AIRLIE BEACH TO FRASER ISLAND - WHIPS, LASSOES, SNAKES AND DINGOES...

I left the Whitsunday Islands behind and headed south in a general direction down the Queensland coast. My tour took me inland, some 200km to a cattle station in the middle of nowhere. To give you an idea of the remoteness of the area it was in - a plane crashed in 1945 in the hills surrounding the cattle station and remained undiscovered until 1993. Sadly, there were no survivors. Plenty of food for the dingoes though.

The cattle station was one of the biggest in Oz apparently, with over 10,000 animals waiting to be turned into steaks and thrown onto barbies across the country. It certainly was hillbilly country as the guys taught us to crack whips (the whip cracks when you hear a sonic boom as it breaks the sound barrier). We also had lassoe lessons and had to catch goats, which was pretty hilarious as everyone was useless. The overnight stop was completed with some local produce - steak. The following morning after being taught how to throw a boomerang, we left the rednecks and set off for Hervey Bay, a 700km drive. Shortly after setting off, our driver accidentally ran over a huge Tiger Snake, about 3 meters in length. The poor thing was still crawling across the road with blood pouring from the split in its back, so the driver had to end its suffering and kill it. 2nd snake I've seen here now.

One thing I've found about my time travelling is that it takes more and more amazing experiences to give you the same 'wow' factor. You kind of become immune to being amazed - it's like being spoilt! Well I'm glad to report that the 'wow' factor returned when I visited Fraser Island, "the world's largest sand island". Basically it is a 125km x 25km sand dune that has subtropical rainforest and freshwater lakes on it. Words don't really do it justice, but I'll describe my experience and you'll be able to see the piccies on FB soon.

Our first stop in the 4x4 was a walk through the rainforest, where we saw lizards and green tree snakes. After lunch, where the dingoes were wandering around looking for a feed (an absolute no-no to feed them), we took a swim in the turquoise waters of Lake McKenzie, a huge lake that sits high up above the water table in the middle of the island. Our journey then took us to the breathtaking 75-Mile Beach. We stopped by the rusty Maheno shipwreck that stands out against nothing but golden sand and the waves of the South Pacific.

After bathing in the Champagne Rock Pools - natures version of a jacuzzi by the sea, we climbed to the cliff top of Indian Head, named by Captain Cook as he saw Aboriginies standing on the cliff top as he sailed past, and he described them as Indians. Not only was it a fantastic view over the island and the ocean, I spotted a Dugong (Sea Cow) swimming past in the sea below. Our ranger said it was the first one he'd seen in 3 years of doing the trip.

Our final day took us to Lake Wabby, situated at the bottom of an enormous sand dune, or sandblow, as they are called over here. It's hard to imagine that nature has created something so amazing like this. Our final stop was the clear fresh waters of Lake Birrabean - the perfect end to a perfect trip. Fraser Island - 'wow' factor guaranteed!

Today, I leave Hervey Bay and continue my journey south down the Queensland Coast before arriving back in Sydney at the end of next week. I'll let you know how I get on soon...