November 7th 2010 --- Fraser Island (Day 2)

Another amazing day on Fraser Island.The weather here sure is making up for when we were in the Whitsundays!We began our morning at 7:30am at the Dingo Bar for an all-you-can-eat breakfast before hitting the "road".Our first stop of the very long day was Eli Creek.Here we had some time to suntan or swim.The water levels were pretty low, so it was more like a crawl than a swim!We then made our way along the "75 mile highway" aka the beach!The 4x4's tires were slightly deflated which helps the vehicle move easily through loose sand at speeds of 80km/hr!Along our drive, we came across a beached green sea turtle that appeared to be dying.Our guide said that it looked elderly and guessed it to be anywhere from 50-100 years old.Many barnacles were growing on its shell and limbs, hinting that it most likely hadn't moved from its location for a while.It's all part of nature's miracles.

Our next stop was at the "Maheno", a shipwreck that was China-bound for use as scrap metal, but ended up being washed ashore with captain James Fraser who died soon after reaching the island (the island is named in honour of him).After taking in the sights of the Maheno (I love shipwrecks!) we visited the Pinnacles Coloured Sand.These were pretty cool, but nothing compared to the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park over on the west coast.

We took a break on the beach by Indian Head, and had a lovely chicken wrap lunch before trekking it up the cliff for a view out over Great Sandy National Park.We ended our sightseeing at the Champagne Pools.These rock pools are filled with the rising tides and the water remains trapped in the rock pools all day until the tide comes back in.Apparently, in the summer, the water can get quite warm and act as a natural Jacuzzi.Unfortunately, the water wasn't warm when we visited!But a nice dip was definitely appreciated.Once we had dried off and has our afternoon tea (the Aussies love their afternoon teas!) we climbed aboard the bus and voyaged back to the Dingo Bar for our last all-you-can-eat dinner (it's so nice being able to eat proper balanced meals, and not just cheap convenience food!)On the way back we were lucky to see two dingoes on the beach.It was rare to see them on the beach because during spring season, the adults usually teach their cubs to hunt/explore and they usually don't venture too far from their dens.

By the time we were done dinner and on our ferry ride home (aka Hervey Bay) we were EXHAUSTED! I actually looked around the ferry and everyone except 2 people were sleeping with their Ipods in!Welcome to the land of backpackers!When we reached Hervey Bay the bus escorted us back to our hostel where we just managed to pick up our keys before reception closed!Close call!Another early night in preparation for our long day of travel tomorrow.