Family and Fraser Island

Having successfully traversed greater Brisbane we arrived at Twin Waters in the early afternoon. We spent some time at the Novotel who had thankfully agreed to house the Moho whilst we had our ‘mini break’ in the nearby (Sebel) timeshare apartment. We were directed to the ‘back oval’ car park which we found on our third attempt, parked under a light (slightly worried about security) and proceeded to unload what we might need for the next five nights. It was 3.33 pm by the time we arrived at the office to check in to find that they closed at 3.30! Eventually we got directions to the safe where our key and instructions were stored and made our way to apartment 29a. It turned out to be a lovely spot, upstairs facing the man made lake and with a resident magpie that invited himself in as soon as we left the door open.

A short stroll across the road was gorgeous Mudjimba Beach but unfortunately no drone flying due to its close proximity to the airport πŸ˜’

Twin Waters itself is relatively quiet and away from the main touristy areas but turned out to be a good spot for day trips to the surrounding coast and hinterland areas. Coincidentally we had family both north and south of us and on Tuesday we drove up to Noosa Heads to meet my ‘newest found niece’ Kate. We caught up in her lunch break which was lovely and we crammed a lot into that short time before doing a bit of retail therapy in Hastings Street. 

Later that evening we met up with cousin Katrina and her partner for a sushi dinner which was wonderful. We worked out it was 10 years since our last drinks and we had a lot to catch up on!

Russell managed to slot in a game of bowls on Wednesday and I decided to head up to Eumundi Markets, allegedly Australia’s largest art, craft and produce market. I thought it was OK but nothing special, there were lots of stalls but only a very small section were Australian or locally made which was disappointing. It fell well short of the quality and diversity on sale at the Byron market.

The following day we had our second Covid vaccination in Maroochydore (great experience at Eclipse Medical) and then headed into the hinterland to visit Maleny and Montville, both lovely little towns with gourmet food trails, arts and crafts shops and nearby natural scenic spots. The steep and winding mountain road made us once again glad not to be in the Moho and eventually we arrived at Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve with stunning views of the Glasshouse Mountains and coastline.

Not yet done with rainforest walks we completed the 2km loop from the restaurant area viewing more interesting vegetation and listening to the noisy fruit bats in the piccabeen palms.

Having read with some excitement that there was a Platypus Viewing Platform in Maleny we parked in the showgrounds (a great RV camping spot for future reference) and wandered along the Obi Obi Boardwalk until we came to the viewing platform. Unfortunately the platypus were elsewhere or asleep but it was a nice walk which again partly compensated for the delicious raspberry tart from the bakery afterwards. (That’s my theory anyway πŸ˜‚)

Next stop was Montville which reminded me of our Adelaide Hills villages but after a quick stroll (we have no room to add ‘trinkets’) we drove on and found the parking area for Kondalilla Falls. It was a little late to attempt the walk to the base of the falls but we managed to get to the Rockpools above the main drop where several groups were sunbaking but seemingly not brave enough to get wet.

When we arrived back at the apartment, Reception had taken delivery of a package from Dan Murphy’s which turned out to be a very special bottle of French Champagne, very thoughtfully organized by the kids to celebrate my one year ‘diagnosisversary’ as Zoe termed it, which comes up tomorrow. I’m sure we will find a special place to appreciate that.

It took some time on Friday morning to decant all of the stuff that had been moved to the apartment and then re home it back in the Moho but we had time for a farewell coffee with Katrina and then hit the road bound for Rainbow Beach on the ‘Fraser Coast.’

Despite having been to this part of Oz many years ago I had never been to Fraser Island so was quite excited about our day long trip the next day with Fraser Island Adventures. Although we have a 4WD at our disposal we are far from confident 4WDers and decided the safest way to go was with someone else! (This proved to be a good decision when we saw several poor bogged people with caravans and boats in tow and fractious families watching rescue efforts.)

Friday June 18 though, before Fraser, was time to crack the Pol Roger and drink to our health as the sun set at Rainbow Beach Boat Ramp. This time last year we had just received my diagnosis and were scared of what the future held for us. With somewhat less hair but I think with sense of humour intact we enjoyed a drink and after the sun set retreated to the Moho for a kilo of yummy local prawns, all in all life is good 😎

One year since diagnosis

It was an early start the next day with pick up at the SLSC at 0730. There were 15 of us aboard the 4WD bus/truck and after a short intro our driver headed toward Inskip Point where the barge operates the 15 minute crossing over to Fraser Island. Before we got on to the barge we saw our first bogged family and as we got off the other side another one sunk into the deep soft sand, I felt really sorry for them.

For us though, it was our first sighting of an Island dingo who was feeding on a dead turtle in between being disturbed by vehicles coming off the barge. There are signs everywhere warning tourists NOT to interact with these wild animals but unfortunately they have naturally discovered that humans mean food and this has caused a real problem with regular negative experiences being reported concerning aggressive behaviour.

Β 

We left him to the turtle and began an exhilarating drive along the beach, in most places now quite firm, with the seaside passengers on the look out for whales and dolphins, both of which had been seen here in recent days. On the way we crossed lots of fresh water creek outlets and our guide told us about the huge artesian resource that sits under Fraser Island, the true capacity of which is still to be determined. Our morning tea stop was at Eli Creek, the largest of these fresh water streams and we had time to stroll up the boardwalk and see the pristine waterway. Eli Creek originates from groundwater and is known as “white water” as it carries virtually no organic matter and therefore looks slightly surreal, its difficult to tell there is water in the stream bed sometimes.

After morning tea we continued further north along the beach until we came to the wreck of the S.S. Maheno. The Maheno had an illustrious career as one of the first turbine driven steamers and worked between Sydney and Auckland before being commissioned as a hospital ship during WW1. In 1935 she was sold as scrap and after having her rudder removed was being towed to Japan when they encountered a cyclonic storm, snapping the tow chain and she ran aground on Fraser.

S.S.Maheno

Our itinerary then took us inland through the resort on the eastern side of the Island (apparently the ‘flash’ one is on the western side) and eventually along what the locals call the M7… a sandy track that is the islands main road…. toward Lake Mackenzie.

Lake Mackenzie is a ‘perched lake’ which means that its water comes entirely from rain water. The white silica sand acts to purify the water and the sand, mud and plantation at the bottom of the lake act as a basin, forming a protective layer that stops the rainwater from leaving the dune. Fraser Island actually has half of the world’s perched lakes and Lake Mackenzie is undoubtedly the pin up child.

Whilst some braved the water for a swim, you all know Russell’s criteria for donning the togs so we soaked up its majesty from the sand. Lake Mackenzie is ranking right up there as one of my favourite spots so far, you may have guessed I am partial to a water view. πŸ˜‰

After a delicious lunch in the fenced off ‘courtyard’ – no food or drink allowed at the Lake in an effort to reduce dingo encounters – we boarded the bus again and drove on toward Central Station. Central Station is the name for the forestry camp at what was once the centre of the island’s logging industry, fortunately a thing of the past now that the island is World Heritage listed. The remaining buildings are being converted into a museum and interpretive display but for us the main attraction was the Wanggoolba Creek boardwalk. Walking toward the creek we all thought the surface was covered in algae or that the creek was empty, such was the otherworldly appearance created by the white water.

Wanggoolba Creek

This was our final planned stop for the day so we boarded the bus and headed back out to the east coast where the tide had advanced considerably and our driver earned his salary negotiating the beach route back to the barge. We arrived with just enough time for a quick afternoon tea whilst he let the tires down ready for our soft sand run once disembarking over at Inskip Point.

Tomorrow, we find our own ‘dirty’ perched lake and outlast the nudists……

2 thoughts on “Family and Fraser Island

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*