Folks, it’s definitely not easy to write a blog like mine, depending what happened summarise 1-3 days in one post. That’s so much work and time you have to invest, especially while i’m traveling alone. I have todo all on my own; driving, planing next sights and where to stay for the next night, shopping, writing, sorting pictures, find wifi spots to upload the pictures. I never thought that i gonna need so much time, especially when you have days like yesterday, you have about 2 weeks in backlog and you want to write some posts and you cannot find any words. *Aaaaaarrrgghhh* n…just to let you know and participate 🙂
(2015/03/19)… 8.30am i got picked up at the patrol station with an MAN customised 4WD tourbus. Wow what a vehicle, i think i need one of these for our burns ;-). Inside, 40 seats, i know very touristy but that was the only think in my budget. A self driven tour in a 4WD SUV behind a tour guide is that what you want, but wasn’t inside my budget. The bus was fully booked so there was no big choice where to sit. Oh, that was almost a lie, there was a choice, the guide asked, if someone wants to sit on the front beside the driver. Ha? Ha? No one raised their hand and i took the chance to drive in the front cabin and to have the best view. As we reached Inskip we had to drive on soft sand. Holy that was ride, a good teaser what will expect us at Fraser Island. Yes, i had my Gopro with me and recorded the drivings on the Island.
Arriving at high tide, there was only a small strip of beach to drive and after one km we had to take the way through the island to reach the Seventyfive Mile Beach. Having a good driver who knows where to drive was really cool, i think i wouldn’t had so much fun driving on my own. He know his truck very good, each spot where to use all the settings not to get stuck. At the beach, oh sorry he said it’s a official highway, we speeded with about 80-100km/h. Crossing some creeks and landing waves splashed water on the front window, especially the creeks had sometimes deeper dips and it was really shaking inside the truck. After a short coffee break we continued our travel inside the island to Lake McKenzie. I have to tell you, a roller coaster ride is nothing compared to that ride, in front of the truck, through the curvy, lots of dips softy sand. Hell, the car was shaking in all directions and the driver continuously changing the gears and de-/activating the differentials. The lake was really awesome, fresh and clear water, best quality for drinking. One thing i didn’t took on the pictures, was the crowd on the beach. That was the most annoying point about these touristy tours and i really thought about how amazing this island must be, having an own 4WD car and staying there for some nights, far away from the lodges or hotel on the island, sleeping on the beach or on top of the car.
At Central Station we did a short rainforest walk beside a small creek. Almost the whole island is just sand, so even the creek. You couldn’t see the water there, it was so clear, clam and quite, so that you thought it might is a dry creek. Only flowing on sand, a creek doesn’t make any noises. Later when some trees or branches where inside you could here it very silent. The guide was hilarious, he asked who is traveling as backpacker or campervans and only survive by eating noodles or toast bread and advised them to put all remaining from the lunch in their pockets to have good food for few more days. While waiting outside till our bus show up again, i saw an older lady trying to get into an other bus, this bus started to drive backwards and to close the door while she was still boarding. The lady felt backwards out of the door and on the concrete. It took a few seconds for my to realise it, i thought that maybe some other people from the bus are getting out to help, but i was wrong. I jumped up, ran to the lady to help her, where i heard something falling out of my pocket, it was my iPhone. Luckily the lady didn’t had any serious injury, she was okay and more shocked what happened. Together we helped her to get up again. Now i walked back to my fallen iPhone. DOH! DRAMA! It felt exactly with the display down on the concrete. SPIDER APP! NO!!!!! This cannot be true, i was already trying to save money where i can to compensate some expenses. What a bummer!
After the lunch and the drama, the Maheno Shipwreck and Pinnacle Coloured Sands was visited. The Seventyfive Mile Beach is also used as landing strip. While heading to our sights, one airplane started beside us and an other landed. While parking at the shipwreck the pilots came to the truck and offered us to fly with them around the island ($75, as far as i can remember). It was relatively cheap, compared to the flights around the Uluru, but still….you know already….out of my budget. A few of us took the chance for the short flight. At Eli Creek they landed and joined us again. Eli Creek, it would be so awesome, walking or swimming in the creek, wouldn’t be there hundred of people walking in the creek like zombies. I had no intention to make a picture of that, but you can imagine based on the picture how many cars are parking there, how busy this spot was. The day was already getting to it’s end and time for us to get back to the barge. Still having enough low tide, it was possible for us to drive around and skip the road inside to get to our landing point.
As the barge landed on the beach, there was one car and 4 backpackers getting to the island. The driver asked them where they wanna go, because it was already 4pm and they will not reach any campground till its getting dark. That are at least 20km through inland, soft sand, passing all that animals which can harm you (dingos, snakes,….). The ferry driver, our trunk driver and even my self was astonished what crazy people that are. On the day before i tried to make a plane like this one, just walk there, but based on maps i canceled that idea, because it was an bad idea, there was nothing which you can reach there by feet easily. That reminded me again to Gogo and Hardy, when they told us about stupid ideas European people have and not listening to locals (and properly then die). Right, you got it, not my problem, Darwin. That reminded me again to Dane, the man who was missed since 3 months on his way to Darwin and that i have to check the news. The barge dropped us safely on the beach, a last right through the soft sand and the day for us was over. I wasn’t the only one who sat in front, there were just two other who sat in front, but only for a short time. For two rides i was sitting in the rear, it wasn’t that roller coaster feeling and of course less chance to have a great view. When i come back to Australia, then i have todo that again, stay there overnight, enjoy the nature when all tourists are gone, swim alone (with with someone special) in the lakes and creeks. That was one of the best days i had, and i forgot about my broken display until i had to used it again for finding a spot to stay for the night, near Kybong at the Arrawatta Lookout. Brisbane has an Apple Store and it’s on my way back…