FAR OUT Walkabout: Fraser Island

By Jordan Haugan // 18 March 2011 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: adventure, blogging, dingo, Far Out Adventure, Far Out Walkabout, fraser island, Hostels, Things to do, Traveller blog, wild life

Fraser Island is the type of place that everyone talks about... but no one really knows what's there. It's undoubtedly one of the most hyped-up places to visit in Australia, yet there is such a mysterious vibe to it... and I think that's maybe why so many people are attracted to it. I had heard of how beautiful it was from some of my friends who had been to Australia before and I have to say, I have never heard grown men talk about nature with such enthusiasm: "Man, you sit there on the white sand on the clear water lake... watching the sunset across the entire horizon... it's so overwhelming I almost cried," said one of my friends. Woah, I thought, if a 6' 1" basketball player had this reaction to the scenery, this place must be phenomenal. My hopes were high as Kevin and I made our way on the Oz Expereince bus from 1770 to Rainbow Beach.

After checking in to our cool, beach-house-esque hostel, Frasers on Rainbow, we politely asked the receptionist, "What will we be doing on Fraser?" (Seriously, we had no idea what we'd be doing!) "Oh, you'll be riding in a Land Cruiser around the island! Orientation is in 5 minutes at Dingos right next door!" Sweet! We hurried on over just in time for the longest orientation of our lives. (Okay, it wasn't that long... we were just really excited to go to Fraser!)

They told us how to drive on the island and we were able to meet the friends in the groups we'd be travelling with, once we arrived on the island. There were 10 people total in our group from all over the world. Two of the guys were from Denmark (who were absolutely hilarious), two girls from Sweden, another two girls from Germany, a girl from Canada, a girl from Switzerland... and us two goofy Far Out boiz. Although we had our doubts about the weather (dark clouds were rolling in and things were looking pretty bad on the forecast), we could tell right off the bat that this was one solid group. Everyone had very unique personalities and we were making jokes left and right!

We spent the night hanging out at Frasers on Rainbow. Not only do the rooms rock, there are several great places to chill in the bar. Pool and ping pong, darts, karaoke, and more-this place was great for regaining some energy for what we would soon discover was... the craziest camping experience of our lives.

The next morning, the clouds were drizzling and we loaded up the Land Cruisers with 3 days worth of supplies: food, water, tents, and... SHELTER. (Jonathan, one of the guys from Denmark, was the "shelter guy." He loved shelter. He looked for it, he set it up, and he was always talking about... SHELTER... You'll see what I mean later in this blog...)

We rode the Land Cruiser up to the barge and crossed the waters to Fraser Island. We were no longer mainlanders. It was time to become one with wild Fraser nature. When we arrived, we made our way driving through the dense Fraser jungles to a place called Lake McKenzie. Although it was overcast, the colors were still very vibrant. Just like I had heard, it was white sand, green trees and blue waters. Something about it made us feel so isolated, even though we were traveling in a group. It was so peaceful to eat our lunch on that white sand!

After an afternoon of eating and playing around, we left the lake and headed back to set up camp. This is when things started getting interesting... The wind was picking up and it started drizzling again while we set up the tents. Jonathan found some good "SHELTER" (he said it very short and quick) and we were able to start cooking some chicken and rice. Dark clouds were rolling in and it got dark very fast... Then it was time for... DINGO WATCH: NIGHT #1!!!

We had heard dingoes roam the island, but this night, we discovered it for ourselves... The rain was now pouring down and dingoes were roaming around the campsite. It was very exciting to be so close to these wild dogs, to hear them howling, and to scare them off when they were scavaging for our food. We pulled up some chairs, played some card games under the SHELTER (Goon included!) and had a blast getting to know our new friends... Like I said, we couldn't have asked for better group mates!

After a night of hearing dingoes roaming around, we awoke to the smell of the Denmark guys making eggs. It was a delicious way to start the day... and what a day did we have ahead of us!

Dave, our Land Cruiser driver/guide/Fraser EXPERT, spun out on the sand and we hit the coast at full speed. Next stop: Champagne Pools! Again, the weather was overcast (not ideal for Fraser Island), but the sun started peaking out through the clouds when we arrived at the Pools. What an awesome sight for sore eyes!

We then saw a super old, rusty shipwreck. The rain and tide made it look like how the weather probably was when the ship had arrived on shore! We then went down to Eli Creek! This is a great place to walk down the shallow creek that cuts right through the jungles of Fraser!

The second night was even more crazy. The rain had now turned into a torrential downpour and we had all huddled up inside the Land Cruiser to keep warm. As Jonathan said, "this is a proper SHELTER." Even though the weather was absolutely crazy, the people in our group made this experience unforgettable.

The final day we spent driving to Lake Wabby. When we got to the entrance, the rain started pouring down harder than ever. The Denmark guys and I ran through the jungle for a good half hour before the jungle trail turned into MASSIVE sand dunes! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE! MASSIVE SAND DUNES?!?! YES! It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. When we hopped down the sand dunes, we jumped into the lake. With pouring rain on our heads, the lake really warmed us up.

At the end of the day, Fraser was everything we thought it would be and more. Would it have been nice to get some sunny pics? Yup! But I think the pouring rain, the crazy dingoes, and the wild driving only added to the memorability of the experience. With an awesome set of new friends, some close encounters with dingoes, and some amazing sights... it was truly a weekend to remember!