Well after catching the bus from the middle of no where I hit Harvey bay where the following day I am to take a 4 wheel drive tour to frazer island.
I travle with some great characters John from leeds originally from kent. Don't know what he does but a bit of everything I guess and is 36. Also Melainie who is a great person to talk to on the bus. She's done everything and hated her last job at a call centre she wants to be a copy writer.
The bus was over two hrs late to pick us up from cool bananas at 1770 but we eventually get on it. Then they drop us off half an hour distance away from harvey bay so we have to catch another bus back and yes I slept all the way again.
Harvey bay is a strange place. I arrange to meet mel for dinner who has arranged to meet john for drinks at 9 at the only lonely planet recomended bar. I do laudry and rest and discover am sharing with 5 irish guys. Ohhh oh!
I met mel for dinner and we go to a wok restaurant which I discover sells anything but wok food. So after our BOY of white wine we head to meet john at 9 along the eslplanade. Mel didn't say where it was and the esplanade is 12k long. Eventually we find him aftter rushing for what seems miles. So we have a great night and then end up at the only pub open past 10 called beaches. Yep the same backpackers I am staying at so we go for the pitchers of beer.
John says the worst thing ever that he thinks he looks like moe from the sympsons. This has us both laughing but yep he does look and act like mo from the sympsons. Mels nackered she goes and john and i stay for a little longer.
Next day I am off for a 7.30 start on the two day one night tour. I meet 3 irish people. Sinead a really great irish lash but quiet big and has a bierd and kevin a really lovely friendly guy also travelling with the other friend frodo ( as we call him) real name fergal. They are all mad and live together in the same small town and are complete heavy drinkers. Also carlos and diona who are a couple girlfriend and boyfriend in the platonic sense travelling from holland. I tell frodo about the choose my side but not telling him what it comes out of. I also told the rest of the irish but told them what to expect.
We go off for a trip to the ferry and I start talking to two lovelly austrailian retired ladies who go off for 3 months round austrailia every now and then. They were very out going for their age and great to talk to.
First stop after the ferry is 75 mile beach. The side of fraser is just long sandy beaches with the forest or dunes hitting the sea. Next was into the rain forest where our tour guide graig (a slender version of martin clunes with smaller ears) tells us about the history of teh island and forest.
After that we hit the lake woola something. We have to walk miles over sand dunes which in 70 years time are expoected to enclose the lake. Also here we go swimming well i get into the water and out again as bloody cold and fish are there to clean any cuts...this freaks some of teh girls out. So I walk to the lookout. Griffin (american bloke( and frodo run all the way.
Next stop lunch and then through more of the beach where craig stops and shows how you can dig for clams. Then we have a clam race.
All the other groups have hired cars and are tenting it with the dingos. Most groups get stuck or have accidents doing the 4x4 in the sand which we saw and kevin had done last year. He got stuck for 5 hrs.
After that we are taken to our residence for the night...its going to be cold. I am sharing with two nice english girls. Straight away the irish are on the beer and found out what time the pub shuts. Late as their is the aussie football...queensland versus new south wales.
Well that night we get our beers and persuade or nag the waitress to let us move some tables together to form a big group. Its so cold we try to move the rtables near the heaters but they won't let us block the gang way.
Carlos the dutch guy shows up with diona and introduces themselves followed by the words lets get naked on the beach. As we understand he gets naked everywhere and diona takes a photo of him. A strange but absolutely hilarious couple. He also tells us he was born naked but with his socks on. Then he says every camp site he goes to he asks if he can have a shower and in the shower can he be naked...the guys obsessed. You can imagine the conversation. going down hill from there.
Also a dutch couple joined us. They were about 45, married 4 years and she's a police woman that can drink like a fish. So drinking games began and everytime on the football queensland scored we booed and cheered for the others. We got asked to move so the serious aussies could watch the game.
After a while the dutch guy said lets get naked on the beach so we all went to the beach. Frodo, kevin and dutch guy strip off and go swimming. They are freezing when they get back...you can tell obviously.
Next there is a fire twirling session with the girls from the restuarant. They get a bit annoyed when carlos throws their twirling things. They go off in a huff.
So next its tinme for a last skinny dip before we go. griffin dares me and calls me a chicken so I go skinny dipping up to the waist as its so cold./ Then when we get back they tell me we have just been swimming in austrailias most dangerous waters for shark attacks. Explains why I didn't see people swimming at all while we were driving round. At 3 in the morning freezing cold we go back to our rooms.
Next day with a slight hang over we get up. Carlos's femaile friend matched us glass to pitcher of beer to 8 and was very sick. She actually passed out in the toilets. She has no hang over. Frodo is really bad. We drive off to other parts of teh island as watering hole with marshland where you can see turtles swimming, a creek that moves. Especially when they spent loads of money making a board walk and then a few years later the water decides to find a different way to travel.
Anyhow next someone points out teh whales off to our right. As we are following the long sandy beech to our right there are a series of whales running parallel to us. There are 3 quiet ones that we can see in the distance just from their blow holes. There is also a playful one that leapes into the air then dives into the water several times. Although a distance away its an awsopme sight watching them play in the water. Up then diving down followed buy a big splash.
we follow them for a way until we get to the point. Most other cars that have been hired are stuck in thga sand and it will take a while fro them to dig themselves out of the white powder. We go on and walk to the point where there is a little rock pool in the rocks that people are swimming in as the waves blow over. In the distance we can see the whales. We stop there for about an hr then drive on further to indian head. There is a steap qwlak to the head trying to rush there in time for the whales. We just make it. You can see them off in the distance. When you look down there are giant shadows in the water which I discover from craig our guide are manter rays. There are about 5 and they only look about a few feet big. Turns out they were prtobably 5-9 metres. Wow they just look like little shadows from the point. Next we drive off back trhough teh beach then rain forest. Stop for lunch then get on teh ferry home.
We get back to ourt respective shalleys/hostels andplan to meet up for a quiet night.
I do laundry run around and get bits and peiecs so by the time i meet them its a bit late. I won'rt say too much as mum is telling me off for writing about the beer drinking sessions more than the trip. so needless to say after constant re-filling of jugs and glasses at hoola hans an irish bar we head off to beeches where its tarts and tarts night. Guys dressed as women, dance oiff comptetition that sort of thing. Needless to say a 3 in the mornoing job where i lost my journal and fleece and nicki who is the 3rd memeber of the irish gang and i had been warned about her as a man eater and loud nutter, she came over and snogged griffin. Think that scared him and he ran off home.
The irsih are great so was the dutch guy but you need a spare liver for them.
Posted by alexd at July 11, 2004 07:46 AM