Tours, Tours, Tours

Last week I departed Hervey Bay for a 3-day, 2-night self-drive tour of Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island off the east coast of Australia. After our groups were assembled, we set out to food shop and pick up our 4X4’s, the only vehicles drivable on the island. For the next 3 days, we drove all over the east coast of Fraser visiting beautiful lakes and other sights. We swam in two lakes on our first day, Lake Birrabeen with water so clear it reflected the blue of the sky surrounded by pure white sand, and Lake Wabby, a remote lake flanked by mustard-colored sand dunes. When we landed on the island, we headed toward Lake Wabby, our first destination, but after driving in the wrong direction, we decided Lake Birrabeen would be an acceptable stop even thought it wasn’t on our given itinerary. It became apparent that my group of 10, Team B, wasn’t the itinerary type anyhow and we were all too happy to stray from the plan. We were always the last ones to get going in the morning and also the last ones to return at night. Our first day, we were supposed to report to our base camp at 4:30pm, but we didn’t roll up until 6pm. That was the beauty of the self-drive tour, the freedom to decide where and when we wanted to go. My group saw more of the island than any other because we were willing to drive off course and explore.

Our second day we made it out to Indian Head Point for some marine life watching and spotted dolphins, tiger sharks, stingrays, and turtles. After, we headed to Eli Creek, a freshwater creek that you can float down after a trek to the beginning. Anthony, my group member, had brought a soccer ball and I used it as a flotation device to carry me downstream - twice. I felt like a little kid reveling in simplistic fun. Six of us then headed to Lake Garawangera afterwards, leaving the rest to sunbathe at the creek. When we arrived at the lake we were delighted to find that we had the luxury of having the spot to ourselves – only because we had arrived after everyone else had already left. As usual, we stayed longer than we were supposed to and turned up at base camp around dusk.

Before leaving to catch the barge back to Hervey Bay on our last day, we spent a few hours enjoying the refreshing water of Lake McKenzie. All in all it was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far while I’ve been away. As much as Fraser Island was a gem to explore, it really came down to the people. I was lucky to be part of such a fantastic group and it really made the trip amazingly memorable.

Two days after Fraser Island, I set out on a sailing trip around the Whitsundays, mostly uninhabited islands of such picturesque beauty that sailing them has become a must for any tourist. I spent two days and two nights on a catamaran enjoying the scenery and relaxing in the sun. It was really nice to spend my time somewhere other than a hostel for a few days. That’s partly why the trip sounded so appealing in the first place. Just the thought of spending time on a boat was a really exciting prospect.

During the trip I completed my first ever scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. It was an exhilarating experience to be so close to the underwater life, but to be honest it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. I felt that I was concentrating so much more on the bubbles exiting my regulator and mask that I couldn’t focus very well on my surroundings. I thought it’d be so peaceful and calm underwater but it was actually loud (because of my gear) and slightly unpleasant. I preferred snorkeling where I had the comfort of popping my head above the surface whenever I felt like. I spent the last day in the water snorkeling and I could see the coral and fish just as well as when I was diving. I’m happy that I scuba dived though, if only to check off that box on my list of To Do’s.

On our second day we stopped at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, often touted as the world’s most beautiful beach. Unfortunately for us it rained while we were there. It was still beautiful though so I’m sure it’s an incredible sight on a sunny day. My favorite part of the trip was sunbathing on the boat while we cruised through the water. I can finally say that I am certifiably tan, and not just tan for me. Of course I also loved the food. It was a nice reprieve from Subway and peanut butter sandwiches. The crew served food practically every hour of the day, and I don’t think I ever reached the stage of actual hunger. Breakfast turned into a snack into lunch into an afternoon snack and tea and finally into dinner. I’m surprised the boat didn’t sink with the amount of weight we all put on.

The night that we returned from sailing, our boat met at Beaches Bar for a post-sailing reunion. I spoke to Captain Dave about working on a boat, admitting that I had no experience in any area of sailing or cooking for that matter. He assured me that employees are taught everything they need to know, adding that they were looking for crewmembers at the moment. Regrettably I don’t have a working visa and my flights are booked for the next few months with no chance to postpone, otherwise I would have jumped at the chance to spend a few months in Airlie Beach sailing the Whitsundays on a boat. Granted the crew works hard while at sea cooking and cleaning and attending to the needs of the group, but how bad can the job be when you’re on the water all day long sailing around the world’s most scenic islands. I promised him that I’d be back next year with working visa in hand.