Up bright and early this morning. The local wildlife has figured out that making as much noise as possible, as early as possible each morning, gets them fed, as early as possible. Nothing quite like a gaggle of quacking ducks right next to your head at 5:15am to start the day.
Plenty of wildlife there is too. Heaps of ducks, some ducklings, turtles. All kiddy favorites 🙂
The early start came in handy though as we had to be on the Fraser Island barge at 8:30, which meant leaving here no later than 7:30. In the rush to pack everything we might need I managed to forget to pack the shovel … probably the only useful thing that we might have actually used. Hannah was quite excited that the MaxTrax that had been behind her seat the entire trip would actually get used today.
The barge got us over there via glassy seas … why couldn’t the Whitsundays have been like that? Kel sent Rod an SMS, for his birthday, letting him know we were just getting off the barge … I’m sure that made his day!
Our first stop was to Lake McKenzie’s sister Lake, Lake Birrabeen This one is quite similar to McKenzie … the same crystal clear water. Unfortunately today there was no beach as the lake was really full. We had the lake to ourselves too. I also found a geocache here as well.
Next stop was Central Station, along with about 5 tour busses. We could have timed that a bit better, but we managed to have a look around while they were all still getting organised. There’s lots more facilities on Fraser, in general, than the last time we were here. So far the roads had been both soft and bumpy, but no chance of getting bogged. The Prado was being typically surefooted in the sand. Road signs everywhere that clearly tell you which way to go. Most roads are now one way so the hassle of meeting a tour bus head on on a single lane sand track is also a thing of the past. Simply too easy.
We were being mindful of the tides as several sections of the 75 mile beach can only be tackled within 2 hours either side of low tide. Low tide was 1:49pm today, so that meant hitting the beach around 11:30 would be perfect. A quick stop at the Eurong bakery saw us snacking on chocolate croissants and cappuccinos for morning tea.
The maxtrax still hadn’t been used in anger, but Hannah was sure that I’d get bogged on the beach and she’d be able to jump into action. The beach had tons of washouts and soft sections, but none that couldn’t be handled, although a couple caught us by surprise. The clear water and white sand makes judging depth tricky and we hit a few bits with too much gusto … this is why the engel is strapped down!
We got all the way up to the Maheno with no trouble at all. There was little traffic on the beach and only about 5 cars at the Maheno.
Less and less here to see each time
The most photographed bit of rust in the world
Heading back down the beach now, our next port of call was Eli Creek. A lot of infrastructure has gone in here too. Toilets and a boardwalk were the most notable new additions.
Lonely Prado having a rest at Eli
The kids had a bit of fun in the creek while lunch was getting sorted out. Running up and floating back down with noodles a few times. Playing nicely for a change and even coming when called when lunch was ready. They’re up to something! I can smell an evil plan a mile away.
When we were about to leave Eli, one of the other vehicles there, right beside us, was having huge difficulty getting out. Having to go forwards and backwards heaps and slowly digging himself in. We had to help push him out in the end or he would’ve been there all day.
… and then it was our turn to try and get out of the deep, soft sand. Would Hannah finally get to use the Maxtrax?
No chance! The Prado simply and slowly reversed far enough to be able to drive out forwards. All with no fuss or wheelspin at all. She may as well have been on bitumen. Absolutely amazing how it handles the sand.
Getting on a bit in the day now so we headed for McKenzie for a quick swim before heading back to the van.
McKenzie seemed to take ages to get back to with the road signs providing conflicting information on distances. My maps said about 11km, but one sign said 17 … then ages later with about 3km to go another said 8km, and then 7km. We got there about 3pm and had to leave about 4:15 in order to make the last ferry.
It seemed like we had Fraser to ourselves most of the day with not many people around at all. I think the weather forecast had turned a few folks away, but as you can see from the photos the day was pretty good. We did get a few short patches of rain, but nothing like what was forecast. Maybe it’ll be raining tomorrow instead?
I told the kids that you can use this pure silica sand for lots of things, such as polishing jewellery, exfoliating skin and even as a shampoo for your hair. Naturally, Blake couldn’t resist trying that fact out with Hannah’s hair. For once he didn’t get into trouble tormenting his beloved sister.
Kel working out where on Earth we're going to stay tomorrow night.
Fraser Island sunset
The car got a great wash when we got back. Hervey bay has got a 4wd underbody wash and suitable car wash too, so the car looks like new again now. Kel got such a shock upon visiting the engel last night … she’d forgotten that with a clean car you can actually see thru the back window. It’s been about 2 months since we could do that!
Oh … and the MaxTrax, Snatch strap, exhaust jack and forgotten shovel were never needed. Obviously, if I hadn’t have taken them along, I’d need them every day … that’s how these things work.
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