Fraser Island

First destination was Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.  Our plan was to fly to Brisbane, rent a car and drive it up to Hervey Bay to catch the ferry to the island.  Near our apartment is an airport shuttle that runs every 30 min.  Because it was Good Friday they decided that they were only going to run it whenever they felt like it, unfortunately, we had no clue and when we found out the only other option was to hail a taxi.  Thinking that we live near Kings Cross (a popular clubbing/going out area) we shouldn’t have any issues.  First strike of bad luck.  6am and the Cross was packed!  No cabs in sight, people all over the place.  We finally see a cab and Joanne has to battle it out with a girl – in the end we got it. All else was smooth sailing.

Fraser Island seemed like  “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”.  Only option to get on or off the island was the ferry.  The resort we were staying at (Kingfisher Bay Resort) was eco friendly and each room had a private balcony that was enclosed by nature. We went to sleep listening to the crickets and woke to birds chirping.  The first night we swam in the pool and were astonished by how clear the sky was and the ability to see the Milky Way.  Second strike of bad luck.  The only way around the island is by 4WD, we tried renting one but they were all out.  Too stubborn to do a tour we decided to walk, turned into a 40k hike in one day.   First 12k were fine b/c we stopped by Lake Mckenzie, one of the most breathtaking lakes ever.  Sand was pure white, water was crystal clear, and there were hardly any people!  We  could’ve spent our entire day relaxing but we were determined to see as much as possible so we went on to Central Station (only rainforest on a sand island in the world) which was 13k return trip.   By the end of it we had run out of water and could barely move..... but we had no other option.  So Joanne begged someone for water and we moved on. The last 15k was absolutely brutal.  We didn’t see a soul in sight, were exhausted and all we could think about were iced cold slurpees.  When we finally reached the Mckenzie Jetty and the ocean it felt like we were saved.  5k’s later we were sipping on beers, cola, and water.  Surprising the next day we were doing OK,  so we spent the afternoon fishing in the ocean drinking Coronas.  Caught nothing but had alot of bitters that kept eating all our shrimp.  Had a nice Easter dinner that night chowing down on kangaroo, emu, alligator (all Dan) and barramundi.