Our departure for Fraser Island was at 6:45 in the morning; a grueling hour for our well adapted friends on vacation. But we were still pleased because this was our only possibility of experiencing the World Heritage and tourist attraction known as Fraser Island.

We left Brisbane in a normal sized jeep; our group, the guide and three English girls, making us a total of 8 people. Still we consider our tour a much better alternative to the tourist buses filled with Japanese tourists that also were available – we were a small group and could therefor enjoy the attractions in relative quiet – as long as we made it to the sights before the bigger buses. The day was thus set for long drives in a fast pace

Our guide had the look and attitude that you would immediately associate with an Australian surfer – tall and slim, with his hair in dreads and some large sunglasses covering the rest of his face – and he like calling everybody “mate”. Although he had a formal education in landscape design; his spare time he devoted to surfing.

After a 3 hour drive from Brisbane we finally arrive at Fraser Island. We arrived at high tide, and due to the bad weather forming lately and a full moon the high swells were especially bad. A large number of jeeps had thus lined up waiting for the tide to recede and the main highway on the island – the beach – to become available. The rumors were that they had to cancel their tours the following day because of the bad swells. Due to our one day excursion WE had a schedule to uphold, and our tour guide/driver would not let bad weather get in the way of our investment in the tour. So we headed onto to the beach for a fast, exciting – and a bit wet – drive through the high tide.

Driving along the beach we noticed how there were no surfers on the beach, although the waves looked impressive and in our eyes would have been an obvious choice for surfers. It turns out the shores along Fraser Island are a breeding ground for sharks, and anybody stupid enough to surf in these waters would be told off by the many people passing by. Still our guide surfed there frequently, but admitted it was only worth the potential risk when the waves were good. Erica safely tucked away her swimming gear.

The limited time we had available as part of a one day tour meant that we would only get to experience two of the many attractions on the island; A walk though the rain forest and a swim in lake McKenzie. Our guide was joyful and informative and told us about the many plant and animal species that were unique for the island. Lake McKenzie is practically dead of plant and animal life due to the acidity and minerals in the water. Thus all nutrition to the water was provided by insects landing on the water and very few species survived under these harsh conditions. We were told the minerals in the water was good for our skin and for rinsing jewelry, and were encouraged to go for a swim – but had to remember to not add any nutrition to the water and thus be responsible for changing the environment. Wee wees in the water were strictly forbidden.

During the day we also got to see two dingos on two separate occasions. These wild animals look like dogs, and walked casually amongst the many swimmers at the lake. Still one was advised not to try to treat it as a dog – it is a wild animal after all.