4WD 4 U N I

DAY 9
Location: Fraser Island via Noosa
Temp: 10 C/23 C
Weather: Clear skies!
Activities: Fraser Island Adventure Tour in 4WD monster vehicle, swimming Lake McKenzie, rainforest walk, scenic drive home
Accommodation: Noosa Flashpackers

This image was taken from the brochure of the Fraser Island Adventure Tour. You can see where we came from, where we launched on the ferry, and our loop around Lake McKenzie. And yes, dingos!!

My earliest wake up call yet at 5:20 a.m., I threw on my clothes from yesterday since again, I was the first up and trying to remain quiet in our room of six. I waited outside in the bitter cold waiting for my 6:10 a.m. pick up for the tour. An Aussie man straight out of a movie came walking up and ushered me to his ritzy POV and his wife drove us through Noosa to the Noosa Marina where this 15-foot truck came snorting up.

My solo travel finally rewarded me with the shotgun seat of this monster and I literally had to climb to get up into it. Our driver and guide, Peter, wasted no time getting the beast off the road and onto a beach drive up the coast, where us Noosa boardees were treated to a quick jaunt up Red Canyon for a taste of Teewah Colored Sands in Cooloola National Park. The dramatic red sand sculptures looked like rock, but they really were just weathered sand peaks. I got some great pictures of them as the sun rose!

A view atop the Red Canyon in Cooloola National Park. This was before we even hit Fraser Island. I literally ran out ahead of the group and up the dunes to just revel in how red and crumbly they were. This was shot from the highest 'climbable' peak toward the Pacific.

I took this to give a sense of scale. Folks from our group climbed where they pleased around these great, fragile sand peaks.

Then we nosed off the beach and rolled, bumped, and jibbed into a sand-trap of a road through scrub and jungle which I'm sure knocked people's fillings loose. This trip is not for those pregnant, nursing, or have bad backs. We picked up eight more people at Rainbow Beach and, now with a full truck, made our way up to Fraser Island.

Our behemoth 4x4 on the ferry to Fraser. Yep, I was sitting up front on what I felt was the driver's side--but was not--and loved every minute of it.

We trundled over another beach to a ferry crossing and rolled right onto the floating concrete slab that powered us the 1k over swift water to the largest sand island in the world. Rolling off of Hook Point, we ripped up the east coast of Fraser Island, 75 Mile Beach, during the low tide and waved to other 4x4 vehicles tearing along the super sand 'highway.'

I remember watching this jeep and thinking "No way. No way are they just going to plow right throug--okay, okay, go for it, guy. You do your thing."

We paused at one rust-colored freshwater stream emptying into the sea and had morning tea and bicky (cookies). We spotted a sleepy dingo lying on the beach, entirely unbothered by us, before moving inland past the resorts and into Sandy Forest filled to bursting to Black Butt, Satinays and Kauri trees of every size. This hairy stretch of sand had us bouncing all over the place and jerking the truck to odd angles.

My first dingo sighting was pretty exciting. The wild dog hardly took any notice of us, he was too busy sunning to be buggered.

We finally reached the loop that emptied into Lake McKenzie, a clear freshwater lake filled by rainwater alone. The water was a bit cool, but a quick dive and hard stroke had me warm up quick and flipping about disturbing the peace. I loved it! The water was so clear and crisp! I enjoyed the freshwater so much that I was last to lunch. Peter said that was typical since I was a Pacific baby. No objections here.

LOOK AT IT! It's freaking beautiful!
Lake McKenzie, with your basin of collected rain water--how I was born again in your cool bosom. This was definitely one of the high points of my entire trip. Beautiful, breathtaking Lake McKenzie.

Happier than a fish in water. Just look at how CLEAR it is! I didn't want to get out! A nice group of middle-aged folks chatted with me while I floated along and offered to take my picture, which they then sent along to me afterward. I was touched by the kindness.

Our bush lunch consisted of steak, prawns, a variety of salads, sausages, fruit, and free beer, wine and soda! Up until this point, I had teased all my tour guides about having steak for lunch, but this one actually delivered! It was a bit tough, but still, it's freakin' steak!

I'll readily admit I'm a water lover, so our little hike alongside this quiet crystal stream was just such a treat. I trotted down the path as far as our time allotted us to. 

Yes, that's still part of the river. It doesn't look like anything is even there--that's just how clear it was! And so quiet! It didn't make a sound. "What strea--" SPLOOSH

After lunch, more bouncity bounce until we reached a rainforest walk along a pristine stream as silent as the day is long. Most creeks talk on their way downhill, but this one was perfectly still as it slipped along. I pushed out in front and got nearly a mile before having to turn back to not get left behind, but I chatted with the folks who kept up with my long stride.

Homeward bound saw us at high tide traveling south on the 75 Mile Beach which made for much more swervy driving. We stopped for afternoon tea and those yummy Lamington cakes, before we were forced inland by the tide to rush back to the ferry.

I love afternoon tea. And morning tea for the matter. Seriously, why isn't this a thing here in the States?

Our guide took us on a scenic drive for the two hours back to Noosa and I spotted some kangaroos! But I was starting to get awful sleepy after having to get up so early. And as per usual, I was the last to get dropped off. I thanked Peter for the lovely full day, "Bye Possum!" He said, and now I'm off to find dinner of some kind.

I'm hoping to sleep in tomorrow morning and squeeze in a morning nature hike. Wish me luck!