fraser island

some random entries i found in my journal:

"chimps and humans are the only animals which can recognize their own reflection in a mirror. the mona lisa does not have eyebrows. beer is good company." a little random but i am sure there is a deep meaning somewhere in there that has been lost in the translation.

the macolm mcdowell lookalike relieved himself in my dorm room on my last night in noosa. i have finished reading confessions of a dangerous mind, and am on to the rise of the next reich.

but on to fraser island ...

still the han solo tour. i took a bus from noosa to rainbow beach on the fraser coast very early in the morning. here in rainbow beach there is nothing but remote beaches and people who have come from all over the world to see fraser island. it is a backpacker shipping zone as we fedex ourselves to the northwest. the dunes outnumber the banks in town as there are none.

once at the hostel i checked in and attended the mandatory meeting for those heading for the island. it was here that i met my group - an assortment of irish, english, germans and canucks. after the safety briefing we all hit up the bar to celebrate the eve of our great invasion.

in the morning it was up at at them for 7am to stow our gear and check out our 4x4 and camping supplies. she (the 4x4) had seen better days, months and years. if rust was car cancer than this patient was terminal. rust, dents, holes, and salt corrosion littered the body. the doors were dodgy. the wheel was loose. our shovel was broken. none of the sleeping bags worked (mine was best suited for a todler and had a malfunctioning zipper). one the first day on the island one of the girls hung an empty plastic bag on the side mirror to use as a garbage. the mirror fell off.

notes on fraser island: it is said that all of the sand from eastern australia eventually ends up on fraser island, and as the biggest sand island in the world it would be hard to argue (120km x 15km). but even for a sand island the land supports rainforests and over 200 freshwater lakes. there is, however, a lot of sand. tons of sand. more sand than the sahara desert in fact, with sand dunes or blows over 200 meters in height. luckily the whites killed off and/or removed all the aboriginals on the island who were there before the tour groups and loggers wanted in.

our group ferried across and hit the beach like a normandy landing - or so teddy duchamp would say. when the ramp dropped, we dropped the gas and hit the sand with a whiff of diesel and black exhaust. the stones sang satisfaction. our first stop was lake mckenzie. the lake was formed by a waterproof lining of decaying wood and greenery. some sun, cool freshwater, and a nap under a tree on the softest sand possible. the girls used the sand to exfoliate (apparently it is famous for its sand). at lunch while we ate we watched goannas crawl nearby. then it was back to the 4x4 to head north before the tide came in. note: the eastern beach is the only way to transverse the island. it is basically a north-south sand highway. when the tide comes in the "highway" gets awash in the incoming sea tide. wait too long and you risk getting caught between camping areas and swamping your car in the wet sand and salt water. i was always tense as we drove along looking for a camping ground with the tide coming in (we always seemed to get caught driving in the unsafe tide times when our insurance would be void). we eventually made camp right on the beach behind a dune, some 150 meters from the pacific ocean. as night came the beach sports were ended and everyone would help make dinner. after dinner plates were washed in the sand and rised in the ocean. then the stars would come out, and with no lights, the milky way would shine brightly above our camp. stars like this i have never seen before, highlighted by music from the 4x4 and shooting stars.

by morning it was up at 7am again to decamp and head north. we stopped at eli creek and cooled off in the freshwater stream. the water was so cold, the sun so warm. then back heading north to see the wreck of the maheno - a passenger liner that was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935. just before lunch we reached indian head, 30km north of the coloured sand cliffs called the pinnacles. at indian head we climbed up to the highest vantage point possible. from the headland you could gaze down into the blue ocean and make out the rays, sea turtles and sharks. note: the waters of fraser island are so beautiful, and so deadly. due to crazy rips, and the abundance of tiger sharks, we were not allowed to swim. we even saw a wild dingo which are dangerous and scrawny-looking. after our climb we went as far north as the champagne pools - naturally made pools holed out of the ocean rocks. when the waves hit the rocks the water cascades into your pool while you swim in the salt water. a mad dash later we managed to just beat the tide again and make camp with the others on the beach again behind the dunes. as this was our last night on the island we had a full moon party and celebrated being on fraser island in the middle of nowhere. i even ran into someone from my high school who graduated a year after me. it was year zero, the tet new year, a dance club - whatever you wanted it to be. late at night i got away from the craziness of camp and made my way to the edge of the water to take in the stars again. it made me feel wonderfully small.

on the last day we pointed the 4x4 south and bounced our way to lake wabby. we left the 4x4 on the beach and walked a km inland through a eucalypt forest. after the forest we emerged into a massive sandblow that stretched over the horrizon. crossing it i thought of lawrence of arabia and tatooine. i can't tell you how beautiful and surreal the surroundings were as we trudged up and down the sand dunes. over a km. the ocean and forest behind us, a never-ending golden sand ahead. at the top of a massive dune we saw the lake below, hidden and fake looking. like an oasis. our group celebrated our arrival by rolling down the 200m dune all at once into the cold water. it really was an oasis in the desert, seemingly impossible for the surroundings. we swam across the lake and rested on the opposite shore. i thought about the fact that the lake is disappearing, and felt glad to have seen it.

then back to the 4x4 to head back to the ferry and rainbow beach. back up the ramp. island secure.

sand is in everything i own. clothes, bags, toothbrush, etc. it is in my ears and eyes, my hair and watch. and the shower when we got back never felt so good.

i will never sleep that close to the pacific ocean again.