Fraser Island

Saturday 16/12

By Florence:

This morning we woke up early to get a car to go to Fraser Island. We woke up, packed our bags, and ate. Then we packed everything and left the house. We had a 10-15 minute drive to the car shop. We got our other car (4WD) and switched some things over to our new car. We also got a tent, a table, chairs, and some other things. Then we left and took the ferry to go on the island. The ferry was maximum 10 minutes. When we arrived, we were on sand! We drove a long time on the sand and it was soooooo fun. We the arrived at a spot called Champagne pools. It was 12 so we first ate so we didn’t burn. We ate a salad the we had already half prepared before. It was really good. The only thing that was bad was that we were eating next to the toilets to get shade. It didn’t really smell good. When we were done we went to the Champagne pools. It was technically a “pool” shaped with rocks and then the water was with the waves blasting in. That’s why it was called the Champagne pools. It was super fun to be in there. We also found a rock where we could stand and when there was a wave, we would jump with it. When we were done we went a bit further, to this place called Indian Head. It was a big rock and from the top you could see shadows of sharks, rays, and much more stuff. We went and we saw two eagle rays. It was really nice. We left and we continued driving on the sand until this river of fresh water. It was freezing cold but we were full of salt and sand so we went in. We didn’t stay long cause it was starting to become high tide and we can’t ride in the salt water. We left and tried to find a spot to camp. We found about three different ones but we picked the one that had the nicest view and where it was flat. We got the tents and the mattresses out of the car and we put the tents up. When we were done putting up the tents and arranging everything, we went to the sand and we started trying to make a sandman. It was really hard. We didn’t finish it because it was starting to get dark and we were gonna eat an appetiser. We put the tables and chairs on the sand and we ate. It was good. Then we started to make dinner. I made the sausages and meat, while dad made the rice. The dinner was delicious! When we were done we directly went to bed because we were tired. That was our day. Bye!

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By me:

We leave the house a bit later than expected (8:15am instead of 7:30am). We woke up at 6:30am but there was a lot to pack and we took a nice breakfast.

We leave Tin Can Bay and drive to Rainbow Beach where we arrive at 8:45am. The car, a Land Cruiser, is ready, as well as the equipment (tent, mattresses, stoves, table, chairs, tableware…).

We first go to Inskip Point, from where we take the ferry (10’ ride).

We drive on the 120-km long white beach. What a great feeling! The speed limit is 80 km/h. The light is beautiful.

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. Unlike on many sand dunes, plant life is abundant. It’s a precious part of Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.

We stop at the famous shipwreck on the beach.

We eat our lunch near the toilets; that’s the only place where we could find a bit of shade). Good salad that we had prepared yesterday evening.

We spend some time at Champagne Pools, playing in the waves, and to Indian Head from where we see eagle rays.

We then go to Eli Creek to rinse ourselves with cool and fresh water.

It’s already 4:30pm; it’s time to find a camping spot for the night. We find a nice one. We quickly put up the tents (the new one is easy to put up, and it’s quite spacious). We then enjoy a very nice aperitif on the beach. We are alone.

We cook some meat for dinner (sausages and good steak), with rice.

A small token of appreciation: Isabelle is good at organizing this kind of small trip “in the wild” and thanks to her way of  thinking of what must be prepared / bought / taken with us, she makes these small camping trips enjoyable. I’m often puzzled by the things she buys (such as a hammer recently…) but they often prove useful. By the way, we travel since the beginning of the trip with a kitchen knife and a peeler, which are both very useful to cut fruits and vegetables.

Right after the dinner, we all go to bed! We couldn’t see any shooting star unfortunately…

 

Sunday 17/12

By Ludivine:

I woke extra early (5:30am) and got out of the tent to read on the beach. It was quiet relaxing until mom started making me mad and stressing me out. She was bossing everyone and everyone was mad [note from Cedric: it was mainly Ludivine who was mad…]. After we got everything packed up, we jumped in the ocean for a while but couldn’t go too far because of sharks. After that we went to a little freshwater river to rinse off the salt and then drive an hour to Lake McKenzie. Which was a major disappointment. Apparently, the water was supposed to be turquoise but it was just normal blue plus it was crowded and it was raining so it was pretty much a flop. The road to go there was really uncomfortable so it was kinda annoying for the lake to not be worth the pain. After another hour of bumpy roads, we get back to the beach in time for the ferry to get back to the mainland. While waiting, we spot dingos! Back on mainland, we return the 4×4 then go fetch an ice cream at “crème de la crème” which is a delicious ice cream shop. Then finally, we go to where we were staying that night and while we are catching up on the internet we missed on Fraser, dad goes and gets fresh pizza from a Italian restaurant and we eat that for dinner.

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By me:

We fold the tents, wash the dishes and put everything back in the car. Not the most amusing part of the trip, certainly not for the 2 girls who are not that happy that we bought this new tent…

We drive again on this beautiful beach and then go toward the west coast of the island

We go to Lake McKenzie. The road to go there is quite bumpy; it takes 1 hour to drive the 20km. We drive on sand all the way to the lake; the path is very nice, through pristine rainforest.

When we arrive at the lake, we eat the picnic (sandwiches) that I prepared this morning. For once, humans are the ones that are obliged to eat in fenced areas, to be protected from the dingoes, which roam free on the island. We still haven’t seen any though… No food is allowed on the shores of the lake.

The sky becomes overcast. We can’t really see the famous turquoise waters of the lake with these clouds. We stay only 30′, just the time to swim in this nice lake.

We go back to the beach and drive towards the place where the ferry arrives, right on the beach, where the sand is quite soft.

While waiting for the ferry, we see a dingo, a young one. We are excited, not only because we had never seen one before but also because they are wild animals that can be dangerous.

It was a great idea to go to Fraser Island from Rainbow Beach. It’s less touristy and more ‘adventurous’. Thanks Karim for the advice!

When we arrive at Debbie’s (where we booked a family apartment), she drives us to one of her friends who has a nice apartment in her house, with 2 rooms. It’s perfect for us. Kids enjoy the good Wi-Fi.

I go and grab 3 pizzas in a restaurant in town. I also try to buy some milk and Rice Bubbles (the Australian name of the infamous Rice Krispies) but everything is closed. It’s really surprising that “life” ends so early here. Even the restaurants: they usually accept the last orders at 8pm…

Everybody is in bed by 9pm. I work on my emails till 11:30pm.

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