fray-zer island

Fraser Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means, of course, that it is a must-see on this trip. Fraser is completely made of sand. There is no dirt. All of the trees – and the island is covered in trees – all of them drop their leaves and branches and they get crunched up and sink to beneath the sand layer, providing minerals for the roots. It's a whole cycle. The sand is awesome. The roads are made of sand, the open meadow areas are made of sand covered by pine needles, the creek flowing through the island is silent as it wanders over a white sand bank.

Karl our tour guide was awesome. Quite a live one. His name is pronounced, “Cow.” Here are some of his pearls of wisdom:

• “Every tree is a lavatory.” (pronounced lava-tree)
• “How can you tell the back of the tree from the front? The back is where you find a little pile of toilet paper.”
• “It's not the cough that offs you, it's the coffin they take you off in.”
  

We drove on the beach in a 4WD bus. Like, ON THE BEACH. Like, the waves were lapping at our wheels. We saw some cool island attractions, even though the biggest attraction is the SAND. We saw the Champaign Pools, Indian Head, Rainbow Rocks, and the wreck of the Maheno. We ate lunch and dinner from an all-you-can-eat buffet which was a huge highlight of the trip. For desert they had this apple cobbler with cream that was like a dream. Both Naomi and I snitched fruit to take back with us, and I also took a load of condiments for the future – peanut butter, jelly, and ketchup packets.

On the second day, we visited Lake McKenzie. The lake is a freshwater lake atop a sand pit, and the water is perfectly clear, looking blue from the shore. Of course, it is surrounded by sandy beaches. When we arrived early in the morning, the lake was shrouded in a thick fog and it was impossible to tell which was sky and which was lake. I crept forward and was honestly standing with my feet at the waters edge, but the water was so clear, I still couldn't tell where the beach ended and the lake began. Only when we stepped in and our feet disturbed the water did we see the surface of the lake. It was surreal. Everyone waded around and took pictures, and eventually the fog lifted. In the sun, Lake McKenzie was turquoise and surrounded by greenery. Picturesque, perfect. Ruined by the loud arrival of American teenagers on exchange programs.

To get to Lake Wabby, we had to hike up a sand mountain and then climb over huge sand dunes. Lake Wabby glittered below, it's own little oasis. The lake glowed bright green from the algae living within. I worked up quite a sweat climbing and running down the sand, and excitedly jumped into the FREEZING COLD WATER.

Karl told us about some hotel proprietors on the island who owned a black cat. As a UNESCO site, there are very strict rules about bringing in wildlife that is not native. Somehow, Karl's friends managed to snag a permit for this cat. 25 years later, there is still a black cat living on Fraser. It is not the same cat. Karl's friends have swapped out new cats secretly on the same permit over and over.

I learned about poor Eliza Fraser. She and her husband, for whom this island is named, were traveling to Australia when their ship ran aground on the island. Seven months pregnant, Eliza gave birth on the long boat from the ship to the island. Her baby died in the scuttles. I don't know what scuttles are. Eliza worked with the Aboriginal women on the island for 9 weeks. She was horribly depressed. She finally escaped Australia and moved back to England, selling her story in Hyde Park.

I learned about the Maheno ship, which was being towed to Japan when a cyclone hit and it blown onto the east shore of Fraser. There it sat for many months, while the Japanese sailors worked odd jobs on Fraser's shipyard. It was rumored that the Japanese were actually spying on the Aussie's and setting up surveillance for WWII. The ship remained on the beach and is still there today, rusting away.

Other Fraser Island highlights:

• WE SAW A TURTLE!!! IN THE LAKE!!
• WE SAW A WHALE!! IN THE OCEAN!!
• My bus seat mate changed out of his bathing suit and came back into the bus not wearing pants!
• There was a gecko on our hostel dorm ceiling and it fell on our roommate in the middle of the night. She did not scream.
  

People we met on our tour:
Beat, half of the Swiss Couple
The Coughing Girls who had bleached hair and tanned skinned and wore their bikinis and teeny-weeny shorts and nothing else. They had loud, hacking coughs and smoked all day long.
Omar the Egyptian
The guy from York who psycho diagnosed us
Mexican Hair-gel Couple
Irish Teachers who spoke Gaelic

Australian thing of the day: Karl