Chapter 3 - Fraser Island, Australia

One of the many natural curiosities of Australia is Fraser Island. While most islands are made of dirt and rock, Fraser is one enormous sand dune. A HUGE sand dune, with forests, freshwater lakes, and an entire functioning ecosystem. It's a great place to take off-road vehicles through the sandy paths and try not to get stuck. If you are coming to Australia, Fraser Island should be mandatory.

A tour company rents out 4X4 SUV's and camping equipment to unskilled backpackers, giving us a shotgun training in off-road sand dune driving. After promising not to destroy the jeeps, we were let loose on the island for three days. Our group comprised of 14 people and two vehicles. It was a fun international bunch, with Steve and I assuming the role of the loud Americans. In this first picture we've got some Swedish girls, some Irish girls, a South Korean guy, and Steve. Also in our group were some German girls and a couple of Canadians and Brits. Altogether it was a good cast of characters to explore the island with. Before they set us loose they also gave us all sorts of warnings about what could hurt us on the island. First of all, you couldn't go in the ocean because there were Great White Sharks that would eat you for breakfast. Also, there are jellyfish whose sting will make you feel like you are being burned alive, and then you stop breathing, and Dingos who like to eat babies.Nice huh? So here are the pictures from the trip...

At night it was total chaos trying to get the meals cooked in the dark. Once fed, we just chilled out and dug the dune.



This dingo didn't seem dangerous, but a few years back a young boy was eaten by dingoes on Fraser Island.






Old ship wreckage

Hiking to Lake Wabby wasn't easy, but it was worth it. It sat at the foot of a big mountain of sand. The water was perfect temperature and clean as a whistle.


I'd never seen anything like this. You could run from the top and get some good speed before hitting the water. No diving though, because the water was only a few feet at the edge

I had no idea how fat I was.

Steve intentionally threw himself down this sand dune. Good boy.

The next day we went to Lake Mckenzie. This place was surreal. White sand, deep blue water, bright green trees, and a blue sky. It started to rain and everyone started running away, but I just sat there enjoying the scene. I wish I had a picture of the rain because it made things look even cooler.

At the end of our three days we were covered in sand. Everything we owned was covered in sand. Like all good camping trips we were dirty and tired but smiling the whole way home.

Next stop: Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.

-Thanks for Reading-