If you're fond of sand dunes & salty air....

A number of people had told us we must visit Fraser Island so when we arrived in Hervey Bay, we booked a trip not actually knowing what was there or why we must see it. We drove to the meeting point early  & were picked up in a 17-seater 4X4 bus by our driver & guide Hans – German born obviously- he had been an Aussie for 25yrs which had created the oddest hybrid accent. There were only 8 of us on the day trip, 2 young Germans & 4 Swiss. We drove to the ferry port & after a 55min crossing we were on the Island. The first thing we discovered about the Island is that it's a huge sand dune. In fact it's the largest sand island in the world. The initial 250 meters of road were tarmac & after that it was a well used & well worn track of deep compacted soft sand, wide enough for one vehicle, which weaved up and down  the island through the woodland & rain forest,  so the 4X4 was essential. The ride was something people would pay good money to experience at a theme park. Getting traction even for a 4WD was a challenge. Despite having our seat belts on we were rocked and swung from side to side & at times thrown so high we were out of our seats & our feet thrown up off the ground. The Swiss contingent of Harley Davidson bikers, according to their tee shirts, tattoos & piercings, loved it & their hysterical laughter was contagious as they bounced up & down even higher on the back seat. 

Our first stop was Lake McKenzie, where the sand was pure white & the fresh water was vivid blue. Beautiful & definitely made the shaky journey worthwhile. What made it for Mr L was that it was warm – as warm as his bath was his description which made him v happy. We swam out to a small island & back to the beach before getting back on the bus & heading to a shaded area for lunch & a short walk along a trail. In the afternoon we drove to 75 mile beach.  I have no idea if it is that long but we drove along it for about 10km, with Hans making sure to avoid the small plane that took off from the beach. We made a few stops to examine an old shipwreck & the coloured sands – which Mr L observed were no where near as impressive as the Isle of Wight! We even had our first dingo sighting as it strolled casually along the beach.  We were relieved  that at last the sun had shone on one of our  island trips; in fact it was the hottest weekend so far with temperatures in excess of 40 degrees on the beach. We were really pleased that we had taken people's  advice & gone on the trip – a place definitely worth seeing & experiencing. 

Back on the mainland we recovered the Hippee Camper from the car park (surprisingly noone had stolen it) & got back on the road. We had got back later than anticipated & the sun was going down. we had been advised not to drive at dusk because of the risk of Kangaroos on the road but we needed to get on. Thankfully it was fine & We had no kangaroo encounters.  An hour & a half later we were at our spot for the night - a free camping site located in a car park at the back of a Puma petrol station, just off the highway. Living the high life! 

After a surprisingly good nights sleep & clean toilets we were back on the road – destination Brisbane. Our first big city since we landed in Australia. Our friend B, had kindly offered for us to stay with his parents, who we had never met at their house in the suburbs of Brisbane. Thankfully they were v welcoming & we spent a lovely few days with them, sleeping in a proper bed & with a bathroom to ourselves. We had a great guided tour of the city & the local area, taking in a few bars & had 2 lovely evenings chatting over tasty food & great wine. It was so nice of J and P to extend such a warm welcome. We also got some great tips on the next leg of our journey. We had loved the coast road but it was time for a change. We decided to leave the Bruce highway behind  and move inland to the New England highway and The Great Dividing Range.