7/29 - Fraser Island, Day 1

A couple weekends ago, I went to Fraser Island, which is touted as "the world's largest sand island." It's got so much sand, they used to mine the sand and ship it all over the world. Now, Fraser is a national park -- part of "Great Sandy National Park." This shows you how creative those Australians are (there's also a Great Sandy Desert, which is even more redundant).

Fraser Island is a popular backpacker destination, and normally people will do these 3-day "self-drive" tours where your hostel/tour company tries to stuff as many kids as they can in a 4-wheel drive, hand them the keys and a map and send them off on their own. Hilarity soon ensues, since there are literally 9 people stuffed clown-car-style in the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser and since the 2 amateur drivers have no experience driving in sand (there are almost no paved roads on Fraser).

Anyway, as fun as that would have been, I decided to do a 2-day guided tour with the Fraser Island Company instead. I didn't really have too much time to take off from work, and I figured that a driver that knew what he was doing would hit as many sights as amateurs would in 3 days. I was a little worried that I would be stuck with a bunch of old people, but it turned out to be a great choice. The rest of my group was mostly Europeans in their 20's and 30's, but they weren't obnoxious college kids who just wanted to party.

On the Fraser Island Company bus

After getting picked up at my hostel on the coast, the bus took the ferry to Fraser Island. We first had to cross the island to get to the ocean side. This led us through the very unique rain forests, which actually do grow on sand.

Rainforests on sand? You betcha

A self-hollowing fig tree in the rainforest

After luch, we finally made it over the huge dune that is Fraser and to the island's Pacific side. We stopped at Eli Creek, and on the recommendation of our crazy guide/driver Paul, we attempted to float down the creek. The creek itself was great -- the water is ultra pure since it has been filtered for many years by the sand -- but it was much to shallow to float in without hitting yourself on rocks and branches.

Me after "floating" down Eli Creek

Fraser Island: where pyramids, castles, and the Sydney Opera House can coexist

Later in the afternoon, our 4x4 bus plowed up the beach to Indian Head, which is this volcanic rock formation on the northeast coast. We saw a few dolphins and a whale spouting in the distance from Indian Head (Hervey Bay is a favorite stomping ground for Humback whales this time of year).

Racing up Indean Head

A view of vegetation, sand dunes, and volcanic rock, from Indian Head

The view from Indian Head

Me at Indian Head

The group kicks back on Indian Head

Indian Head from the Champagne Pools

After Indian Head, our last sight for the day was the Champagne Pools. Normally, you can't swim on the Pacific side of Fraser Island due to sharks and bad rip currents, but the Champagne Pools are rock formations where the waves break and fill the bowls with a gentle, bubbilicious froth that is safe for humans and fish alike.

The tour group frolicks in the Champagne Pools

Waves crashing into the Champagne Pools

Happy and exhausted after playing in the champagne, we headed to Cathedral Beach, where our camp was. "Camp" is relative though -- our tents had hardwood floors, and the kitchen area of our site had, not one, but two dishwashers. After dinner, some people attempted to play Trivial Pursuit, which is a lot harder with the Australian version. We went out to the beach to look at the millions of stars you can see without light pollution (and a big ozone hole). Finally, we tucked ourselves in our tents, resting for another day's adventures.