Fraser Island to the Great Barrier Reef

Having spent a week in Sydney and hopped my way quickly up the coast I ended up in Paradise!

The view as we arrived at
 Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island which is exactly what it sounds like! An Island completely made of sand blown in from as far away from the South Pole, caught in the coast line of Australia until it builds up and clears the water line. It’s also one of the very few sand islands which supports plant life which leads to a luscious landscape.

Thanks to the joys of discount voucher websites we were staying in the relative luxury of the KingfisherBay Resort rather than having to rough it camping out in the bush. After meeting the resident March Fly I was even more grateful for our plush room! Fraser Island is reached by ferry from Hervey Bay where you join the hundreds of 4x4’s that trek to the Island every day.  The weather was stunning and made for quite a welcome to the Island! Our first day on Fraser was spent relaxing by the pool because frankly this sightseeing malarkey is pretty hard work so 
I needed a rest!

On our second day we had booked in to take a tour of the Island on a 4x4 bus. These monster trucks allow you to explore the sights with less chance of you rolling & getting buried in the sand! They are also quite an experience! The tracks are incredibly uneven and give you a roller-coaster ride as you are thrown about. We had a couple of moments where we were on the verge of having to get pulled out but our expert driver got us through. While I can imagine it’s a lot of fun to drive yourself the prospect of having to dig and push a 4x4 every 50 feet isn’t exactly relaxing!

After stopping at one of the sand blows that create the Island (huge sand lakes that allow the sand to cover the forests and build up the layers that keep the island there and able to support the forests.) we headed on to 75 Mile Beach which is neither 75 miles long (more like 73) or a beach really! Its primary use is as a highway and a runway! It’s a slightly surreal experience tanking up the beach at 80kmh passing other vehicles while a small plane takes off and lands in the gaps!

Our first stop on the beach was Eli Creek where you can jump in at the top of the creek and get swept along back to the beach. Interestingly a couple had decided that rather than any of the many picturesque spots Fraser has to offer they would get married on the beach so in effect on the highway and if nothing else in the large car park for Eli Creek!

As I seem to be making a habit of this I went up in the light aircraft that takes off from the beach and crosses the coast to see some of the lakes that litter the island. I think I’m definitely a helicopter girl! I wasn’t so keen on getting buffeted around and chasing a Landover down the beach to land was also a little unnerving! I have now completed the number one and two scenic flights in Australia. Apparently the 12 Apostles helicopter is number 1 and the Fraser Island plane is number 2. I think I would have to agree with that order! I’m considering trying to complete the top ten!

The Maheno - Sans the 900
 people standing behind me!

We then carried on up the highway/beach/runway to the Pinnacles (an area of exposed sand where you can see the layers that make up the Island. We then doubled back and stopped at the wreck of the Maheno a ship from the 30’s that ran aground whilst being towed for scrap. The only problem with Fraser Island is the number of people tramping round getting in all your photos! It has the feel of a deserted island paradise until you spot the 200 people who are standing behind you, all taking the same photo as you! As our driver said, the way to ward of a Dingo is say DINGO really loudly, not because it will scare them away but the 200 people charging up behind you to take a picture will!

This was particularly evident at Lake Mackenzie where it proved a little difficult to get a spot to enjoy the crystal clear waters that are supposed to have the power to make you 10 years younger! We finished the day with a bumpy ride back to the hotel for dinner! I’d love to explore the Island more in a smaller group all be it with either some 4x4 training under my belt or an experienced guide! There seemed to be a lot of people bundling off in to the bush thinking they were going for a nice drive down the A12!

In the evening on the Saturday we joined a night walk with our very enthusiastic guide Jay who showed us round the nightlife that inhabits the resort. A Sugar Glider, Trap Door spiders, Wolf spiders (whose eyes reflect light and look like they belong to something the size of a wolf!) and Stingrays all provided an amazing night time show. Although my wildlife curse struck again when we didn’t see any Dingo’s! The evening was topped of with a huge fireball meteor streaking across the sky. The bonus of staying at an eco-resort meaning very little light pollution and a stunning nights sky, the smudge of the Milky Way clearly visible!

Sunday morning and we got out early to join a Kayak safari along the Island coast to another Mangrove Creek which supports a complex eco system of plants and wildlife – none of which wanted to come out and play! I’m told they always see turtles and snakes in the water so clearly my curse struck again!

After a last hour soaking by the pool we reluctantly climbed aboard the afternoon ferry to return to the mainland and I struck out on my own again up the East Coast on the overnight Greyhound! Unfortunately I seemed to pick up the Gap Year students who had spent the summer working to get their second Working Holiday Visa and were a little bit over excited at the prospect of a 14 hour coach ride! I’m not entirely sure I understood their enthusiasm but we made it to the end of the journey without me going postal on them so everything’s fine!

I had arrived in the Whitsundays, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and they are a stunning set of Islands! I caught the early ferry to Long Island a slightly dilapidated Honeymooners paradise and went off to explore my new surroundings. I decided to take the leisurely 5.9km walk which turned into a mammoth 3 ½ hour tramp across the island! Although I did stumble across the other resort on the island, now deserted as the owners went in to receiver ship. It’s a slightly odd place. Left pretty much intact and as it was when up market holiday makers swam in the pools & relaxed on the verandas of the cabins. This is all ready for any potential buyers coming to visit but makes for a slightly eerie walk through if you are on your own!

My second day in the Whitsundays was the day of my trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We headed out early to meet the huge catamaran that took us to the reef pontoon that Cruise Whitsundays have moored out Knuckle Reef about a 2 hour sail from the mainland. I got talked into doing a scuba dive and another helicopter ride! The staff were great and with 80 of us on board neither the board or the pontoon felt that busy. I’m not sure the same could be said if the boat was at capacity of 300.

Scuba diving was out of this world! We went out in groups of 4, 2 to an instructor who guided us round the reef. Unfortunately the current was fairly strong and we had someone in the group who was having some difficulty getting used to the breathing technique they wouldn’t let me swim on my own I had to remain hand in hand with the instructor.  The reef really was gorgeous and everything you see on the telly! The diversity of the reef and animal life calling it home blew me away and I had to keep reminding myself that swimming around with my mouth open the whole time was not going to be a good idea! When I realised we were heading back to the pontoon I couldn’t believe our hour was already up! I jumped straight back in the water as soon as I could with snorkel and mask to see the reef from above.

After lunch it was time for my helicopter flight. I’d been disappointed earlier in the day when I was told I might not be able to go up because I was travelling on my own! But when I went to check in I discovered that not only was I going up but they’d upgraded me for free to the 20 minute flight instead of the 10 minute flight. It meant that I got to see more of the reef including the heart shape reef that makes it on to postcards and posters around the world. It’s much smaller than you imagine but the blues and greens of the sea are unbelievable and none of my photos will do them justice! As we headed back to the pontoon we saw a couple of logger head turtles and stingrays gliding through the water. Although apparently my wildlife curse had struck again as our pilot pointed out they usually saw a lot more!

After another swim and a glass bottom boat ride we headed back to the mainland. I spent the evening in the beach bar watching the sun set – the colours were stunning! It proved to be a little hard to connect with people as the resort was so couple and family orientated but I managed to getting chatting to a couple of people.

In the morning it was time to say goodbye to the picturesque Whitsundays and start the journey back to Melbourne for my last few days in Australia! I have thoroughly enjoyed the 5 weeks I’ve spent down under.  I love the mix of old and new that you get in all the cities on the East coast. It’s probably a lot to do with the fact that I spent the most time there but Melbourne really stood out for me. The thriving arts scene means it’s just my kind of place and the communities within the thriving suburbs are really interesting. Whereas Sydney had a few nice spots there was too much big city grime mixed in with it, Melbourne’s nice bits outweigh the grotty stuff. The close proximity to places like Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road so you can easily escape the big city also make it a winner for me.