Fraser Island, North Keppel, and a not-so-wet last night of hiking!
Gidday folks, chuck another shrimp on the barbie….
Australia is noticeably different from NZ. If the swarms of biting mosquitos and sandflys don't alert you to it straight away, the intense heat and miles of endless beaches will.
Since arriving in Auz we have had a couple of nights on the run in pretty, beachy places, and five days out on North Keppel Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Our camp there was stunning, right on the edge of our very own beach, and we spent the week doing volunteer work such as clearing a fire-break, removing non-native weeds, counting and mapping the sand-dunes, which are receeding. Our work there was the start of a push to re-plant the dunes and save the beachfront. We also spent half a day snorkeling, which was a highlight for all. Awesome, beautiful tropical swimming-things abounding. We ate lots of delicious food, as always, and had a really great time working and bonding further as a group.
Pizza and a second night in Rockhampton preceeded the drive to Hervey Bay, gateway to Fraser Island. You'll find there's lots of stories from our time on Fraser Island, two main ones; the one from those who made the decision to come off a day early and had a dry night at the hostel, and the one from those who stayed the course and got soaked, two nights in a row.
From Leo, stationed in the middle to catch the groups as they came through, I enjoyed my time on Fraser, although lonely without my 11 buddies (they've become more like limbs over these past two months). I did get to see one of the beautiful freshwater lakes that this gorgeous sand Island is famous for (biggest sand island in the world!) and had a few walks on my own with the aid of a dingo stick in case of any too close encounters with a dingo (they recommend you don't ever walk alone)! I'll leave the rest to some of the group for comment….
North Keppel Island was stunning. I think we all were a little surprised when we realized that this was going to be our home for the next 5 days. Right on the beach, it was the perfect spot for camping. Even though the bugs ate us all up (some worse than others… ahem, boys) we had the best time pitching tents and hanging out in this beautiful place. We got to walk through an endless mud filled path everyday, clear a fire break, mark coordinates of trees to help save the beachline, play with children staying at the education center on the other side of the island, clear out weeds, and plant new baby trees. The staff even took us out snorkeling one day - a very nice treat. We saw the most colorful fish, a couple jellyfish, crazy cool corals, some saw a nursing shark, while others saw pucker fish, and a stingray. Like Leo said, it was a major highlight - I had the best time taking funny photos in our snorkel gear, swimming around in the prettiest blue water, and looking at the awesome underwater world with my group. A well spent 5 days I'd say!
And wow, Fraser Island was definitely something I'll never forget. It was gorgeous; the views from the walks were absolutely amazing and almost didn't seem real at times. We weren't prepared for the rainforest environment we found ourselves in either… not something you'd expect from a big island of sand! The largest in fact, which is very cool. We saw goannas, dingos, crazy spiders, and all types of sand lizards. Lake McKenzie was the most breathtaking of waters we came across, and luckily we got to experience it with the last bit of sunlight we would see, for at least the 3 following days… The weather played a huge role in this trip—it rained um, all 4 days! During dinner, during the night, during the walks, pretty much during everything. It was something that you almost had to laugh at because there wasn't anything else you could do about it.
Our group, Group 1, which included Lesley, Brian, Ursula, Tony, Michael, and myself, ended our 41km hike at Dilli Village. After starting at Kingfisher a couple of days prior, I'm sure the sight of us walking into Dilli was totally priceless. We dragged in, mosquitoes buzzing around us, completely drenched, in our oversized raingear, staring at the ground, not sure what to think of all the rain, hating everyone who drove by in cars, not wanting to set up our wet tents, knowing everything in our backpacks was soaked as well, while the guy in charge of the campground told us that the campsites were closed for maintenance this Monday-Thursday (by the way - it's Tuesday), and that there was no place for us… Ah man. I wish there was a picture for this moment! Seriously. At the time it was pitiful but now it's just funny... We managed to get ahold of Leo who moved our taxi and ferry rides up a day early. And since we were already finished, why not right? Our taxi driver told us later that we actually made a good decision, because with predicted winds of 100 km/h, they probably wouldn't have even been able to pick us up at our expected time the next day. And so we arrived in Hervey Bay. The sight of the hostel was literally the best thing ever. Warm dry clothes, showers, COKES, and beds awaited us, and we couldn't have been happier to have made the decisions we did that got us there. We just wished that the other group would have able to join us. It was definitely not as fun as it could have been, but we really had a great time together and somehow still aren't sick of each other!
The trip has happened so fast; it's crazy to me to think back to all we've accomplished together, knowing that 2 months ago I didn't even know these people. And now they have become like family. It's weird how spending 9 weeks with 11 people affects you the way it does. I wasn't expecting it to be this way. It's been so much better than I could have imagined though! I've learned so much about myself and others, and leaving them is going to be incredibly hard. But I'm excited to still have 2 weeks with them, and I'm sure the next part of the trip is going to be just as fun and entertaining as the last 7 have been. Thanks PD for making this all possible, I've had the time of my life!! Xoxo Lindsay
Footnote from Leo: Although we all at the YHA had a sleepless night worrying for the other group; they ended up taking a room at the prestigious "Kingfisher Resort" on Fraser Island and had some good photos, clean clothes and wet hair (from the hot tub) to show for it!
Australia is noticeably different from NZ. If the swarms of biting mosquitos and sandflys don't alert you to it straight away, the intense heat and miles of endless beaches will.
Since arriving in Auz we have had a couple of nights on the run in pretty, beachy places, and five days out on North Keppel Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Our camp there was stunning, right on the edge of our very own beach, and we spent the week doing volunteer work such as clearing a fire-break, removing non-native weeds, counting and mapping the sand-dunes, which are receeding. Our work there was the start of a push to re-plant the dunes and save the beachfront. We also spent half a day snorkeling, which was a highlight for all. Awesome, beautiful tropical swimming-things abounding. We ate lots of delicious food, as always, and had a really great time working and bonding further as a group.
Pizza and a second night in Rockhampton preceeded the drive to Hervey Bay, gateway to Fraser Island. You'll find there's lots of stories from our time on Fraser Island, two main ones; the one from those who made the decision to come off a day early and had a dry night at the hostel, and the one from those who stayed the course and got soaked, two nights in a row.
From Leo, stationed in the middle to catch the groups as they came through, I enjoyed my time on Fraser, although lonely without my 11 buddies (they've become more like limbs over these past two months). I did get to see one of the beautiful freshwater lakes that this gorgeous sand Island is famous for (biggest sand island in the world!) and had a few walks on my own with the aid of a dingo stick in case of any too close encounters with a dingo (they recommend you don't ever walk alone)! I'll leave the rest to some of the group for comment….
North Keppel Island was stunning. I think we all were a little surprised when we realized that this was going to be our home for the next 5 days. Right on the beach, it was the perfect spot for camping. Even though the bugs ate us all up (some worse than others… ahem, boys) we had the best time pitching tents and hanging out in this beautiful place. We got to walk through an endless mud filled path everyday, clear a fire break, mark coordinates of trees to help save the beachline, play with children staying at the education center on the other side of the island, clear out weeds, and plant new baby trees. The staff even took us out snorkeling one day - a very nice treat. We saw the most colorful fish, a couple jellyfish, crazy cool corals, some saw a nursing shark, while others saw pucker fish, and a stingray. Like Leo said, it was a major highlight - I had the best time taking funny photos in our snorkel gear, swimming around in the prettiest blue water, and looking at the awesome underwater world with my group. A well spent 5 days I'd say!
And wow, Fraser Island was definitely something I'll never forget. It was gorgeous; the views from the walks were absolutely amazing and almost didn't seem real at times. We weren't prepared for the rainforest environment we found ourselves in either… not something you'd expect from a big island of sand! The largest in fact, which is very cool. We saw goannas, dingos, crazy spiders, and all types of sand lizards. Lake McKenzie was the most breathtaking of waters we came across, and luckily we got to experience it with the last bit of sunlight we would see, for at least the 3 following days… The weather played a huge role in this trip—it rained um, all 4 days! During dinner, during the night, during the walks, pretty much during everything. It was something that you almost had to laugh at because there wasn't anything else you could do about it.
Our group, Group 1, which included Lesley, Brian, Ursula, Tony, Michael, and myself, ended our 41km hike at Dilli Village. After starting at Kingfisher a couple of days prior, I'm sure the sight of us walking into Dilli was totally priceless. We dragged in, mosquitoes buzzing around us, completely drenched, in our oversized raingear, staring at the ground, not sure what to think of all the rain, hating everyone who drove by in cars, not wanting to set up our wet tents, knowing everything in our backpacks was soaked as well, while the guy in charge of the campground told us that the campsites were closed for maintenance this Monday-Thursday (by the way - it's Tuesday), and that there was no place for us… Ah man. I wish there was a picture for this moment! Seriously. At the time it was pitiful but now it's just funny... We managed to get ahold of Leo who moved our taxi and ferry rides up a day early. And since we were already finished, why not right? Our taxi driver told us later that we actually made a good decision, because with predicted winds of 100 km/h, they probably wouldn't have even been able to pick us up at our expected time the next day. And so we arrived in Hervey Bay. The sight of the hostel was literally the best thing ever. Warm dry clothes, showers, COKES, and beds awaited us, and we couldn't have been happier to have made the decisions we did that got us there. We just wished that the other group would have able to join us. It was definitely not as fun as it could have been, but we really had a great time together and somehow still aren't sick of each other!
The trip has happened so fast; it's crazy to me to think back to all we've accomplished together, knowing that 2 months ago I didn't even know these people. And now they have become like family. It's weird how spending 9 weeks with 11 people affects you the way it does. I wasn't expecting it to be this way. It's been so much better than I could have imagined though! I've learned so much about myself and others, and leaving them is going to be incredibly hard. But I'm excited to still have 2 weeks with them, and I'm sure the next part of the trip is going to be just as fun and entertaining as the last 7 have been. Thanks PD for making this all possible, I've had the time of my life!! Xoxo Lindsay
Footnote from Leo: Although we all at the YHA had a sleepless night worrying for the other group; they ended up taking a room at the prestigious "Kingfisher Resort" on Fraser Island and had some good photos, clean clothes and wet hair (from the hot tub) to show for it!
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