K’gari / Fraser Island - Day 1

K’gari means paradise in the indigenous language. Fraser Island is the English name, but Australia has recently made an effort to respect the original names of places. A 2 night, 3 day camping trip on the largest sand island in the world. Tent camping completely off the grid was a big change from the resort in Port Douglas.

We were divided into 4 groups, one per off-road vehicle. Within 2 minutes, Ben was nominated as the dad of the group and had to drive. There were stretches where the sand was so soft it was quite difficult, similar to driving in lots of snow. For the most part though, it was a very unique experience and worth every minute. Others also mustered the bravery to drive and took turns.

Lake McKenzie - huge freshwater lake in the middle of the island we visited on our first day. Amazing.

There was about 30 people on the trip total. Strangely, we were the only ones from North America. All others were European - mostly Irish or German, but a few from the UK, France and Sweden too. A lot of them come over for 2 years before or after university to work (so mostly 20-25 year olds). If they get a job in rural Australia where the unemployment is really high, they only have to work for 3 months and, in exchange, can stay and travel for up to 2 years. Jobs sound terrible though - farming in the middle of nowhere or overnight factory shifts. Continued to get to know everyone while we cooked dinner and sat by the fire.

Our streak quickly came to an end. Within 2 hours, we saw 2 giant snakes, one of which was very poisonous. The guide pulled it off the beach and returned it to the ocean. Should’ve listen to Derek when he warned us of all the dangerous creatures. Other creatures included a few dingos, a cain toad the size of two of fists, and a large spider a fellow camper asked for help getting out of her tent. How many people does it take to remove a big spider out of a tent? 1 Englishman, 2 Irishmen, and 2 Canadians.Read more