Rainbow Beach.
The ferry at Inskip Peninsula.
Lake Birrabeen and the white silica sands.
The invisible waters of the Wanggoolba Creek.
A strangler vine suffocating a tree.
Wednesday
January 4th
When I went to Queensland back in June, one of the places I wanted to get to was Fraser Island. I had heard that this was a four wheel drive adventure place full of beaches, beautiful blue fresh water lakes, white silica sand beaches and rainforests. However, I didn't really have enough time and it was still at least twelve hours of driving south of Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. So, I decided I would leave it until my last holidays as I drove up to Brisbane to fly home.
I booked a two day trip on a four wheel drive bus with a group of forty people. I drove an hour and a half north to Noosa Heads to meet the bus. The bus originated in the Gold Coast, three hours south. I parked my car there and boarded the bus for the drive through Great Sandy National Park to Rainbow Beach. They claim there are over twenty different colours of sand here as a result of the minerals deposited in the rock and sand of the area. We off loaded and sent an hour having lunch, looking at the beach from the cliff above and exploring the town. Then we boarded again and drove to the Inskip Peninsula to catch the car ferry to Fraser Island. This is a large sand bar where people fish and the ferry just drops its front gate onto the sand and the utes and truck drive on. The trip across was uneventful, although our guide Keith told us that on New Year's Eve day, a rented 4 wheel drive ute rolled off the back of the ferry, floated for 30 seconds and then sank with all the belongings and valuables of the backpackers who had rented it. Luckily no one was on it at the time. Watch the video here:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/01/car-rolls-off-ferry-en-route-to-fraser-island.html
Fraser Island is about 120 kilometres in length and is approximately 24 kilometres in width. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1,840 square kilometres and is the largest island on the East Coast of Australia. It is famous for being the only place in the world where rainforests grow on sand dunes.
The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It is made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Unlike on many sand dunes, plant life is abundant due to the naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi present in the sand, which release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by the plants.
The island is also home to about 150 dingos. We were warned by Keith and signs all over the park not to approach or run away from them as the might be aggressive. There was a sign in our hotel advising not to go jogging as this might trigger an attack.
Our guide, Keith, drove the bus up the 75 Mile Beach, which is the main thorough fare on the island and up a sand road behind the dunes to Lake Birrabeen, one of the over forty fresh water lakes, for a swim. Most of these lakes are called 'perched' lakes because they are perched on top of the sand and don't drain through the sand. The bottom consists of compacted sand and plant matter that has become hard enough and impervious to the water.
It is dangerous to swim in the ocean here as the surf is rough, the rip currents strong and there are many species of sharks around the island. And another guide told Keith that four people had been stung by the potentially lethal irukandji jellyfish and airlifted to hospital last week. The jellyfish are small, clear and invisible but pack a deadly dose of venom that can stop your heart. The lakes have some of the cleanest fresh water in the world. The lake was surrounded by pure white silica sand that was so white it hurt the eyes. We had a nice refreshing swim and relaxed there for a couple of hours.
Then we drove further up the beach before cutting inland through the coastal vegetation and into the rainforest. We went for an hour long walk along the Wanggoolba Creek and through the forest. The water in the creek was so clear that you could see the sand on the bottom and couldn't see the water at all unless you saw the ripples. I love the sound and smell of the forests.
Then we continued on the beach again to our accommodation for the night, the Eurong Beach Resort. We were housed in four share rooms. The main building had a restaurant that served us a large buffet dinner. Then we went down to the beach bar and had a beer before retiring in preparation for an early start.
When I went to Queensland back in June, one of the places I wanted to get to was Fraser Island. I had heard that this was a four wheel drive adventure place full of beaches, beautiful blue fresh water lakes, white silica sand beaches and rainforests. However, I didn't really have enough time and it was still at least twelve hours of driving south of Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands. So, I decided I would leave it until my last holidays as I drove up to Brisbane to fly home.
I booked a two day trip on a four wheel drive bus with a group of forty people. I drove an hour and a half north to Noosa Heads to meet the bus. The bus originated in the Gold Coast, three hours south. I parked my car there and boarded the bus for the drive through Great Sandy National Park to Rainbow Beach. They claim there are over twenty different colours of sand here as a result of the minerals deposited in the rock and sand of the area. We off loaded and sent an hour having lunch, looking at the beach from the cliff above and exploring the town. Then we boarded again and drove to the Inskip Peninsula to catch the car ferry to Fraser Island. This is a large sand bar where people fish and the ferry just drops its front gate onto the sand and the utes and truck drive on. The trip across was uneventful, although our guide Keith told us that on New Year's Eve day, a rented 4 wheel drive ute rolled off the back of the ferry, floated for 30 seconds and then sank with all the belongings and valuables of the backpackers who had rented it. Luckily no one was on it at the time. Watch the video here:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/01/car-rolls-off-ferry-en-route-to-fraser-island.html
Fraser Island is about 120 kilometres in length and is approximately 24 kilometres in width. It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1,840 square kilometres and is the largest island on the East Coast of Australia. It is famous for being the only place in the world where rainforests grow on sand dunes.
The island has rainforests, eucalyptus woodland, mangrove forests, wallum and peat swamps, sand dunes and coastal heaths. It is made up of sand that has been accumulating for approximately 750,000 years on volcanic bedrock that provides a natural catchment for the sediment which is carried on a strong offshore current northwards along the coast. Unlike on many sand dunes, plant life is abundant due to the naturally occurring mycorrhizal fungi present in the sand, which release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by the plants.
The island is also home to about 150 dingos. We were warned by Keith and signs all over the park not to approach or run away from them as the might be aggressive. There was a sign in our hotel advising not to go jogging as this might trigger an attack.
Our guide, Keith, drove the bus up the 75 Mile Beach, which is the main thorough fare on the island and up a sand road behind the dunes to Lake Birrabeen, one of the over forty fresh water lakes, for a swim. Most of these lakes are called 'perched' lakes because they are perched on top of the sand and don't drain through the sand. The bottom consists of compacted sand and plant matter that has become hard enough and impervious to the water.
It is dangerous to swim in the ocean here as the surf is rough, the rip currents strong and there are many species of sharks around the island. And another guide told Keith that four people had been stung by the potentially lethal irukandji jellyfish and airlifted to hospital last week. The jellyfish are small, clear and invisible but pack a deadly dose of venom that can stop your heart. The lakes have some of the cleanest fresh water in the world. The lake was surrounded by pure white silica sand that was so white it hurt the eyes. We had a nice refreshing swim and relaxed there for a couple of hours.
Then we drove further up the beach before cutting inland through the coastal vegetation and into the rainforest. We went for an hour long walk along the Wanggoolba Creek and through the forest. The water in the creek was so clear that you could see the sand on the bottom and couldn't see the water at all unless you saw the ripples. I love the sound and smell of the forests.
Then we continued on the beach again to our accommodation for the night, the Eurong Beach Resort. We were housed in four share rooms. The main building had a restaurant that served us a large buffet dinner. Then we went down to the beach bar and had a beer before retiring in preparation for an early start.
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