Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island!

We got checked in all together and had tea in the bar, very good food and good raspberry cider :) We played uno all night (this game is becoming THE game of our trip!)

Next morning we slept in which was bliss. We had our briefing for our Fraser Island 4WD self drive trip at 2pm. We watched a video about the island - enough to scare us all A LOT about the dingoes! Did all the paperwork and met our group - 5 Swedish, us 2, an English boy and a German girl - fingers crossed for a good group as the group and the weather MAKE the trip we had been told. We got provisions (alcohol and food!) and got to bed.

We got up early, met at 8am. Our cars turned up, woo! Big! We could only take our small day rucksacks so we left our big rucksacks in storage at the hostel. We then as a group sorted out our food - 1 esky (cool-box) for food and the other for alcohol - Aussies know how to do this camping thing! We got the car packed up and Tove (one of Swedish girls) drove confidently onto the ferry (after a slight problem switching to 4WD) and we were across in 5 minutes and onto the island!

We drove on hard sand for a bit up to the main resort - this island is so strange, people live there, but everything is so expensive and difficult to get to. We stopped at the shop for an ice cream and got going on the extremely bumpy 18km inland road which was painful to say the least. Finally we got off and in convoy with the other two groups we reached Lake Mackenzie, had a quick lunch (one of the Swedish mistook hoisin sauce for the stir fry for tomato ketchup...haha he was not happy!) and then got down to the lake. It was stunning. The water was so so so turquoise blue - amazing! We had a nice swim, dried off - having to put up with sand everywhere - then packed up the car and I took to the wheel! Fantastic!

It was like driving through jurassic park, ferns everywhere, bumpy sandy roads, so much fun to drive but a lot of responsibility with 8 others in the back! We got to our inland camp site and set up camp. Burgers for tea. It got dark so quickly and it was pretty spooky as the moon was out and everyone was on dingo, snake, spider and other creepy crawly watch. But then the drink started flowing and everyone relaxed a bit! Bedtime and sleep didn't really happen - so uncomfortable even with a roll mat.

Up early and breakfast was cereal. We got packed up and Amber got driving. We drove to Lake Wabby - a big lake down at the bottom of a massive sand dune! This was an inland walk supposed to take 30 minutes...with hob-along Amber it took us and a guy called Alan an hour and 10 minutes! Bless her. Randomly we saw Lynn too! It was very good to see her- she was doing a guided tour :) The walk was DEFINITELY worth it, absolutely breathtaking views. We had a swim, then lunch, then had to walk all the way back. Amber drove on the beach onto our next camp location - the beach! We found a nice spot and pitched up, and the moon was out in full so it was so bright compared to the night before. We had stir fry for tea, then packed all the food away just in case of dingoes. We all sat round in a circle (all 24 of us- the 3 cars) and drank, played drinking games and chatted then sang!!! Great fun! The Swedish put us to shame...they know ALL the words! Bed was calling and we got to bed, after seeing several dingoes and a stupid girl who went off on her own and she ended up being chased by 2.

In the morning - wow we had woken up on a beach! Amazing! We cooked pancakes for brekkie and they were the best ever! Congrats to Amber for those! Then packed up the car, I drove onto Indian Head, a cool look out spot for photos etc. Then Tove drove back, quick stop at Maheno ship wreck, few more pics, then back onto the 2pm ferry. Then back to the garage to drop the car off and sort out alll our junk!

Back to a proper bed (amazing!) and a SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!! Best feeling ever - washed everywhere twice it was that good and needed! We then got tea and some more drinks and we got pretty drunk, whilst Lynn was crazy drunk aswell as Mike (who was also on our trip - friends with Alan) and Lynn was snorting she was laughing so much, which also set Mike off - all off this happening in our dorm room about 1am! A fun night to say the least!

Right, Noosa next!