Fraser Island Day 2 (Road Trip Day 4)

It was a damp night with buckets of rain pounding the tarp over our tent most of the night. Allan woke up pretty rested, me not so much. We had some cereal for breakfast and managed to chug a coffee before it was time to get in the cars and head out.

Our first stop today was the Maheno Shipwreck. The rusted carcass of a ship was hard to imagine as a once semi luxurious steamer. Our guide told us that it was a passenger ship for people traveling between Australia and New Zealand before it became a ship for medical purposes during WWI. It went back to being a passenger ship before the Chinese bought it for spare parts when the Maheno ran out of use. While the Chinese were towing it, an unseasonably late cyclone broke the tow rope and the Maheno washed up onshore of Fraser Island. After a couple of rescue attempts, the ship was left to rot on the shore. It was crazy to see a ship that deteriorated on the beach, and not underwater.

After the Maheno, we drove over to Eli Creek, the island's natural lazy river. We got our big floats and walked up the boardwalk from the beach with our dingo buddies to the top of the creek. With all the rain recently, the water level was high and the water was chilly, but fresh and clean. After the initial chilly butt, the trip down the lazy creek was quite relaxing despite having to paddle every now and again to avoid a tree or get away from the edge. Allan and I went down three times before going to play catch with a small ball on the beach to dry off a bit before getting back in the car. It was a lovely morning, even if it was a bit cold and drizzly.

We then continued on to Central Station. We stopped here for some lunch and had a look around the little general store. They even had WiFi! After lunch we went back towards our camp, Allan was captain of our car for this drive. We drove past our camp inland up towards a river. Unfortunately a couple of idiots took a turn too quick and tipped their car (they were both fine) and blocked the road. We went back to camp to wait about an hour for the accident to clear.

After the hour, the car was cleared from the 'road' and we could drive all the way up to Lake Allom. We drove through some pretty big puddles in the rainforest on the way up, and some of the trees were labelled with their names. The tree named 'Scribbly Gum' made me chuckle. Some of the trees in this forest were truly majestic.

After about 45 minutes of bumping along, we made it to the lake. Simon, the guide, told us that this was his favorite lake and only small groups can come here. The water was a ruddy brown color because of all the tea tree and eucalyptus oil. It was a bit chilly in the water, but not too bad and had random patches of warm which was weird but nice. The water also felt really dense when treading and swimming which was a weird feeling. Allan swam the width, but I stayed not far from the shore in case I got tired and to try and spot little turtles in the reeds.

With about 15 minutes before we had to leave, I got out of the lake and watched for turtles from the deck. After a little while, tiny little turtle heads started popping their heads up. As we waited and got quieter, more and more turtles swam towards us. They were so cute and there were so many of them! I could have stayed there much longer, but the sun was going down and we had to head back.

It was my turn to drive, and I was feeling a bit nervous after seeing the drive up with all of the deep puddles, but Allan reassured me that I'd be fine, so I gave it a go. It was bumpy, and a bit tricky at times in the softer sand, but I was fine and it was a fun drive. I'm glad that he encouraged me. It's also not everyday you get to drive on the largest sand island through a rainforest!

When we got back to camp, we had quick showers before heading to the picnic area. I was antsy, so even though I helped cook dinner last night, I helped again tonight (not that the two dudes grilling listened to me...which delayed food being ready...). We had steak and sausages with caramelized onions and a variety of salads. Allan and I ate, cleaned up most things (lazy group) and then sat down and had a beer while chatting and people watching. We were about to head to bed when Kristen invited us to have one of their drinks and sit with her and a couple others. We ended up staying and chatting with her, Jade (from Newcastle), and Carly (American girl). They were all lovely and we had a nice time. About an hour and a half later around 2230 we all decided to head to bed before our 6am on the road start in the morning.

Unfortunately, some of the 18 year olds decided they'd just stay up all night long blasting music and drinking...sleep was a bit difficult and the music didn't turn off until about 4am....it was a long night.Read more