At 7:15 am, the bus came to pick us up for our one-day tour of Fraser Island. We had decided to only do one day mainly because of cost. It meant we wouldn't get up to Indian Head (a beautiful lookout point) but in every other way, the tour looked pretty complete.

First on the agenda was a 30-minute ferry trip across the Great Sandy Strait to Fraser Island. Next, we boarded a special 4WD vehicle and drove along sand tracks through the forests to Central Station, a former forestry camp. From there, we took a lovely walk along the banks of Wanggoolba Creek, which had unbelievably clear water. We looked around for dingoes without any luck. Tessa was just as happy we didn't see them or any of the many snakes we'd heard inhabited the island.

After a quick coffee break, we headed to the 75 Mile Beach to see the colored sands of the Pinnacles and the wreck of the cruise ship Maheno, which came ashore in 1935. We stopped for a swim in Eli Creek and the kids did the circuit a few times, running down the boardwalk and then floating back through the swift but shallow waters. 75 Mile Beach doubles as a highway, and traffic regularly speeds down it at 80 km per hour while trying to avoid the surf, washouts, tourists, and fishermen.

Lunch was a buffet at Eurong Beach Resort and after that, we got to the highlight of the trip - a swim in the crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie, an amazing place surrounded by dazzling white sandy beaches. Our day, once more, ended too soon and by 6:00 pm, we were back at the hostel in Harvey Bay.