Had you asked me three days ago if I'd ever driven a four wheel drive off-road through a rainforest my answer would have been no. The same goes for whether I'd seen a dingo or done the washing up in the sea. Now, thanks to our camping adventure over on Fraser Island, I can say yes to all three. And here's how it happened...
Our trip got off to a fairly bad start when we were placed in a car with six Germans. Now I have absolutely nothing against them; it's just that the extent of my German language is 'ich bin zwölf' which is approximately 'zwölf' years out of date, an indicator of how long ago I left my German lessons behind. On the bright side they were at least all female which we figured was a good thing for a camping trip with no showers and shared meals. At the risk of still sounding like a twelve year old girl, boys smell and they eat too much.
Our only saviour at this point was that we were in the lead car which was being driven by the group's tour guide, Geoff, who spoke perfect English (being half Aussie, half American) and had a hell of a lot to say. Picture a bleached blonde Tarzan and you have the exact image of Geoff, but despite his primitive appearance he knew more about this world than anyone else I've met on our trip so far. Each question we asked was answered with a full blown history lesson which we found increasingly interesting the more we learned. He started by telling us that Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, similar in size to Hong Kong, and that although the surrounding water is too dangerous to swim in, the island is full of different coloured lakes, many of which we'd see over the next few days.
True to his word, Geoff led the group straight to Lake Wabby, the island's green lake tinted by the eucalyptus oils contained in the water. The track stopped two kilometres away and so we walked the last part, trudging uphill in the sand in the midday sun. We were just on the verge of melting when we caught our first sightings of the beautiful lake across the sand dunes. Or so we thought. The closer we came we realised that this was no lake at all, but a mirage created by shadows of the trees and distorted by the heatwaves simmering from the sand. We were completely stunned. Of course we'd heard of mirages but I'd always assumed the image was exaggerated by weary and water-deprived travellers, existing only in folk stories and old fables. But here we saw it with our own eyes; a glistening lake one minute and a baron desert the next.
It was another ten minutes or so before we reached the real Lake Wabby but it was absolutely worth the wait. The turquoise green water stands out against the bright white sand dunes and then fades into the darker green forestry behind. It's simply amazing. As we bathed in the water we stayed on the lookout for the different kinds of fish that dwell there. Those swimming out in the depths spotted catfish whilst we hung out with the smaller fish, including those which nibble the dead skin from your feet. We stayed there for over an hour making the most of our free fish pedicures and cooling off before the long walk back.
By the time we'd climbed back into our cars we were ready to go and check out our campsite. What we found was a cluster of tents out on the open beach and a plastic sheet hung over some trees creating a communal area in the corner. For dinner, each group was given a gas stove, metal plates and a bag full of rice and vegetables. As we threw all of our ingredients into the pan my mind was already unwrapping the cereal bars in my bag but somehow we mustered up an amazing meal - stir fried rice and veg with soy sauce and sand as seasoning!
It seemed we weren't the only ones to appreciate the food either. A whole load of dingoes joined the party, trying their luck at snatching any leftovers. We'd been warned away from them because they have the potential to turn nasty but aside from Hana who's terrified of dogs, we never felt very threatened.
The rest of the evening was uneventful but pleasant. We found that the more time we spent with our German girl group, the more we began to really like them and it seemed the more wine they drank, the better their English became. We must have gone through a fair amount of goon ourselves too because when I clambered into my tent later that evening with nothing but a sheet for a cover and a scrunched up hoodie for a pillow I was very nearly comfortable.
The next thing I knew it was morning and we woke up to find the others already starting on breakfast. Yes, we liked these Germans a lot! It was pouring with rain and a few of the tents hadn't survived the night so the scrambled eggs sizzling in the pan played an essential part in building the team's spirits. Hana and I offered to do the washing up as we'd slept through the cooking phase but then realised there was no running water on site. What there was, on the other hand, was a great big body of water right next to us so we dragged the dirty dishes down to the beach. With each wave that came in one plate was whisked away and another spat back out at us until we were surrounded by a scattering of silver kitchen utensils bobbing up and down in the ocean. It was certainly an experience but not an entirely successful one.
The rain was still in full force when we left the camp but Geoff assured us we'd be getting even wetter at Eli Creek where we were heading. The minute we arrived he ordered us all to strip down to our bathing suits, run up to the top and jump straight in the water before we had a a chance to think better of it. It was absolutely bloody freezing but the beauty of the creek provided a good distraction whilst our bodies readjusted to the crazy temperature change and the current carried us back down to the beach. Despite our initial reluctance to go in, we soon decided that once wasn't enough and floated down twice more before reaching for our towels and warm clothes.
Next on the agenda was another lake, this time Lake Allom which is coloured brown from the tea tree oils found within. Having only just dried off Hana and I opted out of swimming in this one but kept ourselves busy looking out for sea turtles, playing and posing with those that we caught. On our way back to camp we stopped at a view point at the very top of the island and from there I took over the driving, treating the beach like a highway as we raced against the tide to make it back in time for dinner.
After a whole day of activity I was shattered and headed to bed/my tent floor fairly early. Consequently, when Geoff called sunrise at five o'clock the next morning I was already half awake so crawled out of my tent to join a handful of other early risers wanting to witness Fraser Island at first light. The view out across the horizon was breathtaking and for the first time since arriving in Australia I felt a complete sense of calm. It suddenly seemed absolutely mind blowing to me that something that beautiful occurs every day of our lives and yet we're conscious of so few. How many incredible sunrises have I missed because I've been sleeping? I made the promise there and then to experience more.
Once the others were up on the third and final day we saw our third and final lake, this time Lake McKenzie. It's bigger than both Lake Wabby and Lake Allom and clear blue in colour but it's the sand that's truly special here. It has all sorts of magical uses such as cleaning silver, exfoliating skin and even cleaning teeth - all of which we gave a go!
Sadly it was then time to head back to the mainland but not before I had another turn at driving, this time through dirt tracks in the forest leading back to the beach. They were so bumpy that it felt like we were on some kind of simulator at a theme park but this was real life! Although scary at times it was really good fun and I wasn't ready for it to be over.
Looking back on it the entire trip was pretty incredible. In just three days on Fraser Island we crossed an impressive number of things off our bucket lists as well as a whole load of others that we would never have dreamed of putting on there in the first place. It was a refreshing change from the beach towns we've been hopping between ever since we left Sydney which have been lovely but virtually identical in their loveliness. Fraser Island, on the other hand, was an experience like no other and one that I won't forget for a very long time.
No comments:
Post a Comment