Noosa to Hervey Bay/ K'gari (Fraser Island)

 

 This is our last week on the road. We are about 15 hours from Mission Beach which is about the same drive time as from Santa Fe, NM, to St Louis, MO. 

   We drove to Hervey Bay as it is the jumping off point for the ferry to Fraser Island, now known by its aboriginal name K'gari (meaning "paradise"). It is a UNESCO world heritage site and is also managed and protected by its original caretakers, the Butchulla people, as well as the Great Sandy National Park. It is the largest sand island in the world and the only place where rainforest grows in sand.

   Our tour was incredible from the start. After a 40-minute ferry ride across the Great Sandy Strait, we boarded a special 4-wheel drive bus and traveled down sandy, in-land single track "roads". We bumped, jumped, jiggled and swerved around the island through sub-tropical rainforest and eucalyptus forests hoping not to meet up with another 4x4 coming our way. It made a Pink Jeep tour seem like a kiddie ride. We knew our backs would either be really sore or really loose by the end of the day.

   We visited crystal clear freshwater lakes and streams.

   We walked through wet and wonderful rainforest and spotted an azure kingfisher.

We drove over a half hour on the 75-mile Beach, dodging waves and beachwalkers, tooted at fishermen who had caught a snapper, and saw three wild dingoes doing their own beach walk. You are warned continually to avoid confrontation with these animals as they can be aggressive to people....especially small ones. Maybe this is where Elaine's famous line from the Seinfeld show originated.

We rode past the remains of the S.S. Maheno, wrecked by a cyclone in 1935. It began as an ocean liner and served during World War I as a hospital ship for the New Zealand Naval Force (people gather at the wreck on ANZAC Day).

Our memorable day ended with a sunset ferry ride (and a glass of wine and a beer) back to the mainland.

Distance: 115 miles.  Time: 2.5 hours

Next stop: Yeppoon