Fraser Island Off-roading!

Eric does not like over night buses.

Aaron does not like them either.

Flav thinks they are great.

oh ya, we flew down from Cairns, but the comments about the overnight buses are no less true. We arrived in the soon to be rockin' town of Hervey Bay on what was easily the best sunset we had seen this entire trip. We settled into the hostel and met loads of people during the pizza buffet dinner and got to talking to them about their recent Fraser experience. We didn't know if it was just by chance, but something like 3 out of the 4 people we spoke to didn't really have the greatest time. We had heard nothing but greatness about the island before, but so many people had trouble with their group. (on Fraser you take a 4x4 and pack 10 backpackers into and hope for the best).

Well we started off the Fraser Island group experience with a Chinese Firedrill at the first stop we made. Given that 8 out of the 10 people didn't know what that was, it was quite a laugh and set the tone for the rest of the trip. The ghetto blaster then took over the rest.

Aaron took the helm with his absolute zero driving experience on the left side of the road. Eric and Flav were a little concerned. But Aaron managed just fine as we were all smiles with our first experiences driving on this sandy island. We made it to Lake Wabby for some lunch, hiking, and swimming. The lookout for this lake took all of us by surprise. It was an aqua green lake set in an oasis of sand dunes that seemed to span the island. The sand was only interrupted at its edges by lush green trees. Truly a sight to see.

We hiked down the trails to the lake and Flav played a bit of football with some fellow Brits while Eric went for a swim and Aaron topped up his tan next to the Danish girls. Oh Aaron. We cruised from there to find the night's campsite along the 75 mile beach on the Eastern side of the island.

At this point we had already established that we probably had the best group of the lot. We all seemed to be bouncing off each other's humor, along with the ceiling in the 4x4 with Aaron's erotic driving. good times. We hooked up with another group and it turned out we got on with them just as well. It was gonna be a great weekend trip indeed.

After setting up tents and releasing the cooking animal that laid deep insight Flav's soul, we all enjoyed yet another awesome sunset, good tunes, plenty of laughs, and a seemingly endless supply of drinks (including our new drink, an aussie cheapo wine also known as goon).

The next morning we all had to wake up by around 8am as the sun was blasting our tents with some intense heat. It was gonna be a hot one. We gathered the goods, assessed the damage, which included the disappearance of Aaron's bag with his passport and wallet. He searched around for the better part of an hour before finally finding the darn thing 30 meters up the hill. Seems this was courtesy of the local dingos that took a liking to Aaron's manly musk. hmmm.

We set off up the Sand Highway on the Eastern side of the island and made a few stops at the beached ship, the sandy pinnacles, and eventually Eli Creek. En route, 19 year old Brit David (not Flav) wanted to give driving a go, so we gave him a shot and immediately regretted it. We're not positive, but we think it was his first time driving. If it wasn't, then he must collect clutches back home for fun! After about 10 minutes we could smell the clutch burning up and we reigned the crazed driver back in. Not long after we made it to the the Champagne Pools and enjoyed a bit of a swim in the only part of the ocean not infested with breeding Tiger sharks and man-killing jelly fish. We found out the name of the pools couldn't have been more appropriate. The waves that crashed over these rare island rocks bubbled over the top of the rocks and down into a pool. It did indeed look like champagne. Eric tried to drink it.

That night we ate a monster pasta dinner and freely drank the rest of the goon till the wee hours of the night.

The following day we set out back down the coast to Lake McKenzie on our way back to the ferry. Despite expecting a cool sand bar lake, we were all surprised at just how beautiful the lake was. Crystal blue water, the purest of white sand, and all of it surrounded by lush green trees. We vegged out by the lake and soaked up some rays for a few hours before setting off for the ferry. We actually became separated from our group on the way back as they decided to go wash their dishes and we opted not to. We got on the ferry and there was no sign of our other group. We pleaded with the ferry captain but no loving was coming out of his corner. He was setting off exactly at 4pm. Thinking the poor friends missed the ferry we were all bummed that our planned post Fraser Island party was going to be a downer.

Some 45 minutes into the ferry ride though we crossed paths with another ferry and with Eric's telephoto lens, we could see they did indeed make it, just on the wrong ferry. Fortunately they were both bound for the same wicked party that was soon to ensue.

We thought it funny that the "party" night before we left for our Fraser trip (which would have been a whole group's post Fraser welcome back party) was really mellow. Only a handful of people hung out after the pizza party. Compare that to the dozens that were partying their faces off when we got back. Our night was a bit more wild. We had a great time telling stories of our recent adventure, enjoying a resupply of drinks, and making the most of the last night we had together. At some stage, Eric thought it appropriate to rehearse a scene from Anchorman, you know the one where Ron Burgundy receives an urgent and horrifying news message, and he needs everyone to stop what they're doing and listen....CANNONBALL!!! Oh yes, into the pool he went.

If the awesome party didn't solidify our position as having the coolest group ever, breakfast the next morning would have. Twelve of us all dragged ourselves off for a really good breakfast just off the beach as we kept riding the wave we found so entertaining.

Fraser Island was all that it was cracked up to be and so much more.