A few weeks back we talked about doing something for Luke’s 21st birthday (May 6th). We wanted to go away for the weekend, but with everyone’s hectic school schedule, we thought it might be difficult to put something together. As the time came closer, a few of us just decided to book a flight to Fraser Island and before we knew it there were 10 of us booked for the weekend. With so many people in the group, we never all actually got together to discuss plans. I had heard about what a beautiful place this was and just knew I wanted to visit; I wasn’t even exactly sure what there was to do there, but I knew we’d be able to figure something out. I looked up some hostels and found one called Fraser Roaming that would be able to accommodate the 10 of us, so it sounded good to me. Anyways, after the midweek birthday festivities, Friday morning came and it was time to catch our flight to Hervey Bay (when you book the ticket it says Hervey Bay/Fraser Island, so it sounded right to me). Anyways, we all woke up in time and caught 3 taxis to the Sydney airport. After a little bit a morning arguing, I knew it was going to be intense weekend, especially since we had such a big group. The flight was pretty quick and before we knew we were standing in the deserted Hervey Bay airport (and I thought the Long Beach airport was small!). There was no one in sight besides the ten of us roaming around waiting to figure out our next move. We realized that Fraser Island was not part of Hervey Bay and the only way there was by ferry; the are no hostels located on this island (clearly we did our research). We all began to scramble thought pamphlets and talk to the info person at the airport; things seemed to be falling apart and quick. Apparently the thing to do hear is rent a 4WD vehicle and drive it on the ferry, then explore the huge island, camp out there and then bring it back. This was definitely not what I had in mind, but then again I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting. Anyways, we made some last minute calls to some rental companies and found one that would rent to such a large group for 2 days and 1 night on the island, camping supplies included. This seemed to be perfect, expect when it came to drivers, you had to be 21, with a valid license and able to drive stick. After eliminating everyone else, it seemed I was the only one permitted to rent and drive the call; this kind of stressed me out but I agreed to the responsibility and put a $250 deposit down for the next day’s rental. We then got a cab to our hostel and got settled in there. It was conveniently located on the beach there, which was pretty awesome as well. Things were starting to turn around, that is until I had to go for my information session at the rental place. I am quite the nervous worrier and the intimidating video lesson they showed us scared me beyond belief. I went back to the hostel shaken and upset, worried that I wasn’t going to be able to go 4WD in unfamiliar terrain on wrong side of the car. After many phone calls and a few tears, I finally gained the courage to take on the task AND we were able to get one other persons licence faxed, so I wouldn’t be the only driver. This brought much relief and calmed my nerves. We had to wake up and be outside by 5:30, which was again early and no fun. Me and the 2 Lukes went to the rental place to sign more papers and pick up the car. Luke M. drove on the streets because I was a little too nervous for that at this point and we went to pick up the rest of the gang. We then loaded up the car and crammed 10 people + luggage + food into tiny land cruiser; quite the sight to see. We travelled to the ferry spot and began our adventure to Fraser Island, unsure what exactly to expect. The ferry ride seemed quick and I paced back and forth up to the second story and then down to the first, as I would do when I typically worry (like most of you have seen). When we arrived at the island we all piled into the car once again and set the car to 4-wheel drive for the sand terrain. We followed the signs to Central station, a spot where they suggested we go first. The roads we bumpier and windier than I had imagined…and I was sitting comfortably in the front, so you could imagine how the people in the back felt. We arrived at central and everyone rushed to get out and explore our first stop, we came across some signs warning us NOT TO FEED THE DINGOES! Apparently this wild species of dog roams the island freely and can be a threat if ????. This warning was familiar to me, because I had seen it in the horrifying video introduction they showed us at the car rental place; everyone else found the signs to be amusing though. We then went on a short rock along through a small forest along side a creek – only you could barely tell it was a creek because of how clear the water was in contrast to the white sand bottom. Looking down, it was as if you were looking at a path of sand. It was only after careful notice could you see that water was moving across the rocks and branches, twisting and turning throughout the trees and bush. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and so was the weather, however the day was young and there was much more to see. We got back in the car, he back seaters rotating positions because the way back was the worst. Luckily my short legs made me the perfect candidate for the middle seat in the front (it reminded me of when dad would cram me Brendan, Allison, and me into the truck after school some days). Anyways, back to the island; we then decided to make the journey to Lake McKenzie, a freshwater lake I the middle of the island, about 7 kilometres away, this sounds must shorter then it is when you add in sharp curbs and dangerous bumps. After what seemed like forever we arrived to the popular swimming spot, the sun still shining and out excitement bubbling. We all jumped out and travelled down the path to catch a glimpse of the famous spot. I could hear gasps up ahead as we came upon the crystal clear lake and silky smooth sand.
Lake Mackenzie - crystal clear!! :)
All bundled in our sweatshirts, we jumped in the water and began taking pictures. Soon we realized that it might be a good idea to eat lunch, get in our suits, and then head back for some swimming and sunbathing. We grabbed all our food and found a quiet close by picnic spot to set up and make sandwiches. It wasn’t ten minutes into lunch that the rain started up, putting a slight damper on the picnic feel (no pun intended). There we were with loaves of bread, paper plates, condiments, and packages of deli meat, getting soaked and trying to scarf down our sandwiches before the were too soggy to recognize. To some this might bring frustration and ager, but each and every one of us seemed to be laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and the irony that it presented. We tried huddling under a tree but the water dripping form the leaves was just as bad. At this point someone suggested that we drive the car up to the picnic spot to load everything in without dragging it up the hill in the rain. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to try driving without everyone screaming in the back seat so I offered to bring it down. I was really nervous and made Luke come with me to calm my nerves. I hopped in on the right side of the car and brought the seat as close as it goes. I turned on the car and then immediately looked over my right shoulder to back up and instead of adjusting this natural instinct, I just awkwardly kept turning it to see behind the car, this just seemed more natural. I took my time, reversed and went forward, reversed more and went forward again until I was positive I would make the turn to head down the hill. It was really weird not being so close to the left front of the car. Shifting was very natural since I am left-handed and the clutch was really easy to get used to. I turned the corner to the picnic sight as everyone stared and make weird faces and I tilted back and forth down the rocky path, as if they didn’t think I was going to make it without flipping the car over.
Driving on the left...it's not that bad!
Thankfully the rain stopped just in time for us to go swimming after out disastrous lunch. I'm not typically this swimming person but it was so beautiful I couldn't help but run in right away! It was SO clear and refreshing, we were all amazed. We splashed around, screaming and basically causing a scene on the beach, but we were having the time of our life. The sun was back out, just a slight breeze, but overall pleasant. We spent hours building water pyramids, throwing sand at Jenna, taking underwater pictures, and tossing the Frisbee before we realized that we might want to head out and find a spot to set up camp.
That's me behind the hand!
The beach on the eastern side of the island was our camping destination and weren’t sure how long it would take us to get there. The map makes everything look very close, but with these sketchy roads you never know. And we definitely wanted to get things situated before dark. We got in the car and this time I was confident enough to drive the whole crew. It was shaky at first and the screams from the back seat made me a little nervous at first, but I just took things easy and slow and soon I was much more comfortable. After an hour of countless turns and numerous bumps and drops, we finally reached the open water and smooth sand beach ahead of us for miles.
This is where I picked up a little speed and finally realized how awesome it was to be here. Driving alongside the ocean as the waves crashing in a few yards away, I was in complete awe and amazement. We drove for a bit but as the day grew later and the tide moved in, we were concerned with finding a spot to set up camp for the night. After some arguing and debate, we finally picked a quiet spot just yards away from the crashing waves. It was about four at this pint so we rushed to set up the tents while we still had some daylight. It was at this point when we realized that no one brought any sort of light for when it did get dark, which posed a huge problem. We were fighting what little daylight we had to set up camp and start cooking dinner; it was quite frustrating. We ended up using the dim lights on our cell phones to cook hot dogs and find our way around the campsite. The good thing about this whole situation is that we ended up crashing early, which meant we could start the next day bright and early; well actually dark and early. We all got up at 4am, packed up camp and made our way down the beach to the famous shipwreck just a few kilometres away. We were hoping to see the sunrise over it, but the clouds weren’t exactly in our favour this morning. We spent a bit there taking pictures and admiring this spectacular sight; it reminded me of something from Pirates of the Caribbean. After everyone got bored with this place, we then set off for the ?????? some really beautiful rock formations, again just a few kilometres down the road. We had some fun exploring and checking them out, but soon it was time to head inland as the tide was coming in again and we CANNOT drive in the salt water. We checked the maps for various palces to visit and decided on a lake a few kilometres inland. The road there was rocky and twisty as we expected, the back seat screaming and shrieking with every jerk of the car. We stopped off at a really beautiful viewpoint that overlooked a sand dune type thing that seriously looked like a lake of sand; it was so cool looking. The landscape of the island is diverse and beautiful in every aspect. After another hour of driving we ended up at our destination only to find that it was not a swimming lake. We were all bummed and a little cranky as this point – did I mention that we had eaten ALL of our food the night before and so we were tired and hungry, a great combination in a large group on vacation. Anyways, after some monas and major disappointment we regrouped and made plans to head up the beach and figure out plans in a little bit. It was still quite early, but we were allowed to drive on the beach again which made things a little more simple. We tried to find another lake to go swimming at (you arent’t allowed to swim at the beach here bacuse it is very dangerous, filled with shakrs and blue bottles jelly fish). We first reched Eli creek, which was so clear and beautiful . We folled along side and admired the scenery, but realized that swimming in Lake Mackenzie again would be more exciting. It just made sense because we were catching a ferry at 3 and we didn’t want to get stuck anywhere unfamiliar. It was such a beautiful palce that no one complained when this decision at this point. After a few hours there laying out and cooling off we packed in the car one last time to make our way to the west coast of the island and cstch out ferry. Even with a little arguing, the trip was a huge success. I’m pretty sure everyone had a good time, especially with Jenna’s entertainment and Julia’s extreme excitement and upbeat attitude. I may look back on this vacation and remember the bickering and fighting but not as much as I’ll remember the laughs and the silliness of the whole trip. I’ll remember how spontaneous the whole thing was and how everything works out in the end. And I’ll remember how chaotic and crazy everything and everyone was. And I’ll also remember drinking wine and watching the sunset on the gorgeous beach. The whole trip turned out great and I think we all had a blast!
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