Fraser Island to Noosa

January 1
i was up early, my usual 5 am wake up. However, Sleeping beauty was still sawing logs. He said he had a “fat head” and that I was driving this morning. We headed off to the camp kitchen to cook breakfast but after careful examination of the grill and kitchen situation, we decided to cook in our own camper. Barracarab campsite was like Deliverance....I kept hearing banjos in the background and one would definitely wear their shoes on while sleeping!

We are breakie and cleaned up just in time to see Snowie emerge from his trailer. We chatted with him awhile then headed off on the road. Figured we had a 6 hour drive to Hervey Bay. Brad decided to do a side trip to Bundaberg. It’s well known for its rum.

Until now, Brad and I have been getting along..... Brad had a melt down! There was a bit of a mix up on which campsite we were going to..... it was a quiet ride into to Hervey Bay. We had to set up camp in a thunder and lightening storm. It was not fun as it was getting dark, we hadn’t eaten dinner, and we were all wet!

January 2
Up at the crack of dawn to get ready for our excursion to Fraser Island. Fraser Island, off Australia’s eastern Queensland coast, is the world's largest sand island.

The bus picked us up at 7:15 am and drive us to River Heads. It’s locared 15 minutes from Hervey Bay. River Heads is a major departure point for vehicles and walk on passengers to World Heritage-listed Fraser Island. Tbe tide in the channel is awful! The boat had to attempt to dock three time. The first time he had to pull away from the ramp loosing a traffic cone. We were told that once we are told to load we have to move fast. It’s the fastest car loading I have ever seen....BC Ferries you should take a lesson from them! As we were leaving the boat tore off the handrail. While we were loading we saw a little sting ray and flying fish (tick, tick off Brad’s list).

The 4-wheel drive bus picked us up on the other side.
And we headed up to Lake MacKenzie. The lake is located in the Great Sandy National Park. The sands around the lake are composed of pure, white silica and the water in the lake is also so pure it is unsuitable for many species.

Then it was off to walk Central Station located on Wanggoolba Creek. Wanggoolba Creek was a woman’s area and birthing place where men were excluded. This large clearing was later the headquarters of Fraser Island’s forestry operations. Central Station was once home to around 30 houses and a school was also built for the children of the loggers.

After lunch, we headed out to drive the beach. It was so cool!

Maheno, the shipwreck, was originally built in 1905 as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean, Gallipoli and the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated as the ship was being towed from Melbourne to Japan for scrap metal it was caught in a strong cyclone. She drifted ashore and was beached on the eastern shores of Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice for the RAAF. Since then, much of the ship has either been destroyed or disintegrated, and the visible remainder has become severely rusted. Climbing on the Maheno shipwreck is prohibited.

Last stop... the Pinnacles. The coloured sand cliffs have formed over hundreds of thousands of years when minerals leached through the sand and on exposed high sand dunes. Up to 72 different colours, have been found present on Fraser Island with colours being mostly reds and yellows. The Pinnacles is a striking example on Fraser Island where these coloured sands can be viewec.

Stopped at a creek to cool off before the ferry ride back.

We got the ferry back just as it started to storm again. It was a night of rain, thunder, and lightening.

January 3
A lazy start to the day. We spent a good part of the morning trying to find camp ground in Mooloolaba and the Gold Coast....it’s their summer vacation so all sites are full. With lot of phone calls and internet time, we were able to find places for the last three nights before Brad leaves. We had breakfast and took a swim in the pool, then off to drive the Esplanade (Hervey Bay). It was quaint....lots of,people fishing.

We set out google map to Noosa. Checked into our site and headed for Sunshine Beach to play in the waves. They were so big and hit shore so frequently it was difficult to enjoy the water. I kept getting knocked off my feet.

We drove along the river....a very busy sight! People on jet skis, knee boarding, people fosh8ng, kayaks....

Headed back to the campsite as it started to rain....I had some laundry hanging to dry so we had to recuse them. Headed out for a great dinner...thanks for paying Brad!