We are staying in Hervey Bay at a campsite by Scarness beach. It is very warm but the sea is even warmer, like bathwater. Yesterday evening small fish were washed up along the beach dead, presumably due to lack of oxygen in the water. Even Sue decides to forgo a swim.
We have booked a trip to Fraser Island, the reason we drove north from Brisbane in the first place. It is, I believe, the worlds largest sand island and quite a unique environment. We catch the tour bus at 7.20am which takes us to Riverhead where we take a ferry over to the island and continue the trip on a 52 seat 4X4 bus.
There are no proper roads on Fraser Island, not even gravel tracks, but soft rutted sandy trails leading through the forest. Our bus lurches and grinds along through the forest passing smaller and more agile off-road vehicles bogged in the sand. We stop at an old logging camp and follow a boardwalk trail, and then continue across to the other side of the island to join 75 mile Beach – the island’s motorway. There are quite a few other vehicles heading up the beach with us. Most try to keep to the damp sand for the smooth surface but there are places where the sand has drifted or a stream crosses, and vehicles swerve to avoid these and other obstacles. Even so, all seem to keep pretty close to the 80kph speed limit. The beach is designated as a road and traffic laws apply.
We stop to bathe at a valley where a freshwater river joins the sea, then on to an old shipwreck and an outcrop of coloured rock. We have a buffet lunch at the island resort – so far so touristy. The best part of the day, apart from the amazing coach ride, was the hour or two at Lake McKenzie, a beautiful fresh water lake with white sand beaches in the centre of the island.
