76. Fraser Island 3

NORTH END –FRASER There are several boardwalks throughout Fraser that make negotiating the cliffs & bluffs such a pleasure.

COLOURED SANDS Kaz preparing lunch at the coloured sands.

LAKE Mc KENZIE Located in the centre of Fraser this lake is simply amazing. We arrived late in the day & shared the lake with few others. The water is so clear. You can dive below the surface & without goggles see for about 30 metres. The sand is like powder & again so pure. The water is cleaned as it rises through the sand below the bottom of the lake. The waters are reputed to be rich in vital nutrients & minerals & cleans jewellery amazingly well. The water changes to a darker blue as it becomes rapidly deeper. We had a ball here & was well worth the journey.

75. Fraser Island 2

FRASER FISH FINDER As usual Matt appears on the scene & bingo, there’s a fish. Matt no sooner came over to me to see what I was up to & hook up. Matt landed this feisty dart off Orchid Beach. Previously , I had surveyed the beach from the top of the cliff to establish rips, gutters etc & could see that the water was crystal clear & the sand very white; this made it particularly easy to spot the rays & sharks that patrol this coastline. The boys were keen to swim so I was able to monitor the arrival of the sharks & rays with my trustee polaroids. When a shark would appear you could spot it easily from 150 metres away; I would whistle the boys & they understood that they had to get out immediately until the shark had moved on.

OLD GROWTH FOREST We left the beach to locate our forest camp & were treated to great tracks surrounded by spectacular timber forest.

74. Fraser Island 1

MOHONO WRECK After negotiating a rising tide at the southern point of the island we powered north towards our camp for night one. On Fraser you must negotiate certain parts at the right time of the tide can catch you out. We had a swim at Eli Creek & moved along the beach to Dundabara Camp. Whereas within the caravan we had lighting, on this trip we had none. The night was black & without any moon it was impossible to see an object a metre in front. Fraser Island is now a National Park & is the largest sand island on earth. The timber forest in the centre of the island is remarkable & is home to many select timbers including  Blackbutt, Turpentine, Tallow etc. As late as the 1940,s these trees were being harvested from the old growth forest. Most travel to Fraser for the endless beaches, but if you are fortunate enough to get there, do spend a night in the forest.

ORCHID BEACH Have a look at this!. This is a part of the island that the tourist coaches cannot access. After diverging from the coastline you take a track through the interior scrub. It is a pleasant journey that just makes you feel real good. After about an hour you come to a small shop & this.

CHAMPAGNE POOLS Champagne floweth over the rim as the cork is released. At least that it was they believe this is like as the waves cascade over these rocks into the clear pools. The water bubbles & foams as the waves break & then enter the pool. It is also quite safe for a swim here. On the other side of those rocks there are many sharks, mainly bronze whalers, so it is always nice to be able to have a splash without the bities.

73.Woodgate Nat. Pk., Fraser Island, Tin Can Bay

WOODGATE NATIONAL PARK We travelled for ages along this very soft sand & eventually found the camp. One of those places that doesn’t really offer too many rewards. The next morning we returned to the main beach at Woodgate & enjoyed a swim, breaky & a bit of a fish. Should have just stayed there the night, but if you don’t check these things out you’ll never know.

TIN CAN BAY Over thirty years ago a stricken dolphin made its way up the shallows to Tin Can Bay looking for refuge after either being attacked by Sharks or suffering injury from fishermen’s  nets. The dolphin was an Indo Pacific species that frequent the waters of Hervey Bay. This lucky dolphin was taken in by some locals & over a period of months recovered so that he was able to return to the wilds. To navigate this river system is a ‘taught’ practice & the male leader then began to bring others from his pod to visit his human friends. To this day & three generations later they still arrive each morning at 7.30 am to be feed. It is a beautiful story & one we were fortunate to experience.

INSKIP POINT After negotiating the extremely soft sands of Inskip point we were on our way to Fraser Island. A car ferry takes commuters from the mainland to the island. We prepaid for our ferry, National Park pass & had our camping permits & were on our first full off-road adventure without the van. For the next few days we would live out of the Landcruiser & sleep in a tent. This is a magnificent part of the country; the climate is perfect, the water just right & adventure abounds.

72. Bundaberg 3

EVERY BLOKE LIKES HIS SHED What a cracker ! I fell in the love with this shed. I know that will seem a little strange to some, but I really like my sheds. Often as we are driving along I will say to Kaz; “nice shed eh?”. This was apparently the original harvesting shed in Bundy before the new processing plant was established. The new plant is the size of a small suburb.

SHED AT SUNSET “Nice shed eh?”

WOODGATE BEACH Just south of Bundy is some of the best of Queensland’s coastline. Firstly we stopped at Coonar Beach; very quiet, only about eight homes in town. Then we moved a little further south to Woodgate. We camped in the coastal bushland  within the Woodgate National Park & nearly got the van stuck between two large trees. These areas we were visiting weren’t that far from substantial towns such as Bundy, but the places were just so undeveloped; hopefully it will stay that way for a little longer.

71. Bundaberg 2

GO CART Dane loves quads & really enjoyed doing a few laps.

GRAND PRIX

SUGAR CANE FIRE The smoke could easily be seen from 15kms away. I had never seen a cane burn & it was something that I had wished to see ever since I was a young boy travelling north with my old man. Matt & I jumped in the car to investigate. The cane farmer was old school & still believes that this is the way to get the best crop the next season.

70. Bundaberg 1

BARGARA BEACH Another of Queensland’s  finest. We loved Bundy & Bargara Beach. The Green & Loggerhead turtles return here each year to lay their eggs.  As a result of this yearly event the surf patrol is unable to place shark nets as this would trap the roosting turtles. Talk about ‘only in Queensland’; up here they drop a line that has a buoy at the surface & is anchored to the oceans floor . Mid way up the line is a baited hook to catch the sharks that patrol this area of coastline. The sharks caught here are mainly great whites & whalers.

MON REPOS This place was established as a turtle rookery many years ago by a bloke from South America, hence the name Mon Repos. The  turtles that come here to lay their eggs have roamed the seas for 30 years before returning to their original birthplace to begin the life cycle over. The time for the return to lay is from Nov to Feb; we were about a week or two early but the discovery centre was informative & interesting. The rangers provide guided tours for limited numbers to witness the annual event.