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27th September 2007- Hervey Bay
Arrived at Beeches hostel and spent the day asleep.
28th Septeber 2007- Fraser Island The Fraser Island Company.
Got picked up from the hostel by Alex our Ozzie tour guide. Got on the bus and was greeted by a lad and lass from Newcastle who were really friendly. Arrived at Urangan Boat Harbour and discovered that out tour was slightly changing and we were starting in the South. This we later found out was because of the ferry breaking down (something we later found out is a common occurance). Anyway got chatting to Tara and Ben a couple from Essex who had been in NZ for 9 moinths and only had 6 weeks in Oz. We also learn that Ben had experienced credit card fraud and 4 grand had been spent using his card on the stock exchange. I will not be using my credit card over the internet.
Anyway got on the ferry and the journey across was fairly calm. First stop was Lake Birrabeen. This was a beautiful Lake with clear water and silica sand like Whitehaven Beach. Stayed here for an hour sunbathing and taking in the scenary awesome. Next stop, we flew up to Eli Creek which was rather crowded. Tried to sunbathe but an Ozzie bloke on a fishing trip seemed keen to talk to English girls. Tried to be polite however again he was drunk. Every Ozzie male who randomly chats to us is always drunk no matter what time of day it is!
The creek was ok a bit bizarre how it was so close to the sea which you can't swim in because of jelly fish, deadly fish, crabs, sharks crocodiles basically anything that can kill you or hurt you lives in the sea at Fraser Island. Not sure how the sea is so different to the Whit Sunday sea but enough said about that.
Went to have lunch in the Fraser Island Restaurant and was treated to an all you can eat buffet. Yum got chatting to the people on our table. A couple from Middleborough and Bristol who met at Uni. Can't remember their names which is quite bad and Vicky and Scott from Neeewcastle. Scott was training to be a doctor and Vicky was a psychiatric nurse both cool. After dinner trundled off to the Maheno Shipwreck. The boat was built in 1905 in Scotland and used as a hospital in WWI. It then was sold as scrap to the Japanese in 1935, unfortunately on the way to Japan it was hit by a cyclone and ended up on Fraser Island. Double blow for the Japanese. Sorry Grandad were the Japanese in the first world war if not only single blow.
Anyway that was quite interesting then went onto the Pinnacles that were quite prettty but wasn't really listening to how they were formed and lost the leaftlet that explains their history. Rushed to the Champagne pools but is was getting a bit cold so didn't venture in them. Then got back on the bus and walked up Indians Head. This is where Captain Cook first saw Aboriginees on Fraser Island but he thought they were Indians. Not sure how PC it is to still call it Indians Head but never mind.
Saw some amazing views of Fraser Island but didn't manage to see any whales or dolphins. Walked back down and got back to base camp at the Fraser Island Wilderness Retreat. We were shown our "tents". I feel a bit like I didn't do the Fraser Island experience because our tents were more like bedrooms with canopies on them. 2 beds, lighting, table and chair, towel rack and fresh towels on the bed. Oh and fresh linen with two blankets. Showered in the campsite showers which were warm and powerful and fairly clean and went for tea. Our guide Chris cooked us steak or fish with potato, sour cream, salad, garlic bread and veg. It was less like camping and more like a hotel. No complaints though. Got to know the group and started on the goon, which is tasting better and better by the day especially when my bank balance is so dyer. The group were really nice, then we went on a night walk looking for Dingos and other animals. Walked down to the beach and realised I was desperate for the toilet but could not escape the group. Our night walk was pretty dissappointing we only saw two cain toads how rubbish is that? On the other hand the walk was also slightly uncomfortable as the Swiss woman who was travelling with her daughter had hooked up with the Swiss bloke who was travelling on his own. Every so often they stopped to snog either when the group were there or they trailed behind. So as we were walking back I seized the opportunity and went for a wee on the beach as they were walking past. If they had no decorum and idea of what is socially acceptable me peeing on the beach hardly seemed disgraceful. Plus I had 5 glasses of wine so whatever!
Went back to the base camp with the dishwasher, CD player, sinks, fridges, icecream, wine glasses and pots and continued to drink. Got chatting to the group and people went to bed and me, Catherine, Chris,Vicky,Scott and Kathy were left we were then discussing the situation with the Swiss couple and came to the conclusion that they must have hooked up on the tour. Her daughter did not come on the walk I wonder why how embarassing!
After this some people from the self drive group came to join us including one of the girls from our room at the hostel who was really chatty and funny. They were all totally wasted and a boy called James came and sat next to me. However James forgot my name 3 times and where I was from twice. He then proceeded to tell me that teaching in a private school was much better as kids there wanted to learn. When I pointed out that some didn't but mummy and daddy wanted to pay for this education. he told me 99% did. He obviously knew best as he had gone to Oxford but not actually finished his degree. So when I said "so you went to Oxford but couldn't cut it" he seemed to get a bit offended. He then asked my name again. He then continued to ask about earthquakes in Indonesia and when people gave him the answers he didn't like them. At this point I am practically falling off the bench as he moves closer in his drunken state. He asked me again where I was from and then said your not offended are you. He then said you look pissed off like your going to kill me. I half replied jokingly no I only feel tempted to smash this bottle and put it over your head. He took me quite serious and when his mate normal Neil suggested they go to bed he said yes. I think I really upset him ooooooops but I wrote my name on the f#*%$@g table what more does the boy want. Anyway we all shortly went to bed and I enjoyed the evening.
Saturday 29th September 2007- Day 2 Fraser Island
We were woken up by the sound of dustbin lids at 7:00. Had breakfast cereal, toast, fruit, tea, orange juice and set off to Lake Wabby. Now as everyone knows I am fairly lazy but when travelling with Sarah lazinness did not really happen. Well Kathy is a girl after my own heart and was not impressed with the 1.8km walk over sand dunes to Lake Wabby. To be honest it was hot! It felt like we were in a desert trying to reach an Oasis. Once over the last sand dune we saw Lake Wabby which is truly beautiful sunbathed for a while and then went for a swim. Left there and walked back which was slightly easier and set off for Yidney Rainforest. However this is where we hit vechile problems and we had "dramas." For the last day we had, had Alex the tour guide saying "No dramas" "no worries" at every spot we arrived at.
We now had a drama the air in the vechile had gone which meant the tyres wouldn't work and neither would the stairs at the back of the vehicle that got highered everytime we got in the vehicle ( a bit like a spaceshop staircase). So no worries turned into a bit of a worry. While we waited for the repair man we ate our lunch on the beach not quite like breaking down on the M25 in December.
The vehicle was fixed within an hour which gave time for sunbathing we then went rather fast to Yidney Rainforest. We got told to get out and Alex would meet us after a 20 minute walk. So we all got out and Alex drove away. Then someone asked which way was it. There was only two ways and even though Alex had driven one way (back the way we had came) we presumed he must be looping round. So all 18 of us trundled off down the path after 45 minutes we presumed he had broken down after 50 minutes he came speedily down the track saying we were meant to go the way he had driven. We all came to the conclusion this was his fault because 18 people could not be wrong. So we got back in the truck and Alex hammered it through the rainforest. Unfortunately on 3 occassions the air went again and then we lost the wing mirror. It was all going so well on the first day. Eventually we arrived at Lake Allom which again was beautiful and the water actually did moisturise your skin and condition your hair. We only got to stay here for 45 minutes after all the delays. We then made our way back to the ferry point. I think the whitewater rafting was tame compared to the journey back I was holding on to the seat and we had seatbelts. The journey seemed to last 3 hours. We drove like we had just robbed a bank but we only had 25 minutes to complete a 30 minute journey and there was no other ferries that night. I would have quite liked another night at Fraser especially if it meant I could have avoided the hell of been thrown around the truck. I had even had some of Tara's travel pills (Tara was a lovely woman who will be a great Mum, she had magnetic scrabble, crosswords, travel pills and sunhats). We arrived back to the ferry and were the last ones on. Phew we had made it back on land within an hour.
But oh no not yet!!! The ferry broke down we were stranded or drifting for about an hour. Apparantly when we were departing one of the engines had broken, the whirring sound was not normmal and we had been sailing on one engine. Unfortunately the tide was coming at us and a storm was coming from Brisbane so one engine was just not going to cut it. I was praying "please do not make us get back on the truck and go across sand at full trottle." So by this point I am feeling a little bit sea sick after just about recovering from the journey on the truck. The man on the tanoy apparantly spoke in English but all I heard was we are just waiting for someone to tow us back to land. Well, our help arrived in the from of a fishing boat. How in God's name a fishing boat 1/16 the size of the ferry was going to tow us. (the photos are on facebook).
Well I ate my words and after an hour we were on dry land. So an eventful trip but an enjoyable one could have stayed another day but when Gareth and I come back we can do a three day hey babe. Arrived back at the hostel knackered and got chatting to the French people in our room who were really nice. All students who were smoking pot and drinking and amazed that the 2 English girls were not drinking on a Saturday night. I tried to defend myself but decided not to bother.
Sunday 30th September 2007
Lay in until 12:00 went shopping for food and had brunch at the Black Dog Cafe which was really nice but I stunk of onion for the reSt of the day. I was going to go to the museum but decided putting photos on facebook was something I needed to learn to do. Bumped into the girls from our room who were at Fraser and they invited us to the bar. So decided to get off our lazy arses and go to the bar which apparantly is happening at about 10:30. Got there it was pretty dead spoke to a lad from Rochdale and said hi to the girls who were all trashed very funny!
Let on to the guy who couldn't remeMber my name who comopletely blanked me ooooops. Maybe most girls normally swoon at his feet or maybe I did take the violent threat a bit to far. We left the bar after two drinks and crawled in to bed.
Monday 1st October 2007- Whale Watching Shayla
Got up early and got picked up for whale watching. I was looking forward to the day. Kathy wasn't up for it so I went on my own. Got chatting to a girl called Joyce from Holland who was very cool. It took us 2 hours to get to the area where the whales hang out. They are on their way back to Antartica after giving birth near Cairns and Airlie Beach. We didn't see any for ages but they had been breaching in the distance as other boats had seen them. Managed to see a pod but they were just swimming in the sea and occassionally tail slapping. This was still cool but they kept going under water and coming back up. Eventaully at around 12:00 we met some whales who were breaching and coming right up out of the water it was so exciting and beautiful. Humpback whales are massive I can't even imagine the size of a blue whale. We watched the whales for around an hour then had lunch. Chicken tortilla wraps. The Ozzies love wraps! After lunch the captain Brett put a net out of the back of the boat and we could grab onto it and be dragged along in the sea it was great fun. Got out and spent the remainder of the day sunbathing as we headed back to shore. Now in the youth hostel starving and going off to pack. We travel to Noosa tomorrow. Looking forward to that!
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