So after I recovered from the shock of jumping out of the plane, I hit that annoying (for everyone else) stage where I could not stop talking about it. “I just jumped out of a plane! I can’t believe I just jumped out of a plane. Wow, that really just happened…” on and on it went. I did eventually get the hint, I promise, but not for a bit. You stop being aware of other people’s reactions to a thing like that after awhile…
I met up with the Fraser Island group (the ones that got stuck sorting out the 4×4s and doing the grocery shopping) and hopped into the back of our truck to head to the largest sand island in the world.
After navigating the bumpy (huge understatement) trails, and getting just a tiny bit lost, we found Lake Wabbe. Actually, we found a trail and a towering sand hill that promised to have a lake on the other side. I wasn’t so convinced. But we’d come all that way, so we started to trek up the sand. The steep, slippery, hot sand. When we finally made it to the top, it was totally worth the sweat. The view was fantastic, and luckily there was indeed a lake. Good thing because getting hot and sweaty after a shower free few days is not so nice… A family that had beat us there had boogie boards and the kids were surfing down the sand hill into the lake which made us all incredibly jealous. But we still all barreled down and collapsed into the cool water. Definitely worth taking a boogie board if you’re going though.
By the way – don’t touch the catfish. They’ll swim around you and act all friendly, but according to our Australian friend, they were armed with poisonous barbs. No thanks. According to the same man, Lake Wabby also has crocodiles. Apparently they’re only baby crocodiles, but then my question is, where the mama? Just sayin…
Every day in Fraser Island was spent speeding down endless white beaches, finding fresh water lakes, champagne pools and breathtaking lookouts, then firing up the barbecues and camping out in dingo-safe circles. The dingoes still got in, but they didn’t cause us any trouble. No babies being eaten here. We saw rays, dolphins, dingos, and the most postcard perfect places I’ve seen in awhile. An island paradise if there ever was one.
Even though I left Fraser with a slightly bruised bum, camping on this stunning island was the best thing I could have done for my last few days in Australia. After this it was on to Sydney for one night before heading back to London town. Oh yea, and I showered once back on the mainland again. Best. Shower. Ever. Although my five days shower free were pretty unforgettable.
Marianne McPhee was born in London and has been a traveler throughout her life. She spent her summers in France and Spain on a boat, her teenage years living in the USA, and months backpacking through Europe and Morocco. She has spent eight months traveling through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia where she also taught English and then ventured to Australia for more exploration. She is a graduate from Boston University and currently works in the travel industry in London.
