Fraser Island – lots of sand and 4X4 fun!
Fraser Island is one of the must-see things on the east coast. Everyone we’ve spoken to who have already done it say how amazing it is. So we signed up to camp on the world’s biggest sand island with Pippies, in Rainbow Beach.
The tour was three days and two nights and all done in 4×4 vehicles. There were four cars and we were in a group of eight so we all got to drive the car, which was so amazing! Landing on Fraser Island and starting our cruise along the golden sand with the sea lapping up close to us was so lush – surely there is no better way to travel! I didn’t get a chance to drive on the beach but it was just as fun being a passenger, and I did drive on the lumpy inland tracks. Driving on sand was a strange experience and I didn’t dare take a hand off the steering wheel, but it was so, so cool! George had a go driving both inland and on the beach. Simply just driving around the island was an incredible experience in itself, but our great tour guide, Bret, took us to some really lush spots too:
– Lake Mackenzie
– The Maheno ship wreck
– Champagne Pools
– Eli Creek
– Tea tree lake
– Lake Wabby
Of these, Lake Mackenzie was definitely our favourite. It was amazingly beautiful! The sand was the same as that on Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands – pure white silica as soft and fine as flour. And the lake itself was crystal clear. It fills only with rain water which is filtered by the fine sand. We stayed here for a few hours and it was just paradise! We were lucky that the weather was absolute perfect too – clear blue skies and clear blue lake!
Unfortunately that didn’t last and the next day we woke to rain, which went on all day and night. We carried on with what we would’ve done if it was sunny though, we just were a lot colder doing it! It was pretty funny getting in the Champagne Pools in the rain. These big rock pools are filled with sea crashing over the rocks, and I imagine it’s usually pretty relaxing. We, however, were treading water like mad to try to stop our teeth from chattering! It was still fun though! 🙂
The rain did stop briefly while we braved Eli Creek, which flows with 24 degree spring waters. Bret told us this would feel like a warm bath. But he lied. For water, 24 degrees actually isn’t that warm! It was warmer than the Champagne Pools though, and it was quite nice floating downstream to the beach on a rubber ring. But after that I couldn’t quite face swimming in the tea tree lake (which really did smell like tea tree!) so I just stood under my brolly with my feet in, like a true British person. Haha!
It was a shame about the weather but we still had an amazing time, and we were really lucky with our group, everyone was such fun! After cooking together we spent the nights drinking and eating marshmallows around the campfire. 🙂 The sun came back out for us on day three when we went to visit Lake Wabby, which is nestled amongst some huge sand dunes and really stunning.
The three days were an amazing experience and staying with Pippies was really great. The campsite was clean and tidy, Bret was great fun, and, unlike other tours, we had access to free hot showers! I definitely appreciated those after a day of outdoor swimming in the rain. I can’t recommend the trip enough, it was a real blast.
Also, if you go, make sure you head down to the beach at night. The clouds stopped us seeing the stars but I’m told it’s usually pretty spectacular. And even if it’s cloudy, it’s still worth a walk down to see the waves glow as they break and light up with the neon plankton! Just make sure you don’t go alone – always take a dingo buddy! 🙂
