|
It was 11am on Saturday morning and after days of discussions we had finally come up with a plan for the weekend - 4 wheel driving on Fraser Island.
Named after shipwreck victim Eliza Fraser, the World Heritage listed sub-tropical Fraser Island has an array of natural wonders including beautiful rainforests, pristine lakes, endless surf beaches, immense sand blows, cliffs of coloured sands, crystal clear streams and vast stretches of mangroves. Fraser Island is 125km long and over 160,000 hectares in area. It was formed during the ice age when the prevailing winds transported vast quantities of sand from New South Wales and deposited it along the coast of Queensland forming the Island.
In this fragile eco-system the rainforest consists of huge satinay and brush box, kauri pines, piccabeen palms and the rare angiopteris fern which is one of the largest ferns in the world. All this growing in pure sand! There are several lakes on Fraser Island each with its own individual character - from lakes stained red with tannin to others with pure white sand and crystal clear water. Swimming in these lakes is a memorable experience.
Fraser Island is also home to over 200 species of birds along with a variety of mammals, wallabies, snakes, possums, turtles and flying foxes. Now listed as a World Heritage site, Fraser Island joins the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Kakadu National Parks as being of universal significance as the largest coastal dune system and sand island in the world and for its special environments.
|
| Ely Creek-Natural River Rapids |
Our local guide (Aarron) pointed us in the direction of Rainbow beach, an entry port for the island and off went the Commoners (AKA Sherry, Sean, Aarron, Dave, Liz the name comes from our pub quiz team) and Laeti. We arrived in Rainbow beach at around 2pm and picked up the 4WD, and then Dave was plunged right in at the deep end and just 5 minutes into the journey had to negotiate beach terrain to enable boarding of the ferry. More or less as soon as we landed, well after the first beers were flowing we saw Dingos on the beach. We only had a few hours until dark but in that time we went floating down Ely creek, a natural river rapids ride and had a good look at the Mahino. The Mahino ran aground on Fraser in the 1970s and is slowly deteriorating but looks very dramatic on the deserted beach.
|
| Mahino Wreck |
|
| Dinner under the stars |
We camped at a designated site just off the beach. We first located the desired BBQ then pitched our tent nearby! Sean the chef then cooked up a feast, which we ate under the stars.
The next morning we arose early and headed down the beach, it was now time for the hard core 4-by-4-ng to start! Dave negotiated the internal roads with style and we headed for Lake Mackenzie. A freshwater lake surrounded by white sandy beaches. The water was a gorgeous temperature. We stayed a few hours, and even had time for an international cricket tournament!
|
| Cricket by Lake Mackenzie |
It was then back into the jeep and off to visit some more sights of the Island. Another freshwater lake and also a stream that ran through tropical rainforest. Before we knew it, it was time to board our ferry back to Rainbow beach. We had a whirl wind tour of Fraser but there is plenty left to see, so we will return!!
|
