Fraser Island

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The plan to visit Fraser was hatched about 10 months ago. I’d been over once, about three years before, and saw the main spots like Eli Creek, Central Station and Lake McKenzie. This time I wanted to see Sandy Cape. So, plans were made, friends were invited and holidays sorted for the 15th to the 20th of October. One week out the weather forecast was looking like possible showers. The day we left home, the forecast was looking wet for most of the week. We went anyway. We were booked in to a caravan park in Tin Can Bay the night before getting on the barge. Well. It rained for half the trip and was raining when we arrived. So we sooked out and found a motel. The next morning we were greeted by cloudy skies and misting rain. Into rainbow beach we went. Fuel, barge tickets and breakfast were first on the list, then down to Inskip Point to catch the barge. Still the mist fell and the wind blew. The crossing was a little lumpy, but we were still able to get out of the car without getting too wet. The drive up the beach was rough. There were allot of little egg breaking gutters and waves in the sand so we travelled between 50 and 60km/h. We stayed in the procession to Eurong and had some lunch. The rain had stopped at this point and we continued up the beach to “Cathedrals on Fraser”, where we were booked in for the week. The rain held off long enough to allow us to set up our camp, after that, it pretty well rained for the next 2 days. The wind was blowing 30 knots for most of the week as well, but we were lucky to be a couple of hundred meters off the beach and protected in the trees. During the week, some packed up and went home early and others had their flash camper trailers parked in front of the units, but we stayed put in our tents, and under the leaky tarp. The first day was very wet so we only had a quick look at Lake Allom and a short drive on the beach. The next day we travelled up to Orchid Beach and back to Happy Valley, stopping at the Maheno Wreak and Eli Creek. Scattered showers still persisted during the day. The rain held off most of the third day and we drove, it seemed, all day. We went to Kingfisher Bay for a look and an over-rated burger. Then back to Central Station and Lake McKenzie for a quick look. Getting around the inland tracks takes plenty of time due to the rutted and rugged terrain and the tide waits for no man. We managed to make it back 2 hours before high tide thanks to the rain making the soft sand easier going. We waited and were rewarded. The sun came out on the fourth day, perfect for the trip up to Sandy Cape. Once we passed Orchid Beach, the sand was flat and we were able to travel at the speed limit of 80km/h. We had close to 80km to travel to get to the light house. It was a great drive and the Cape was like another world. The huge seas flattened and the colours popped. I’ve never seen so many greens. The beach was lined with people fishing on one side and campers lounging in the sun on the other. I’m camping here next time. One thing I won’t do next time is visit the light house though. The walk was soul breaking. 😊 1.2k’s of steep boardwalk. The views were spectacular once you made it though. We also had a quick look at the old war bunkers while we were here. Once back at the beach, we found a quiet spot in front of some iconic dunes to relax and have a bite of lunch before heading back to camp. The following morning, we packed up with the sun shining. Low tide was 2:30pm, so there was no hurry. We thought we might stop at Eli Creek and have a bit of lunch on the way down, but we couldn’t get near the place. Amazing how a bit of sunshine brings out the crowds. Eli has silted up quite a bit in three years and looks to be only knee deep at the deepest point. We gave it a miss and went to Eurong for lunch again. It was like we were on a different beach today. Flat and firm all the way and we arrived at the barge earlier than I thought, and just in time. We drove straight on, and off we went. Holiday over, and the weather was now perfect.

Cathedrals On Fraser is about dead centre on the eastern side of the island. A few K's north of the Maheno and roughly 70k's from both ends of the island. They had everything you could need or forget to bring and the prices are average for the island. A carton of XXXX Gold was $75 and ice $5.50 a 3.5kg bag. The ice was similar across the board but the same beer varied from $67 to $90. Fuel there was $2.20. Eurong had it at $2.02 and Orchid Beach $2.10. I payed $67 for a bottle of Bundy because I underestimated our thirst. The camp ground was well packed sand (go figure) and we used 400mm steel pegs for our large tarp (18x24) and a couple of 300mm sand pegs for a couple of soft spots. I didn't see the inside of the units but they looked pretty good. Unlike the permanent tents. NOT glamping. They were mouldy and we were told they leaked.

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