G'day everyone :) I've just sat down with the intentions of completing an extreme blog entry but looking at the length of my journal entries now I think this might have to be part 1...part 2 to follow tomorrow. Since I last blogged we've completed our trips to two of the most talked about places on the east coast...Fraser Island and the Whitsunday Island...so I have lots to tell you about :)

From Brisbane we carried on our journey up the coast...next stop Noosa. Noosa is a really pretty place and I really enjoyed spending a couple of days there. The afternoon we got there we headed over to Noosa National Park where we walked along the coast and through the park for a spot of koala spotting (No. of koalas spotted;one) Noosa is a really popular spot for surfing too so the sea was packed full of surfers riding the waves...a bit too rough for us beginners though lol. The next day we went to the famous Australia Zoo which was amazing! On the bus on the way there they played a film about Steve Irwin, his life and family which was really entertaining, and also showed films of him catching the crocodiles which are now kept at the zoo. When we arrived the day started off with elephant feeding time which was so cool. We saw a show at the Crocoseum where we saw the zoo keepers get up close and personal with some crocs, snakes and birds and also got to pet a koala and the kangaroos...this was my fave part :) One thing that really surprised me at the zoo was how domesticated the animals were. The keepers were in the enclosures play fighting with the tigers and the cheetahs which was pretty crazy! We made sure to check out all the crocs that we'd seen on the video on the way to the zoo...especially one in particular called Agro who caused Steve a lot of grief (hence the name!). We also saw the memorial for Steve Irwin whih was really touching. Overall a fantastic day and really worth it!

The next day we left Noosa and headed onto Hervey bay for our Fraser Island trip. We arrived at the hostel early evening, sorted our things out for the following morning and had an early night...at this point I was pretty nervous about what to expect on the Island. You hear so many horror stories about Fraser all the way up to the coast! We'd booked ourselves onto a self guided tour where you're put into groups of ten or so people, given the keys to a 4x4 equipped with camping equipment and let loose for three days and two nights on the biggest sand island in the world full of deadly snakes, spiders and dingoes...what an adventure lol! We were up early to meet and greet with our group...all really cool people which was good. We headed over to pick up our car, onto the supermarket to get all our food and supplies for the three days on the island and then over to the barge to catch the ferry over. Because of the tide you can only drive along the beach on Fraser at certain times of the day so you're given a rough itinerary to help you on your way. Our first stop was Lake Mckenzie, an absolutely stunning fresh water lake and a fantastic place to have a refreshing swim. The drive to the lake was hilarious! We were all bumping around in the back and clinging on for our lives haha. My first 4x4 experience was definately one to remember! The lake was also the location for our first dingo sighting! We relaxed at the lake for a while and then headed towards the beach to find somewhere to camp for the night. Our first drive along the beach was amazing! At times you have miles and miles of sand in front of you and no cars in sight so it feels like you're the only people on this island. The beach was stunning and the sea looked so inviting...very deceiving seeing as swimming is actually prohibited on the island because of the undercurrent and shark infested waters lol. We found a spot along the beach to set up camp and were joined by a couple of other cars as well which was cool. That night we cooked up a BBQ on the beach and in true Fraser style got straight onto the goon (or cheap boxed wine for all you back home hehe). That night I was amazed at how much sleep I managed to get in the tent...I think my ability to sleep in uncomfortable locations has definately improved over my time travelling. The next day (Day 2) we were up early to have breakfast and pack up camp. Day 2 also marks the day when I saw the BIGGEST spider I have ever seen in my life!!We were packing up everything into the car and there it was in the van crawling over all our things...oh my god it was disgusting!! A guy in our group (my hero) grabbed a spade and tried to get it out and then it actually JUMPED accross the van...oh my god just writing about it now is making me shudder haha. In the end Johnny got a bit aggressive with the spade because we were scared we would lose it under all our things...and then proceded to run after me and Elle with the remains of the spider on the spade...and then threw it at us. I was not impressed to say the least. After my heart rate had returned to normal we were in the car and onto Eli Creek where you're able to jump in the creek at the start and then float all the way down to the shore of the sea with the current. Unfortunately the water level was really low so the creek was too shallow to jump in...it did mean that we could walk the whole way down together though which was cool. Next stop was the shipwreck which was pretty amazing...I did have a few facts about the wreck but I didn't bring them with me so I guess my photos will have to do instead hehe. After the wreck we carried on up the beach to a place called Champagne Pools, a lovely spot to relax in the sun and the only place on the Island safe for salt water swimming. We had lunch here before driving inland to Waddy Point, stopping off at a really gorgeous section of the beach on the way so that I could have a go at 4x4 driving! It was so much fun! We then walked up to Waddy Point itself which is a headland on the island with lots of little rock pools. Last stop of the day before the campsite was Indian Head, another headland where we walked up to the top to check out the stunning views as the sun began to set :) That night we set up camp at another spot along the beach and yours truly cooked up an immense pasta dinner...one guy in the group voted it best meal he'd had so far since he'd started travelling...although he had been living off foot long Subways so not sure how much of a compliment that really is lol. That evening we has quite a lot of rain and I had a pretty sleepless night...so much so I ended up swapping tents in the middle of the night to get away from some extreme snoring in mine haha. Anyway, I made it through the night and onto Day 3 :) In the morning we went to Lake Wabby ,another stunning fresh water lake surrounded by sand dunes. The walk to get there was pretty intense in the heat but totally worth it! On the way back a snake crossed our path which was pretty scary....even moreso when the guide with us at the time told us it was the second most venemous snake in the world!!After Lake Wabby we started our drive back to the barge, stopping briefly to wash up our dishes and for one final glimpse of Lake Mckenzie. We caught the ferry back to Hervey Bay and were back in our hostels late afternoon. Overall our Fraser Island trip was AMAZING! I was covered in sand the whole time,felt grimey from head to toe and was ridiculously paranoid that I would find a spider in my sleeping bag...but at the same time it was one of the best experiences of my life...and also showed me that I'm not as much of a wimp as I thought I was lol!

So that was Fraser Island...and end of Part 1 of this blog hehe. After Hervey Bay we headed inland to Kroombit Cattle Ranch (definately one of the most fun nights I've had so far in Oz) and then to Airlie Beach (where I am now) for our Whitsunday Sailing adventure. I'll tell you all about them next time though!

Until then take care everyone xxx