So this is probably going to be the most distracted blog I have written so far because I’m writing it on my friend’s laptop on the way down to the snow in Jindabyne. Buttttt I figured this would be a good time to fill everyone in on my way overdue Brisbane/Fraser Island trip I took about two weeks ago. It was an amazing trip to say the least and I would like to share some of the things we did while we were gone.
My friend Beth and I took the train in to Sydney Wednesday night to stay with Jackie’s host family so we could get up for our 6:30 am flight to Brisbane the next morning. It was my first time meeting her host family and seeing where in Sydney they lived. Emma (here host mom) was so nice and very welcoming to me and Beth when we arrived. They live in an area called Gordan about 20 min from the main area of the city. Their house was beautiful and the entire family (her husband and 3 sons) were very nice. We attempted to sleep for a few hours before waking up at 345 to catch the 420am train to the airport. As I’m sure you predicted...none of us got a single minute of sleep; but it was off to Brisbane.
After landing we checked in to our first ever hostel (or backpackers club). None of us knew what to expect but we sure lucked out. After a free upgrade to our own private suite we decided to get some “breakie” (breakfast) and head to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary about 20 min outside the main city. The sanctuary was so neat. It had hundreds of Koalas of course but wombats, dingos, platypus, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, Australian birds, alligators, emus, sheep and herding dogs as well. We got to hand feed kangaroos and hold a Koala. It was so neat to be up close and personal for the first time with some of Australia’s well known animals.
After the Lone Pine we went back in to the city and explored the botanical gardens and shopped around a bit. We called it an early night because we were all exhausted and had an early morning ahead of us to Frazer Island.
After a VERY bumpy ride in the 4WD vehicle that picked us up in Brisbane (you know how much I enjoy long bumpy car rides) we had finally made it to the ferry that would take us to the island. (About a 3 hour trip from Brisbane)
For some background knowledge about Fraser Island before I tell you about the trip: Fraser has over 40 fresh water dune lakes. The reason for all the lakes is because of the massive fresh water table found under the island. Because salt water weighs more than fresh water, the fresh water is trapped beneath the island and not let out in to the ocean. There is enough fresh water under the island to supply the entire city of Brisbane for 10 years! The lakes are formed by sand blows, or the strong winds that move the sand and dunes around uncovering areas to expose the water table. At some spots on the island the sand is 500 meters deep and can be made up of over ten different colors! Not only does the sand extend far beneath the service but it stretches for miles. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world (76 miles long and about 17 miles wide) and is one of the only places in the world where large dense rain forests can be found growing in nothing but sand. It is known that there is more sand found on Fraser than in the Sierra desert. There are over 600 different plant species that grow there and home to over 300 species of native animals. Fraser Island is home to some of the only purebred dingos left in Australia. This is because domestic dogs are not allowed of the island so there is no chance for interbreeding between the two. These dingos are beautiful and look so cute and cuddly, but don’t be fooled. They are very aggressive towards humans for food and there have been many human attacks and even deaths over the last couple of years. For protection from dingos, our resort was entirely fenced in with a cattle grate over the entrance to the driveway. It didn’t take the dingos long to outsmart this grate so electric wires had to be put in-between the grates to ensure the safety of the guests. Our tour guide made it pretty clear the current flowing through those wires was pretty strong. “Mates, don’t forget to walk around to the gate when entering the resort. There is not a hospital near by”.
So now for some information on some activities we did during our stay at Fraser (might want to Google theses places to get a better image):
Day One: Swam in lake Wabby, saw wild horses, dingos, and found “pippys” (clams) on the beach where we later cooked and ate some to try...(disgusting). After dinner Jackie, Beth and I went out to the beach to look at the stars. It was absolutely beautiful. I had never seen so many stars, so bright, all at one time. I have also never seen the milkyway so vibrant in my life. I didn’t even know what this “rainbow” of stars was until I asked the tour guide. It is also very neat to see all the different constellations (like the Southern Cross) and the same ones I am use to seeing in just a different location. Our tour guild also showed us this stuff in the sand that glows in the dark when you drag your feet over it. Weird I know, and I honestly have no more information on it then that haha.
Day Two: Jackie, Beth and I set our alarms for 5:45am and walked down to the beach to see the sunrise over the ocean. It was so beautiful and I would have to say, one of the few sun rises I have seen in my life. Haha. After breakfast we hiked to the top of Kirrer sand blow. It is a huge sand dune (about 200meters high) formed by the wind moving sand across the island. It was such a beautiful sight at the top to look out and see nothing but what looked like a rolling sand desert with the bright blue ocean in the background. On the way up to the top we got a chance to drink from a natural fresh water spring and paint our faces with the rocks that Aboriginals used for their paintings. We also got to see clumps of natural glass that forms when lightning strikes the sand. As we were passing this area with little black shinny rocks, I made the mistake of asking our Australian tour guide what kind of rocks they were. He replied: “They are coffee rocks. When you break them apart in your hand and taste the inside of them, they taste like a dark roasted coffee bean”. Of course being the trustful American that I am, I tried this “coffee rock”. I’m sure you figured out where this story was going...it did not taste like coffee at all. Just a normal black sandy rock; typically not on the breakfast menu at local cafes. After taking thousands of pictures and burying me neck deep in sand at the top of the sand blow we hiked back down and enjoyed a picnic of fresh salad sandwiches...yummmm. Because our 65 year old tour guide loved our energetic group of Americans so much, after about 10 minutes of us begging to ride shotgun in the big safari truck, he let us. So on the way to our next destination (lake bieribine) Beth and I led the guided tour by singing karaoke to Brittany Spears and Backstreet Boys on the pull down microphone (I don’t know how the other passengers felt about this). This lake was beautiful! The water was so clear and the sand was extremely white. We laid out for a bit then headed to the rainforest which was suppose to be home to 6 of the 10 most deadly snakes in the world (very comforting). We never came across any snakes or scary critters but we got to see huge trees that were only native on the island. These trees were so big about 12 people could stand at its base and wrap their arms around it and it still wouldn’t connect to the other side. The rainforest also had a creek that ran all the way through it. I didn’t even notice it at first because it is completely silent. A normal fast moving creek like this one would normally make sounds hitting the rocks along its path. However, because the island is completely made out of sand, it had no rocks in its way to create any sort of noise. It was pretty neat.
Day 3: We took a long drive out to the end of the island (Indian head). We were able to climb to the top and look out over the cliff and see the entire corner of the island. Oceans, sands, and forests all in one glimpse. It was breathtaking and my favourite view of the entire trip. We also went to Eli Creek, the biggest creek on the island and got to walk around and tour the S.S Maheno ship wreck that happened on the island in the late 1930s.
We had had a long, long, LONG weekend and had seen and done so much. We were definitely ready to get off the bumpy island and head home to a nice hotel in Brisbane for a change. We went out to some pubs in Brisbane in attempt to be cool college students again but we were back in bed ready for a good night of sleep by midnight (I know, party animals). We woke up in the morning and all went for a nice run in the Botanical gardens by the river and boardwalk and ate brunch in China town. Then it was off to the airport to return to Sydney and later that night, Wollongong.
I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. I admit I was really nervous planning everything by myself but it couldn’t have worked out better. This trip not only provided me with spectacular sights and memories I will hold on to for the rest of my life but it also proved to me that I have to ability to travel the world on my own. That was a huge step for me assuming I haven’t planned trips further than Southpoint mall in Durham. Haha.
Sorry this blog was so long and probably very boring! I had so much to cover and like I said, writing in the car trying to focus with blasting music in my ear isn’t where I normally do my best work. But thanks for reading and for all of your support and prayers throughout my journey.
Cheers mates!
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