Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island. It is a popular holiday destination known for its beauty, fresh water lakes and ancient
rainforests. It is located just off the coast of Queensland, only a two and half hour's drive north of Brisbane. I have been wanting to go to this place since I arrived in Australia, but it is an incredibly difficult and expensive place to get to. The only way to get around on Fraser is by 4
WD, so you either have to join a tour or rent your own.
This Easter weekend
Vas, I and two of his friends from work decided to make the trip. We opted for renting our own 4
WD, as it proved to be cheaper than joining a tour, even with the ferry fee and the camping permits. It has been raining pretty heavily in south east Queensland in the last couple of weeks, so we were a bit worried about the weather, but it was fine for most of the time.
And the trip was great. We swam in crystal-clear fresh water lakes. Tanned on stunning white sand. Survived a dingo attack. Chilled in a fresh water stream. Drove on the beach and on bumpy forest roads. Crashed the side of the car into rocks exposed by the rain. Had to pay 250 dollars for the repair. Maybe not so fun. But getting to drive over those rocks certainly was.
It is no joke driving on the beach, even though some people seem to think so. The speed limit is 80 km and there are several dangers along the way. This Saturday,
two backpackers lost their lives when their car overturned around the place we were camping. Several others were injured, some of them seriously. Some of the reports say one of the people in the car was Norwegian.
The beach is a highway. It is definitely not the place to put down your towel to tan.
There are dingoes on Fraser Island, Australia's native dog-like creature. They can be dangerous, especially for children. Some of you might recognise the phrase "A dingo took my baby."
When we were at a lake swimming we got closer to dingoes than we would have liked to. This one is trying to steal a bag, but was chased away with sticks. Afterwards it came within two meters of us. It just stood there looking at us for several minutes, while we stood faced towards in it the dingo brace position - arms crossed over the chest. Then it backed off and left.
Waiting to cross one of the rockier spots on the beach. There are certain places on the beach where there are rocks you have to drive over. Some places there are bypasses you can take, but not everywhere. Because of the rain, the rocks were really exposed and there would be cars on every side of them lining up to pass. We drove over different rocks and did fine until we managed to hit the side step of the car, which almost fell of. I guess it could have been worse.
It was raining heavily one night, so we did the cooking in the car. The rain was no drama though.
Hege is an
involuntarily experienced camper when it comes to rain, so our tent was covered in tarp on the outside - and completely dry on the inside.
A fresh water creek with beautiful water to swim in. The stream is quite strong, so it is perfect to float down.
A proper Aussie Easter Sunday chill.
