9/9/9 Weds Mooloolaba-Rainbow Beach

Matt made us sausage and bacon sandwiches for breakfast and then we said our goodbyes to the family. We headed off to meet our bus up which was waiting at the stop for us even though we were really early. We set off and travelled to Noosa for an hour stop. We got ourselves an icecream and waited for the bus which left to drive to Rainbow Beach from where we are going to Fraser Island. We checked into our hostel called Frasers on Rainbow and dropped off our bags and went to the bar for a meeting about the Fraser trip. There were eight of us there, Katrin, Steffi, Julia and Stefan from Germany, Caoimhe (pronounced Kweaver) from Ireland, Chris and us from England. we watched a couple of info videos and then sat together to order drinks, make a shopping list and sign paperwork and make payments. Everyone seemed very friendly and we all went off to the supermarket to buy food for the three days we are spending on the worlds biggest sand island. we got back to the hostel, unloaded all the shopping and had something to eat. the other two coming to Fraser then arrived at the hostel, a couple called Jonny and Tony from Leeds. They were great fun and we spent the evening with them having a few drinks before bed.

10/9/9 Fraser Island

We woke up at stupid aclock to meet up with everyone at 5.30am to load up the truck and go to the garage to be briefed there as to our itinerary etc. We had to check a checklist for the equipment provided. We drove to the garage and were greeted by the most aggressive and rude pair of Aussies we've ever met!!! They spoke to us all like we were just out of short pants and were really quite nasty. It was pretty obvious to us all that they were cowboys but they kept saying they were in it for the service not the money, shame their customer service was so crap then !!! After being threatened with all sorts of costs if anything untoward happened to their vehicle we tentatively drove off to the ferry at Inskip Point. It made us all have something to talk about and we had a really good laugh about the grumpys and it bought us together as a group. We caught the ferry across to Hook Point on Fraser. Chris drove for the first bit off the beach and on an inland road which was really bumpy especially for us sitting in the unsuspended back seats. Fraser has the worlds only sand dunes at over 200m above sea level and over 320 species of bird. It has a 75 mile long beach which is the main highway and unspoilt rainforest as well as some of the purest breed dingoes. we reached the beach after about 45 minutes driving and we drove along a short while. After stopping for photos Phil took over the driving and we drove through some of Frasers inland trails to Central Station, a clearing in the forest with toilets and several walking tracks. We all walked along a boardwalk which took us through the rainforest and by a creek. It was really lovely in there and we took some pictures. On our way back to the car a Kookaburra was sitting in one of the trees posing for the tourists. After leaving Central Station we drove on to Lake Mackenzie one of Frasers highlights which is an aqua marine fresh water lake fringed with a white sandy beach. Before seeing the lake we had a picnic lunch at the picnic tables there. We walked down a path and saw the lake for the first time and it was really breathtaking and we all sat and took in the amazing sight before most people went into the water for a swim. Liz only dipped her toe into the water but then the skies were looking really black as if it would rain so we packed up and left to find a spot to camp for the night. Stefan took over the driving and we drove through the inland tracks to Eurong village which is a small resort and a few shops within Fraser. We all had an icecream and then got back into the car for a drive along the beach looking for a suitable campsite along the beach. We found a lovely quiet spot between Eurong and another little place called Happy Valley. We set up camp finding a couple of rips in our "spotless" tents behind the dunes in a protected spot and put our tents up in one area and cooked and ate nearby. We had pasta bolognese and lots of beer and wine whilst looking at the stars. Because of the lack of light over Fraser the stars are really amazing and we saw several shooting stars too. It got pretty chilly sitting in the sea breeze so none of us were up late despite not being tired and decided that the next day we would have a fire even though its discouraged on the island...we were all responsible adults afterall !! We had spent the day noticing the terrible whiff of BO from someone on the truck and we soon realised it was the two german girls who both reeked. Phil, Tony and Jonny were hilarious making unsubtle hints !!

11/9/9 Friday Fraser Island

We woke up and packed up all our stuff to head for the nearest campsite so we could wash last nights dishes and make some breakfast. Unfortunately we couldn't wash up at the nearest Happy Valley so we had to drive further along to Durack campsite. By the time we were there and had washed up we had no time to cook breakfast so had some cereals and bread and jam instead. The German stinky twins were two of the few who got showers and still reeked after that!!! We were under time pressure to get along the beach before the tide came in and the Germans were all getting a bit stressed !!! Next we drove down the beach and joined an inland scenic drive as the tide would be in and we wouldn't be able to drive along the beach. We drove along the track through some gorgeous rainforest, stopping to take some photos and pulled into a viewpoint overlooking the Knifepoint sandblow, a huge sand dune moving inland over the rainforest. The view was great over the white sand to the forest and ocean beyond. Next we kept driving along the inland track to another fresh water lake called Lake Allom where there were loads of little turtles swimming about. They looked really cute with their webbed feet but they had evil looking faces We sat watching them for a while and taking photos then left to carry on our travels. Our next stop was at Lake Boomanjin where we were all hoping to swim as it was a really hot day but after a short walk we found the lake and it was more of a natural pond and not for swimming unfortunately. We had been spoilt by beautiful Lake Mackenzie so all the other lakes just weren't up to standard!!! After that we had a picnic lunch of leftover bolognese and sandwiches, fruit and nachos. After lunch Stefan took over driving again and we drove through to Happy Valley along the beach for a toilet break. Once we were all in the car we drove North along the beach and stopped at Eli Creek where we walked along the clear freshwater creek onto the beach. Once back on the beach we sat a while on the white sand in the afternoon sun enjoying the antics of a group of partying Aussies. They had some great music playing and were all dressed in wigs and various outfits and were having a ball. We needed to leave to get our camp set up before sunset so drove to our camping area just past the wreck of the Maheno on the beach. We stopped to photos of the wreck as the sun was starting to set. Our twitchy German companions weren't too impressed with the delay in the schedule though as they were worried about the dark!!! We got to the camp area we had chosen within sight of the wreck.We aoll put up our tents but Jonny snd Tony only had 3 tent pegs to use. All the non Germans had just the bare minimum number of pegs but the Germans had 17 each and "pegs in every eyelet" as Jonny put it. Despite there being very little wind the chances of their tents moving very low they are an efficient lot and so the boys borrowed a couple of ours. We had passed a pile of firewood on the way in to the area which the non German rebels decided to raid later to have a fire. Julia one of the German girls said she didn't agree that we should have a fire because of the disruption to the environment but as the wood was already collected and not in its natural place she backed down . After a barbecue tea cooked by Jonny we all sart drinking for a while before Chris and Caoimhe lit the fire and all of sat round it and ate marshmallows. We had a real laugh and it made the trip. We all sat round the fire for hours laughing and finishing the drinks we had bought onto the island. It was a really great and funny night.

12/9/9 Saturday Fraser to Rainbow Beach

We woke up wit hour campers a little worse for wear after a pretty late night drinking the goon (cheap boxed wine) and leftover beers. We had a cold breakfast with leftover sausages and started to pack up our campsite but Phil noticed the poo shovel was missing. No-one would admit to using the shovel over night but we had all seen it the noght before so were pretty sure someone had drunkenly moved it in the night as it was a bit heavy for dingoes. Phil went on a search and found the shovel standing in the sand behind a bush with an unburied turd next to it...lovely. As we still had no guilty party we threatened to take a sample for DNA and secretly blamed the stinky girls !!! We packed up the camping stuff and set off down the beach past the Moheno wreck with Katrin (stinky 1) driving to a parking point to visit Lake Wabby, the last visit of our trip. We deliberated for a while wether to walk from there or to drive on to a point closer to the lake but decided to walk from there as time was pressing to catch the ferry back. The sign said a two hour walk but Liz remembered a shorter time so we carried on and soon realised it was alot shorter. After about 20 minutes half the group including Phil walked via the sandblow to the lake and the orthers went via the shaded forest. It only took another 15 minutes to get to the lake where we all swam and sunbathed for a while. There were some huge fish and turtles in the lake. we left to return to the car and Tony drove along the beach but reall ydidn't enjoy the experience as the sand was soft and sliding the car all over the place. He drove as far as a small village called Dilli where Phil took over, driving us back out onto the beach to head for Hook point and the ferry. At the turn off the beach to the inland track the sand was really deep and soft and the truck got bogged in. A coach passed us and stopped reversing to where we were stuck. We thought they were going to help but they just took photos and left us to it...nice!! Phil got us out after a bit of digging by us all and we were able to carry on. We drove along the bumpy access road passing an Echidna which is a really rare sight. We got to the ferry crossing with minutes to spare and waited for the ferry to cross to collect us. When we got to the hostel we unloaded all our personal bags and the leftover foods and had to all go to the grumpy garage again to get the van and equipment checked. We were all ready for a fight as we knew they would find something to complain about. The chief grump started undoing all the tents and started accusing us of tearing them despite us telling him that when we got back cheeky sod!! Next they claime dwe had lost 21 tent pegs which was total rubbish and Liz said no one had counted them out at the beginning so prove it !! Then they examined the car in crazy fine detail and luckily we had no damage as we later learned of a few people who had been charged masses of money by the same company for suspension, clutches etc!!! The grupiest one said the lamp didn't work so we needed to pay for it then switched it on ok...he claimed there was condensation init which would break it in the end. We argued that the lamps were obviously hopeless for outside use which they were for and his colleague said they always break so they were changing them soon...with backpackers money no doubt!! We paid for the lamp and Jonny asked him for it we had paid for a new one and we didn't want him to have it broken or not. Julia and Stefan took it as they were travelling in a camper van. We were all pretty miffed but by others accounts had got away lightly !!! We all checked back into the hostel, got showers and met up for lunch of leftover eggs and toast. The stinkies were still stinking after showers and laundering their clothes...eurrgggh!!!! We all went for a walk into the town or what there is of it. We found a sports club which served food and plays "kick ass" tunes on a Saturday night so we decided to go there for the night. We all showered and changed and went for food in the sports club. We had to wait for an hour for the food so joined the locals watching a game of rugby on the big screens. We ate our meals and sat drinking for a while waiting for the "kick ass" tunes to start. Phil played aTV game called Keno which is a mini lottery played 24hrs on its own TV channel .You bet on a certain number of numbers being drawn and win depending on how many you chose. he didn't win!!! Then the lights dimmed slightly and Rainbows top nightclub started. It consisted of a disco ball and a big screen showing MTV !!!!! We weren't very excited by it so went back to the hostel to retire !!!!