Hervey Bay and Fraser Island

14th - 16th August

On our first day we went on a day long whale watching trip as it was peak season to do so. It certainly was worth the trip as we lost count of the amount of Humpbacks we saw. Some even passed right by and underneath the boat, checking us out with their big old eyes! Anyway you'll get the idea from all the pics!

Next day we began our 2 day adventure on the World's largest sand island, Fraser Island. We were guided around the island on a specially converted 4WD desert truck, as we didn't fancy the cheaper self-drive and camp option - especially after some of the stories we've heard! The island is renound for its savage dingos, but the one we saw was a pretty tame resort-dwelling dingo, on the lookout for scraps. Our first stop was a rainforest walk - not what you expect on a big sand dune in the sea, but its totally naturally occuring and self-sustainable.

We then travelled north along the coastal highway (aka the beach!) up to Eli Creek, a beautiful freshwater stream flowing into the ocean, which you could walk along with the flow of water helping you out. We also took a short flight in a light aircraft to get a vantage of the island and its many lakes from high up above. We could even see shadows of sharks and manta rays in the sea... very close to the shore! Further to this we saw other key tourist attractions including Indian Head, the Maheno Shipwreck and the coloured sands.

On our second day we went swimming in a couple of awesome lakes. First stop Lake Wabby, an oasis at the end of an undulating sandblow (a massive sand dune being blown inland). In the afternoon we visited the famous Lake McKenzie, with its bright white sand and crystal clear waters.