Fraser Isalnd is the largest sand island in the world, created by 800,000 years of drifting sand building up around 3 volcanic outcrops in the sea and we are going to spend the day on it (at great expense $198 each), in a 4x4 with our guide called Troy. The local Aboriginal people call it K'Gari (silent K) or paradise! It's 120km long patch of lush rainforest and beautiful beaches, at which we were driven approx 75km at great speed at times!
The island was a huge timber/logging area until 1991, the satiny wood was prized by shipbuilders and this wood was also shipped to London to rebuild Tillbury Docks after the 2nd world war, (see, if you pay to go with a guide, you get all sorts of useful information!!?) and it's box tree timber was used in Sydney Opera House for soundproofing!
Unfortunately, the weather is quite cloudy and we do have some rain throughout the day :(
We meet up at 8 am and get the 45 minute ferry from Hervery Bay to the island. We are in the Toyoto landcruiser with 5 others, 4 German 'young' school teachers and a Danish man called Larse, who was nearly as funny as our guide Troy!
Lake McKenzie was our first stop of the morning. Voted fourth in the worlds top 10 beach survey, unfortunately, because of the amonut of rain they have had here there was not an awful lot of beach to be seen! (The lake is made up of pure rain water), but it was lovely, all the same, so was our elevenses of coffee, sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut and selection of Tasmanian cheese, yum! (We did have to eat these in an enclosed area, because of the ...DINGO'S!)
We drive up the beach and past the shipwreck, a passanger ship built just before the Titanic and used as a hosptial ship during the 1st world war and later bought by the Japanese for scrap metal, they never managed to tow it away, so abandoned it here, where during the second world war it got used for bomb practise! It's still in one piece?!!
On route to Indian Head, a high point with amazing views, we pass a pack of Dingo's! 5 in total, which is a lot to be seen in one go apparently. You can't believe when you see them, that they could actually kill a child (a 9 year old, at that!), they just look like a normal dog.
Whilst we are walking up Indian head, Troy and Narvo our Aboriginal guide, set out our lunch of salad and cold meats, beer and bubbly! Narvo,(who's Grandmother and niece work on the island teaching traditional skills), show's us how to kill a kangaroo with a boomarang (not literally!) and how to make a 'bush' phone - a piece of wood attached to a piece of string, whizzed at high speed above your head. It was very funny when Corine from our group had a go, but string slipped from her finger, sending the piece of wood hurtling into the landcruiser, (no damage done!)
We make our way back along the 75 km of beach at great speed at times, to get back for the last ferry. It's been a great day and we are glad we come over with a guide, we wouldn't have learned all the stuff that I've just bored you with!!
