way to Airlie Beach. The drive had been a long one so when we got there we were pretty tired. We checked in for our whitsundays tour ready for the next morning. Then had a look around the town, which appeared much more backpacker orientated than other towns we'd visited recently. There was a Laguna and a nice boardwalk which we plan to visit properly when back from the tour. That evening we cooked dinner in the hostel kitchen, grabbed our free drinks, showered and went to bed. We were up early so that we could sort the camper out before leaving it in the hostel car park for a couple of days. Once it was sorted we still had time to pop into a travel shop to use the wifi before walking along the boardwalk to Abel point. Under the covered walkway there were already a few people waiting. We sat down and waited for a man called Richi to introduce himself. He then checked us in and made sure all our forms were correct. Not long after we took our flip flops off and put them in a bag, then put all our bags in the back of the boat. They had pizza laid out on the tables for a light lunch for us. While we were eating we were given a briefing on the boat and shown where everything was. Katie (the host) then took us to our beds/rooms. Harry and I were in the front left hand side of the catamaran - with the biggest bed by far! We went back up to the main area, where we met captain Tristan. He gave us more safety info and explained where we would be sailing to today. We chatted away to two girls called Briony and Allana. When we got closer to our first snorkelling destination Richi gave us all a snorkel briefing, which was full of jokes as well as helpful hints! Bluebell Bay was the name of the first snorkel. Tristan parked the big boat while we all got changed into wetsuits, finding flippers and masks to fit. Then Tristan took us on a smaller dingy to the best snorkelling spots. Harry decided to enter the water James Bond style - backwards, whereas I went for the more ladylike slide in. None of us could believe how many fish there were straight away! Everywhere we swam we saw loads. We swam up to the beach and sat there for a little but then swam back for another snorkel before Richi picked us up to go back to the main boat. As we were the last ones back we missed out on cake and biscuits but still had a cup of tea & coffee. I was particularly excited to get in the 'hot' tub... which unfortunately wasn't quite as hot as i was expecting. although it was slightly warmer than the sea! Leanna and i stayed in the hottub until katie bought us all dips, crisps and veggies out to the top of the boat. It was a perfect pre dinner snack. We got changed and ready for dinner, then spent time just chatting and getting to know each other while we were on the way to our sleeping spot for the night. When we arrived there dinner was ready, it was delicious - garlic bread, corn on the cob, caesar salad, potato salad and BBQ chicken, with either chocolate or orange poppyseed cake for pudding. After dinner Harry wasn't feeling very well so spent the time outside admiring the view and having a nap! We all looked at the photos which had been taken during the day and Richi taught us all about the different types of fish we had seen or could see the next day. Tristan showed us on a map where we had been and where we were going. We didn't stay up very late as we were all rather tired and knew we had to be up early in the morning. It was really strange sleeping on the boat because although it was a calm spot, it was obviously still rocking a bit! We slept pretty well then were up early for our first boat breakie!! Katie had put out cereals, fresh fruit, bread, spreads and fruit bread. We ate lots in preparation for a busy day. While we were all sleeping Tristan had moved the boat to our first snorkel spot - Luncheon Bay. We were all keen after the chat the night before to see more fish. I put an extra wetsuit in today as I was a bit chilly the day before. Then we hopped in the little boat and were taken out to the snorkelling area, which was a large area today. We saw a few more fish, but lots more different types of coral and we were much closer to the coral so had a better view. We were going to be here for a bit so after an hour or so we went back to the boat for a drink then planned to go go back snorkelling, however it started raining and Katie got the cakes out so as we missed out the day before we decided to stay on the boat! The cakes and biscuits were lovely and very needed after a morning snorkelling. Now we had a rather rough journey ahead of us to get all the way down to the other side of the Whitsunday islands to whiteheaven beach. It took three hours but once we were there it was definitely worth it. We had to get dropped on and picked up from the island by the little boat. When we got there we had a few photos by the sign then did a short walk to the lookout. From here we could see a panoramic view of the swirling sands at whiteheaven beach. After taking lots of photos we then walked down through the 'bush' out onto the beach. The sand wasn't like sand at all, it was silicon based which made it pure white. When we got to the beach we did some funny photos, unfortunately just as we were finishing doing the photos it started to rain. We still went for a little paddle in the water, made a sand sculpture of a turtle then walked back to tongue bay - where we were being picked up from. Just as we were approaching the catamaran we saw a huge turtle, then after being on board for only a few minutes a huge dugon (manitee) right beside us! We had more tea and coffee on the boat then left for another three hour journey back to where we were sleeping. As we passed through Hooks passage the water was calmer so Katie made us nachos with salsa, cheese and sweet chilli mmm. We then played the game where you write a famous persons name down and swap the pieces of paper, stick them on your head then ask lots of questions to try and guess who you are. It was hilarious playing the game and took me ages to work out who I was (Barbie!). After we finished dinner was ready, tonight we had beef stirfry with rice, baked bread, coleslaw and green beans. Richi had also made us rocky road for pudding (which I had three pieces of because it was soooo nice!!!). After dinner we had another chat with captain and he told us the plan for the morning. Then Richi showed us all the photos which had been taken today, we couldn't stop laughing there were some hilarious ones (particularly of 'team China')! Harry went to bed early as he still wasn't feeling very well, I stayed up giggling and chatting to the girls for a bit. We had one final snorkel in the morning along Langford spit. It was the best snorkel yet as we saw one huge green turtle and i swam next to a baby turtle which was actually still pretty big! After being taken back to the boat we took some final photos then had tea or coffee and got changed into normal clothes. Half way through the journey back to mainland Katie gave us all tortilla chips left from the night before and some fruit cake she'd been saving. That was our last boat meal and we all prepared for landing. We gave the three of them rounds of applause to say thank you, hugs as we got off the boat and waved as we walked back to Airlie beach where most of us were staying. We got back about 11am from the boat trip which was nice and early meaning we had the rest if the day to chill at Airlie Beach. We first had showers, then went and sat by the Laguna. While there it began to rain so we moved under a tree. Harry went back to the camper to have a nap and eat lunch. Allana and I met up with Ricardo and Ana from the boat to have a wonder around Airlie town before we left. We didn't do a lot apart from chat then say our goodbyes as harry and I left at 4pm to fill up on petrol then do a food shop. We drove a couple hours north to a rest stop just an hour and a half short of Townsville. We were both shattered from the boat trip so ate dinner and went to sleep.