Back to Rainbow beach

Lake Wabby

Lake McKenzie

I wasn't feeling too good this morning - sleepless nights and headache. It had rained a little overnight so we were hoping to get the tents dry before folding them away. The kookaburras entertained the kids while we packed up. We checked out and headed south along the beach. We saw a dingo in the water hassling some fisherman keen to get their catch before them. We took the Central Lakes Scenic Drive and stopped at the lookout over Lake Wabby which is the deepest lake on Fraser Island. We continued on to Lake McKenzie which is one of the more popular destinations because of it's beautiful white sand and sparkling blue waters. We had lunch behind the dingo proof picnic area and headed down to the lake. It was a little cool for swimming but it did look very inviting and the kids and dads had a quick dip. We caught the ferry back to Inskip Point around 4.00pm and headed back to the caravan parks to collect our vans and set up again. The cars were pretty trashed with sand throughout everything. We went out or dinner to the Rainbow Beach Hotel which seemed quite modern and classy.

Fraser Island

Well I am very behind with my Blog posts but today we sorted out some of our computer hassles and have finally worked out how to post photos - yipee!

Now back to Saturday:

I still didn't get a great nights sleep because I woke in the middle of the night needing to go to the toilet but getting up and walking the 100m to the toilet block in the dark was not appealing (ok I have to admit I am a little scared of the dingoes).  I considered waking Rick to come with me but thought that might be scarier than meeting a dingo. After a cooked breakfast we headed north along the beach towards the rocky outcrop of Indian Head where the trail branches inland. We stopped at the most northern settlement, Orchid Beach where there is a well stocked shop (but terrible coffee according to Kaya, Andy & Rick).  We drove out onto the beach at Waddy Point and found a great sand dune to slide down.  It was great fun but we there were a few tears after face planting in the sand! We had a picnic lunch and walked around the rock pools.  We then had to make tracks so we could get around the point before the tide came up.  We hit some really soft boggy sand and were bogged again. Out came the winch and the snatch strap.  We were having trouble in the deep wheel ruts so we spent a few minutes filling in the sand.  We didn't have too much time to spare to get back around so were relieved when were on solid ground on eastern beach. We arrived back at camp just on dark and cooked dinner. After dinner, I was on dingo duty while the others took the kids to the bathroom to brush their teeth when a dingo came into our camp and started slinking towards me on his belly. I started to get a little worried when all of my efforts to scare him away failed - thankfully the man in the next camp came over and the dingo took off.

Fraser Island

It was still really windy but we were quite protected from it at the campground. Although none of us really slept too well with the noise of the crashing waves and wind in the trees overhead (just above our tent!) Andy also forgot a mattress for himself (as well as the gas fitting for his Webber) so he couldn't have been too comfortable. We decided to go across to the other side of the island where hopefully it might be a bit more sheltered. We took the Woralie Creek road which took us through lush eucalyptus forests. We stopped for a look at Lake Allom and thought we would do the circuit walk but spent quite a while at the viewing platform where we were excited to see lots of freshwater turtles. Then all the kids proceeded to strip off and go for a swim. We continued on to the other side of the island which was a lot more sheltered. As soon as we were out of the cars Kaya thought she spotted a dolphin only a little way offshore. When we got closer we realized it was a shark, actually two sharks. We had a picnic lunch and the kids had a play in the sand before we decided to head further north up the beach to Moon Point and take the track back across to the Eastern side from there. We had trouble finding the entrance off the beach for the track and soon realized we were in a 'no vehicle zone'. We finally decided to take the track near the Moon Point Barge landing but still weren't too confident as it didn't seem to have been used in some time (dodgy visitor map). It did meet up with a more substantial track which we were happier about until we came across deep water holes which seemed to be getting bigger the further we progressed and before we knew it the Rogers in the Discovery 3 were stuck in the mud hole and had to be winched out by the Cooks in the Discovery 4! After negotiating a few more mud holes we got to to the track intersection to find a sign saying the track was closed due to large water holes! we made it back to the campground just on dark and prepared dinner. The kids were so tired they were asking to go to bed.

Fraser Island

'Maheno Wreck'

We spent the morning packing the car in preparation for our three nights on Fraser Island - this was quite a job because we were leaving the vans at Rainbow Beach and just taking the tent. We also needed sleeping gear, BBQ, clothes, recovery gear, food and kitchen utensils etc. After fueling up and buying Vehicle Permits we caught the Barge from Inskip Point around 12.30pm. The trip across only took about 15 mins and before long we were driving north up the Seventy Five Mile Beach. The 120km long Island is the world's largest sand island. For many years the island was exploited for it's valuable timber and mineral sands. Sand mining ceased in 1975 and logging did not stop until 1991 when it became part of the Great Sandy National Park. In 1993 native title was recognized and the island was listed as a World Heritage area. It was very windy and the waves were crashing in. We stopped at the Maheno wreck, a passenger liner that was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935 while being towed to a Japanese scrap yard. A little further on were the Pinnacles which is a section of colored sand cliffs. The next stop was our camp ground 'Frasers at Cathedral Beach'. There were lots of warnings about dingoes especially around small children so we had to be vigilant. We set up camp and then went for a walk to a nearby sand blow. We cooked our BBQ dinner by torch light and spotted our first dingo slinking around the campsite looking for an easy feed.

Catching up with the Cooks

It was an ordinary kind of day - overcast and rain. After breakfast we took the kids down to the local park for a play. We went for a walk and bought some morning tea at the bakery. We farewelled Geoff and the girls around 12.30pm and headed to Rainbow Beach where we had planned to catch up with Kaya and Andy and the kids who were on a 6 week trip of Northern Queensland. We arrived at the Caravan Park around 2.30pm. The camp sites were large open sites. We set up and I drove into town to get some groceries for our three nights on Fraser Island. I went to the small supermarket in the main street which seemed to have a limited supply of fresh food. When I got back the Cooks had arrived and the kids were very pleased to have someone else to play with. After dinner we caught up with Kaya and Andy and discussed our plans for Fraser Island.

Wet n Wild

Happy 6th Birthday Cooper! Cooper's Birthday felt like it had been going on for sometime now having celebrated with family before we left. He had already received his main present just before leaving home which was a new bike. He had a couple of things to open - a new helmet and shirt. After doing most of the pack up we decided to take him up the shops so he could spend some of his birthday money he had also received before we left. Back to pick up the van and check out from Treasure Island we then headed to Wet n Wild water park. It wasn't too busy which was great except they tend to have only half the things open so you still end up waiting. It was sunny and 19 degrees but it got quite cool when you were wet and standing in the wind. The kids and I wore our wet suits. The kids had a little play at Bucaneer park and were then keen for some slides. After a couple of hours we were done which was good timing as it had clouded over and started to rain. We got changed and jumped back in the car and headed to Caloundra to visit Geoff, who used to work with Rick. We arrived at Geoff's place in the late afternoon and had fish and chips for dinner and bought a cake from Coles. Caitlin & Cooper enjoyed playing with the girls. We sang Happy Birthday and the kids watched a movie.

Sea World

What a big day. We woke up to more blue skies and sunshine. Caitlin & Cooper were very excited about their Dolphin Adventure which was a birthday present from their Nan & Pop. We arrived at Sea World at 9.30am checked in at guest services and only had a few minutes at Shark Bay before the kids had to get changed into their wetsuits and go to the meeting point. Fortunately for us Caitlin and Cooper were the only two booked in for this session so they had their own private show. They meet Shelley the dolphin trainer and the star of the show Zack the Bottle-nose Dolphin. The session involved them sitting on a pontoon in the water so when Zack came up to them they could reach out and pat him. Shelley involved the kids in getting Zack to perform lots of tricks and stunts. It was also very educational as she talked about the behavior and anatomy of these beautiful creatures. Rick and I watched from the sidelines. They had a great time and also received a photo and DVD each. From there we raced across to the 11.30 "Imagine Dolphin Show" and the other attractions including Shark Bay, the new penguin exhibit, and the Polar Bears. Caitlin and I booked to go on a behind the scenes tour of the Polar Bear exhibit which houses three bears. We learnt some interesting facts and got up close (the other side of the cage) to Nelson and Lia the only female. They have never bred polar bear cubs at Sea World and all the trainers were very excited about the prospect. Lia had been in her den for about 3 weeks but we were fortunate enough to see her come out for a snack of sardines, carrots and meatloaf. Polar bears are very adaptable and can cope with the very warm Queensland summers, they don't hibernate and weigh between 200 - 800 kg. The bears are rotated between 5 den areas and two outdoor areas including the exhibit area which has climate control features such as wind fans, sprinklers, waterfalls etc. The bears are mentally stimulated through toys, different scents, food etc. We met back with the boys at 3.00pm and decided to go across to Movie World for the 4.15pm stunt show. The queue was huge but they jammed everybody in. We headed back to Treasure Island for dinner - we were all exhausted. It had been a great day.