On our first morning in Australia, we picked up our giant diesel camper van (aka The Beast) in Brisbane and drove up the coast to Hervey Bay. We were trying to catch the barge over to Fraser Island, but we arrived in town too late. We ended up driving up and down Hervey Bay for half the night trying to get camping permits, barge reservations, food and supplies and trying to find a freakin' place to park and spend the night. All of the "Holiday Parks" (aka trailer parks) were closed at 7pm!!! We finally found one that had a sign saying that if you arrived late (7pm is late??) you could pay in the morning before you left. We found a great camping spot right next to the beach overlooking the ocean and settled in for the night.

We finally got the barge over to Fraser Island and it was so fantastic. There are no roads on Fraser Island just sandy tracks wending their way through the forest and one huge 75 mile long beach.

Once we got onto the island we tried to find a place to make camp for the evening. We drove straight across the island and onto the huge beach at high tide and promptly got stuck in the soft sand. I got out of the truck. The sand was so smooth and soft it felt like icing sugar between my toes. It was devine! But unfortunately we were stuck in it.

Luckily, a friendly Australian couple came to our rescue. They told us that they visit Fraser 5 times a year and so were fully equipped. They fitted our tires with little gadgets that deflated them to 12 PSI. Our wheels now had some traction and we were able to just drive away. Thanks Friendly Australian couple!

We spent the night right on the beach - tucked behind some sand dunes - with no one for ages around. The wind blew and the waves crashed and the horse flies buzzed. It was remote and beautiful.

The next day we drove around the island exploring the inland lakes on the Fraser Island. We walked several kilometers inland in the blazing sun to Lake Wabby. A deep lake with a giant sand dune that is slowly subsuming it over time. Then we continued on driving, through less used and much more rugged tracks, to Lake Birrabean. There was no one there. It was gorgeous. A cool white sand beach and a warm but fresh lake. The water was crystal clear and turquoise with a white sandy bottom. It was stunning. The most perfect spot for swimming in the whole world. We frolicked in the water doing handstands and somersaults, for at least an hour, until we were throughly waterlogged and our fingers and toes were pruney.

We headed off for Lake Boomanjin, which I kept calling Lake Boom-jammin'. We were planning to camp there, but shortly after we arrived a convoy of 4x4 vans with 11 backpackers in each pulled up. As more and more sweaty, loud, beer-swilling youngsters piled out of the vans, we decided the prospect of sleep was dim and we should keep moving. We got to Dili Village just before nightfall. Dili Village is a camp and research station for the University of Southern Queensland. They research the famous pure-blooded dingoes (links to a PDF) on the island. Luckily there weren't any dingoes around the station - so we decided to stay the night.

On our last day on Fraser, we decided to check out Lake Mackenzie. It was just like Birrabean, but overrun with tourists and day-trippers. A bit of a let-down, but honestly still gorgeous and fantastic for swimming. We made it back to the docks to catch the barge back to the mainland.