The first thing I would like to say about Fraser Island is that the scenery and the lakes were amazing and that I won't be able to do them any justice with my descriptions. The second thing I would like to say is that I had a great time! From Noosa we had to catch the bus to Hervey Bay, which took about 5 hours, as it is one of the main gateways to Fraser Island. We had booked a Koala's tour, so we stayed in the Koala resort in Hervey Bay which was a nice place. We arrived late in the afternoon and had to go straight to the introductory meeting for the trip. This is when all the hassle started! I had called up the company twice to confirm that we would all be in the same van for Fraser and was told yes both times. We had also been told this at reception but when they called out the groups we were in different vans. Then they said they were overbooked and they needed people to delay one day but they would get a free meal and free night. We said we would do this as it was proving a hassle for us to move groups. We went off to enjoy the rest of the day then were called back and told we were going. Then not going. Then going. It was a nightmare! We weren't bothered either way but it was just a hassle. Anyway it all got sorted out in the end for the best because we went on our original date and also got our own van for the 6 of us so we didn't have to share. We had to fill in some forms for driving then went to have our free dinner which was all you can eat pizza. We had an early night as we had to meet at the carpark at 6.45 to set off.Nic and Kelly had already booked a separate trip so the rest of us got up early the next morning to head out. First we had to sort out our vans and check all the equipment and things we had been given to take with us. As they were hiring us a different van we had to go to that hire compnay and fill in more forms and pick up the vehicle. We got our meat that we had ordered the night before from their butcher and then had another meeting to tell us the best palces on the island to go and were shown how to use the vans and the 4 wheel drive etc. After that we had time to grab some breakfast before setting off at 9.30 to the ferry. We caught the ferry from River Heads across to the island. It was a nice day and all was looking good. It took us about 45 minutes to cross and then we were on our own! However we hadn't even left the ferry before someone reversed into us and dented our bumper! The island is the biggest sand island in the world, and this means it's not easy to drive on because all the tracks are obviously sand. It is a national park so their aren't really any roads and the tracks are bumpy to say the least. On that first day we drove down past Central Station and stopped at one of the first lakes we came to called Lake Jennings. It was beautiful and the water was so blue and clear and the sand was bright white. After that we drove past two other Lakes called Birrabeen and Benaroon then off to Dilli Village and finally to the camp site at Cornwell. We didn't get lost even though the boys didn't think where I had told them to go was right, but we were right of course. Claire and I had to sit in the front and read the maps all the time because it was such a tight squeeze, even for us. We set up camp before it got dark and had 3 tents between us. We were in a good spot right on the beach behind a dune and had a good group next to us too. I cooked us some dinner of burgers and sausages which we had to eat in the car because it had started to rain. Luckily it didn't last long and we could enjoy the rest of the night. Unfortunatly our cooking attracted all the dingos. They warn you a lot about them as obviously they are wild animals. You can't feed them and have keep all food out of the way so it doesn't attract them. For example some people have left food in the tents and all the tents have then been ripped to pieces. They kept their distance though, for the time being anyway. It was weird it getting dark so early and we expected it to be much later than it was. We had some drinks and played lots of card game and drinking games, and it was a good night all round. Amazingly I managed to get a good sleep too.We got up early again the next morning, at about 5.30, so we could have an early start. You can only drive on the beach between certain times because of the tides and we didn't want to miss out on anything. We weren't actually able to leave until 7 so we managed to watch the sunrise over the sea which was stunning. We drove all the way up the beach to Indian Head first thing which took a couple of hours. We stopped at Happy Village to get some supplies half way up. We got out at Indian Head and climbed to the top. It's a big rock formation that's quite high up and you are supposed to be able to see sharks swimming in the sea from there. We didn't get to see any though which we were gutted about. It was still a great lookout point so was worth the climb. You aren't allowed to swim in the sea there because of the rips and the sharks but I don't think we were there at the right time of year to see any. After that we drove back down towrds Eli Creek. On the way we saw a huge turtle that had been washed up on the sand and attacked by dingos. It was really sad as we were told it was about 100 years old. Eli creek was really nice. You could walk up to the start and then swim down back towards the sea and the water was a welcome break from the heat. Further on down the beach was Maheno wreck which we stopped to walk around. This is the rermains of a shipwreck that has been there for years and has all rusted away. Its quite an impressive sight. This was the only time that I drove as I didn't want to drive in the tracks as it was too hard. We had gotten stuck loads of times already that day, and had had to get out and push (not that I helped much!). I wanted to have a go though so I just drove down the beach where it was easier, but it was still loads of fun. It was weird after not having drove for almost 6 months. The tide was going to come in soon so we went back to the campsite and had some lunch. We had done so much already that it felt like it should have been really late but it was only about 1 in the afternoon. We met up the group next to us and decided to walk to Lake Wabby. The guy at the hostel had told us it only took 25 minutes and it was too late to drive by then. However it turned out he didn't know what he was talking about! We walked all the way down the beach, through some rainforest and then accross a massive sandblow that felt like walking across the sahara desert. The sand was so soft it was really hard work, and it just went on for mile and miles. It was the hottest part of the day too, but it was worth it when we arrived at the Lake. It was in the middle of the sand and seemed to appear out of nowhere as it was sunk down quite low.The water was lovely and dark green and it is the deepest lake on the island. We stayed there until it got cold and went back for dinner. I took it a bit easier that night but we still had fun. This turned out to be a mistake thought because I didn't sleep nearly as well as the night before. It had also started to rain but we were going to bed anyway so it didn't matter and it had been nice all day.The following day was our last on the island. We got up early (again!) and had some breakfast before we left. We didn't drive on the beach at all that day and just stuck to the tracks. The tracks were much worse than the ones we had used the first day and everyone was flying everywhere in the car. We were off to Lake McKenzie which is the most lovely lake I have ever seen. It is huge but bright blue and has the most clear, fresh water. We chilled out there for the rest of the day as it was nice and hot. It really was a gorgeous sight. We had lunch then it was time to start heading back to the ferry. We over-estimated how long it would take us though so we had to hang around for a bit. We were all completely shattered by this point and it was so hot it was uncomfortable. Luckily the ferry was on time and we drove straight back to the hostel. All we wanted to do was sleep but we had to wash all the stuff and sweep and the sand out of the van before we could do anything. Luckily we had everything except for two pegs so we got all our bond back. Despite my lack of sleep I had the best time and it is one of the best places I have visited so far. It was great just being able to drive around on our own and we all had so much fun. I loved Fraser Island!