Brisbane to Sydney Road Trip (inc. Fraser Island trip):

We spent 3 weeks traveling down to Sydney and fitted a whole load in! At the start of our trip we met up with one of Dan's best mates from school, Goldy who traveled with us for the last 2 and a half weeks to Sydney. First of all we went to the Bundaberg Rum factory and we spent one of the first mornings in Tin Can Bay feeding the wild dolphins. We all went to Fraser Island as part of a group of 11 people where you share a 4x4 and camp for 3 days and 2 nights. We were one of the first groups to go back on the island after tropical cyclone Hamish struck it and almot didn't survive the drive to the 4x4 garage! We had to drive our neatly and well balance trucks to the garage to get a crash course (excuse the pun) in how to drive a 4x4. So we went around the first bed and it was o.k, the second bend was a little tippy and then at the third little junction going no more than 10kph the 4x4 went onto 2 wheels and we were two wheeling in to the junction, screaming! We all pooed our pants and so did the pedestrians, who were pointing and putting hands up to mouths! We all bailed out as we went around the forth slight bend and we went about 5kph and it was still dodgy. The man said it was normal for it to feel 'different', we did not however, so we kicked up a fuss and got the 'newest' truck, complete with the up to date sound system of a tape player?! New truck?! Anyway after this near death experience we were ready to hit the the largest sand island in the world and the only place you will find rain forests growing from sand!! The trip was brilliant and driving on the sand and off-roading was great fun without the fear of tipping! Each day we visited clear blue water lakes with white sand beaches surrounded by green forests. You have to keep a look out for wild dingo's and chase them away from your camp. We found the most effective way was to run at them with the toilet digging spade. They don't like the spade for some reason, maybe past experiences?, so that worked! After Fraser we carried on down and visited Brisbane, Surfers Paradise for a game of lawn bowls, Port Macquarie, surfed in the brilliant Byron Bay, did wine tasting in the Hunter Valley and visited the Blue Mountains. We then dropped the van off in Sydney, said goodbye to Goldy and then went to the airport and flew out to New Zealand the next morning.