For the past two days, we traveled on Fraser Island. The entire island is sand, so we had to get around by a 4x4 truck, which was really fun. It was like off-roading up north in the sand dunes, but better because we were on an island! I was sitting in the back of the truck, so every time I hit a bump I went flying into the air, but it was so much fun! Our first stop was Lake McKendzie, which was one of the most beautiful lakes that I have ever seen. The water was so clear and went from a light blue, to turquoise, to a dark blue. The pictures I took looked like they should have been on a postcard!
Next, we walked through a rainforest. There was a creek that ran through the rain forest, which was a really pretty sight. There was all sorts of wildlife and different sorts of vegetation that made for great picture opportunities. While we were at the end of our walk, there was a young girl that was walking in the rainforest all by herself. She was French, so we couldn’t really communicate with her very well, but since she was by herself, we walked with her. When we eventually got to the end of the trail, we found the travel group that she was with, but it was very scary finding a random girl in the rainforest.
After the rainforest walk, we went on a sand dune hike, where we found a lake that was set in the middle of the dunes. The name of the lake was Lake Wabby, which was really beautiful because it was in the middle of the sand dunes. The lake contained catfish and turtles, which we were able to see in the water. The water in Australia has been so clear, which has been an amazing sight!
The next morning, we went on another 4x4 ride to the northern side of the island. We made our first stop at a shipwreck, the Maheno wreck, which has been on the shore of Fraser island since around the 1960’s. The government of Fraser island has tried to remove the ship several times, but has not been able to remove the ship, so they have left it there to rot. The ship was used during WWII, and then was turned into a luxury cruise line. While on a cruise, one of the ship’s main cable lines broke which caused the ship to sink.
Next, we traveled to Indian Head, which is the northern most point on the west side of the island. We climbed up some rocks, which I have to say, was very difficult in flip-flops, but when we got to the top, it was another beautiful sight. We were able to see humpback whales in the distance, which was awesome. Humpback whales are migrating north this time of year, to get to warmer waters, so they are seen pretty frequently in this area. I wasn’t able to see them very closely, but I could see them pop out of the water and blow air up, so hopefully they were just like the whales in Finding Nemo! I was also able to see a sing ray down below in the water, which was pretty cool too.
Next, we stopped at the biggest freshwater creek that runs from the island into the ocean, called Eli Creek. There was a boardwalk that took you along the river and then at the end of the boardwalk you were able to go in the water and walk back in the water. The water was so clear and warm and you were able to drink the water past a certain point in the river. I didn’t drink the water, but other people did and they said it tasted pretty good. I didn’t really trust drinking the water, but everyone lived! ;)
Later that night, all of us went out to dinner and stayed out to listen to some live music at the restaurant. Oddly enough, the driver of my 4x4 vehicle was the guy that was playing that night, so that was really cool listening and watching him play. He sang a bunch of American songs and gave us all shout outs throughout the show, which was pretty cool. As we were leaving, he played a song for us and then said, “Goodnight Michigan, Australia loves you!” It is pretty cool that you meet people and hang out with them for a short amount of time, but no matter where you are, you feel so welcome.
Words of the day:
Rightyo: Alright
Lollies: candy
Mozzie: Mosquito
Oz: Australia
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