Early start again today – 5.45am in reception!
Walked along street to board feeder coach for Fraser Island tour. Drove out of town to a layby in the middle of nowhere. A few minutes later our 4wd coach turned up with driver/guide, Brock, at the wheel. Boarded with the warning that the further to the rear of the coach that you sit, the bouncier it will be! So, sitting in row 2, we headed off towards our first stop at Rainbow Beach shops. While we made use of the facilities and purchased breakfast, Brock deflated the tyres from 80 to 40psi in preparation for driving along the sand.
Bounced onward, as the road changed from tarmac to gravel and soon to two tracks in the dried mud. One of only two beaches in the world which is used as an airstrip- the other being on Barra! Eventually got to beach and drove on to the waiting ferry to take the 15min crossing to Fraser Island. Drove off ferry after 15mins ( it had got to the other side!), and hurtled along beach for a couple of km., before we had to turn off the beach on to the “road!”, due to the high tide. Back on to beach and we stopped at Freshwater Creek for morning coffee from the back of the coach, including lemon myrtle cake and Anzac biscuits.
More driving/bouncing to Wanggoolba Creek where we tasted some bush tucker in the form of midgim berries (small white berries) which we picked from the midgim bush. Then set off on a 2km trek through the rain forest,
picking up the coach at the far end. Onward to McKenzie Lake with it’s lovely sandy beaches 😝. One of our group and several of the other passengers decided to swim, while several decided to paddle, and the sensible ones just watched!
En route we discovered two young girl passengers were from Edinburgh! They had just graduated from Stirling and Newcastle and we’re doing a 6 month trip covering Vietnam, Cambodia, Eastern Australia, then going on to New Zealand and finally South America before returning to Edinburgh.
After the necessary paddle, we returned to the coach parking spot where Brock had laid out lunch. A bit of amusement when a kookeburra dived on to a neighbouring groups’ table, grabbed a sausage, and disappeared to a tree to consume.
Sorry, photo rushed before kookeburra flew off!
Choice of chicken with salad rolls, or the Australian version, salad with chicken. Choice of sauces. Fresh sliced pineapple and cake and Anzac biscuits left over from morning coffee. Eating area visited by a 1m long monitor lizard hoping for some vege leftovers
Lunch finished and it was back to the ferry, this time via a 50km dash down the beach, now that the tide was out.
Route reversed, stopping once again at Rainbow Beach stores to reinflate and back to feeder coach to transfer us back to the hotel.
Dinner was had in room with leftovers from yesterday! Out for walk to find ATM, and back to room.
That’s it for today! Just a couple of photos missed out from the last few days.
Skyrail return journey 
Crystal Symphony passing end of street.
M & A in Oz 
What?! You didn’t paddle too?!
Looks like another fantastic day 🙂
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Someone had to stay on shore to take the photograph or at least I think that was the excuse. The water was lovely if a bit cool to begin with.
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Lots to see & do. Very selfless to volunteer to stay onshore & miss paddle!
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I agree Colin, but someone has to do it!
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