Our escape from Fraser Island proved to be uneventful - the dash along the beach was fine and the tide at Hook Point was favourable - the barge was there to pick us up and they welcomed us, remembering our worries about going over.

 

We took the car to the car wash and duly paid our tithe to clean the underneath of the car with a special $12 underbody car wash. The truck had a little hiccup and wouldnt start but as the RACQ was across the road that was quickly fixed. Old cars dont like having water in the distributor cap. We visited a fellow who makes a living rebuilding Jeeps and Toyotas and looked at doing some work on the springs for the car - he also builds bucket seats which have since become very appealing.

 

Our next stop was to be Calliope - just out of Rockhampton - it was said to be a pleasant place to stop overnight - a free camping area.  It probably was pleasant but when we got there it was dark and raining and we had no idea where to set up - the people we set up next to had a fire going but it went out because of the rain.  We got up early and got moving.

 

We had planned to travel to Mount Morgan and fill in the day before we arrived at Blackwater instead we went straight to Blackwater and spent a rainy afternoon in the laundromat doing washing and drying.

 

Ian & Caroline Hare invited us to stay the night and then we spent the rest of the time in a mine company house that had some room free. Bob & Ree Battin have their caravan parked in the backyard and we spent a few days there with them.

 

Ian arranged for us to visit the Curragh mines and we had a really good time doing so.  The size of the machinery and especially the drag line was just amazing. The weather cleared up but stayed cold - we had a lovely time and were reluctant to leave on Saturday. 

 

We headed off to Comet for a really good $8 breakfast and then to Roma.  However a bulging, split heater hose spraying water over John's leg caused us to lose some time and we only got as far as Injune, a small town about 80k's from Roma. On the way we passed some drovers with cattle feeding in the "long paddock" (the grass verge by the edge of the road). At one stage John thought he might have to do a Croc Dundee and hypnotise a cow who stood in our way.

 

"Injune in June" is a yearly event and this year's was quite good.  Some jokes, some songs, some bush poetry and dinner was a camp oven with beef stew, we missed the pumpkin soup, but had desert - damper and cocky's joy (Golden Syrup). You forget how good fresh bread, butter and golden syrup tastes.  We met a lot of people who were travelling around and had a really good nite.

 

Next day it was up and at 'em.  However Kermit decided he had had enough. We had lost the dash lights a couple of days before and now we had lost the blinkers - a quick call to the RACQ and all was fixed - however more work would be needed once at home.

 

We left Injune for Roma and decided we were too tired to set up the tent again and on a lovely moonlit night we continued on our way home to Narangba.  We came home via Dalby, travelling north on the New England Highway to the D'aguilar Hwy and onto Blackbutt and Kilcoy. We were astounded by the number of roos on the side of the road that were in various stages of decay.  John wondered if he could get a job disposing of the carcases.  We must have passed several each kilometre.

 

 

Emboldened by our 4WD lessons we decided to head off on a trek to Fraser Island and Longreach. We had 2 weeks and would take a nice leisurely drive.

Kermit, our intrepid 1974 Landcruiser, had a stint in the mechanics at Narangba Autos for which I paid the standard kings ransom. I have become best friends with Ian there and he recommended some necessary maintenance and improvements – such as working brakes and new hoses on the radiator, among other things – and $1500 later we have a nice safe truck.

The truck was nicknamed Kermit by the 4wd class and this was emphasized when we hitched up the off-road camper-trailer as he looked like he was going to leap forward eager and ready to take off or, alternatively, he was overloaded and straining on his leaf springs with his bum dragging on the ground and the front end sorely needing the weight of the bull bar we had left off.

Delays in getting Kermit to a safe level of operation caused us to leave on Tuesday morning – first stop was lunch in a nice park at Burpengary some 5ks from home – we had to stop at Supercheap and get some stuff for the trip and as it took us till nearly midday to pack and get on the road we were now due for lunch.

After that false start we headed off to Rainbow Beach.  We had planned to travel up the beach from Tewantin however my new best friend, Ian at Narangba Autos, told us it was too heavy for a trailer and we should travel to Rainbow Beach via Gympie and do the trip from Tewantin, without a trailer, once we have had some experience. He also mentioned he had done some silly things in his time and he considered we were very game for what we were intending to do.  However he couldn’t see that we should have any problems as long as we took it easy and didn’t push the truck too much.

Kermit cruised along the Bruce Highway up to Gympie at an easy 80 to 100 kph.  He preferred 80 and surprised John with the power he had pulling a trailer.  We took the Rainbow Beach turnoff and not long after that the GPS lost all tracks – there were no maps loaded for that area. 

We called in at QPWS and got our camping permits no problem – they have them all there for you to fill out and put up – honesty system prevails.  Onto our campsite about 10ks the other side of town – there were 4 to choose from and we promptly turned into the wrong turnoff where I got stuck in the sand and had to engage low range – that was pretty scarey – we hadn’t even got off the mainland and I had us stuck – John was fuming – he had told me not to do it. However I was able to drive out without too much straining by Kermit and with a little resistance by the trailer.

So now we decided to move down the peninsula a bit and took the 1^st turnoff to Sarawak campsite.  The sign said “No 2wds or caravans”  - no problems we didn’t have a caravan we had a trailer so on I ploughed despite John telling me in no uncertain terms I should not continue.  We came up to some soft sand and I engaged low range and ploughed on through – except I ploughed on and the truck stopped dead!!!  I tried again and ended up bogging us up to the axles. Luckily the 4wd lessons had taught us to carry a long handled shovel and not the cute little ones they sell for 4wds.  With some heavy digging by John, Kermit screaming and straining, rocking back and forwards and all the campsite now watching us we managed to gradually get the truck over about 10 metres long of extremely soft, trailer devouring, sand.

Some women came to tell us how many other people had got stuck there and how many caravans had got stuck for several hours, one fellow called Barry kindly came with his little 4wd shovel and did some digging.  Overall it was an awakening of what we may encounter on Fraser Island.

It was just about dark by then so we set up camp and I set off to find the toilets.  On the way back a fellow asked me was I the lady driving the green Toyota.  He then proceeded to tell me I was a legend – a bloke wouldn’t drive a truck like that – I should have been stuck there for at least 2 – 3 hours with much more digging – he had never seen anyone get out of a fix like that so quick – I asked him to make sure he told my husband how much of a legend I was. 

He told me the whole campsite was waiting to see if they needed to come and dig us out but I had done such a good job they just kept on drinking – however they would have come if we had been there too long as the tide would have swamped us if we hadn’t moved. He also told me I was amazing as I had the engine screaming, was coming out of the bog and I changed gears – which is a pretty amazing feat when you are sand bogged.  

The golden rule of 4WD is: He who hesitates or changes gears is lost.

In order to get to Fraser Island from Rainbow Beach it is best if you go at low tide and travel on the beach around Hook Point within 1-2 hours of low tide – otherwise you have to use the inland track which is pretty rough – if you go on the beach you can engage 2wd and do 80kph no problems.  The approach to the barge at Rainbow Beach is legendary for people getting bogged in the soft sand and you can usually make an afternoon of it watching them.  On the Fraser Island side you have to bolt around Hook Point before the tide comes in and swamps you.  Once you have done that, it is easy till you have to access the inland tracks.

We both were very quiet that night, tired and a bit overwhelmed. I suggested that instead of trying to make low tide at 7am the next morning we should take a day and get some confidence (or dutch courage) before tackling the approach to the barge at Rainbow Beach. Several people at the campsite had made allusions to how risky it could be to approach Hook Point at the wrong time and how we could have some problems.  A day’s wait would bring low tide just that bit later and we might be able to pack up and make the dash around Hook Point just in time.

So next day we did some shopping, had a look around and headed out to the barge.  Once we got there we were the only people and the barge captain was waving us on – however we pulled off just short on the wet sand and walked over to talk to them about the tide for the next day – they asked us would we like to take a run over and look at what we had to do.  There was a car needed bringing back and they were going over empty.  So we had a nice trip on the barge to Fraser and back and got a good look at what we were in for – it didn’t look as scarey as we imagined and we got some of our confidence back.

Early next day we headed off to the barge – the approach to the barge with the trailer was slow but steady – cardinal rule of sand driving – do not lose momentum!!! Keep going – he who hesitates, or changes gear, will get stuck!!!  Once on the barge we were quietly confident we could handle the other side – however I didn’t tell John we were on the tail end of the short time we had before Hook Point would close off and we could get caught – there was a moment when things got a bit close but we managed to get around Hook Point and plough on to Eurong – a nice 45-60 minute trip on firm sand in 2wd.

We pulled into Eurong resort and duly let our tires down – however we had managed to escape the bogging at the campsite, the entry to the barge and the beach access road to Eurong without, so it was probably not necessary however everyone else had baggy tyres – who were we to be different. 

We headed off to Central Station following the only road out – by now we had encountered about 10 troop carriers with backpackers – we found out you can pack 11 backpackers in one and they pay about $150 each for 2 nights camping necessities. The island is crawling with them.

It was 9k’s and about an hours drive, with the trailer, to Central Station campground where we set up camp for the night – in a beautiful spot among the trees. It took 4 hours from the barge exit until we had the camper trailer set up and ready.

After lunch we headed off to Lake McKenzie – I had planned to do a few things but the travel time to go 10ks is about 1 hour – 2 if going inland so we made it late in the afternoon as everyone was leaving – the road was passable but rough and we had an enjoyable time.  The lake was beautiful and we were the only ones there.

We headed back to camp and got there around dark – which in the middle of a rain forest is pretty dark – just by chance I had purchased some little miners’ lamp lights for our heads and they proved to be a real bonus as the $100 lantern I had bought for blackouts at home was impossible to charge on the cigarette lighter fixture. However it is excellent for blackouts at home when charged on electricity.

Next day we headed down to Kingfisher Resort to have a look around, have lunch out and then off to Lake Wabby. The road to Lake Wabby saw better days back in the 20’s when it was built – it does not appear to have been maintained since and was quite hair raising driving.  John was getting more confident by the day and we made it there and back without incident. We caught up with a young Israeli fellow, Nimrod, who we had seen the day before at Lake McKenzie however we had been concerned at the encroaching darkness and had raced off. Nimrod was walking the Great Walk and had walked from McKenzie to Wabby. We had a pleasant cup of coffee with him and moved on home.

Travel on the inland track is extremely slow and deliberate. Most of the tracks are well traveled and many of them are one way – occasionally you have to give way and the smaller vehicle has to give way to the bigger so poor Kermit being a shortie (short wheel base) was generally the smallest except when traveling with a trailer. We got quite confident at finding places to pull over.

Next day we took off for Indian Head and the Champagne pools, right up the northern end of the island.  However the tides were not very kind to us and if we didn’t cross Eli Creek at a decent time we wouldn’t get very far.

I had not told John about Eli Creek and its volume of water so once over it I told him.  We were now stuck up north until the tides went out again – he was not impressed.  However we moved onto the Maheno shipwreck and met some more backpackers – the number of troop carriers on the beach at any one time is impressive – someone has a very lucrative business.  We spent a good couple of hours traveling north on the beach quite comfortably.  We passed the Pinnacles and Indian Head and moved onto Orchid Beach where we bought some ice and petrol ($1.80 a litre).  I then planned to spend a leisurely 2-3 hours waiting for the tide to turn but John got a bit of a bee in his bonnet and we headed back – only getting as far as Indian Head. We did stop off at the Champagne Pools and have a walk around and cup of tea.

Once we got to the south side of Indian Head there was not much beach left and it was getting smaller – however some cars were still making the dash south.  We decided to wait with some backpackers until the tide turned.  One of the guides from the Kingfisher Resort buses came over and gave us a load of fresh fruit and lovely fresh bread rolls which was a bonus. The resort bus said we would be fine going down the beach after him but we decided to wait for the tide to turn and be sure – so we whiled away an hour and a half talking to the backpackers checking out the cars etc. We had initially parked up off the beach but the ranger came and pointed out we had parked in a no parking zone – blocking the “no parking” sign so we moved onto the beach – after an hour or so John noticed the waves were getting quite close to the car so he pulled it up the road a bit and I sat and started this log.

While waiting here for the tide change we saw our first dingo.  The ranger came along and accused the back packers of feeding one of them who appeared to be playing coy in the sand – however they weren’t and the dingo was just a bit too close for comfort.  The ranger was quite rude to the backpackers and it was a bit disconcerting to see someone treat overseas visitors, who were not doing anything wrong, with such disdain.  He then took out his slingshot and scared away the dingo.  They do not want the dingoes to get ‘habituated’ to humans and like to keep them at a distance – however we did not have the knowledge to scare off the dingo and were not encouraging it. I suppose the sight of 13 people intently watching it did encourage it.

¾ hour after the high tide time we started our trip down the beach at 3.45pm – it took us 2 hours to get back and some more hair raising driving over the creek outlets and avoiding the waves trying to drive on the wet sand and not get salt water all through the car. We were too intent in getting back to the inland access road before it got too dark and did not stop at the Pinnacles and Eli Creek as we planned. It was a bit daunting and very heavy driving for John – keeping the truck steered was a major effort and he did it for 2 hours.

We arrived back at camp well after dark, had tea and met the next door neighbours Jim and Liz who we had a chat to for a while until we were sent to bed by the ranger who was enforcing the 9pm noise deadline.  I had not imagined that we were infringing it but apparently we were, as was our MP3 player that was quietly playing music.

I had told John that we had no rush to leave on Sunday as we would have to travel the inland track for the last part of the trip to the barge as the tides were against us – big mistake – we did not leave camp till quite late and by the time we stopped at Eurong, paid $1.90+ per litre for petrol, got a coffee, had a toilet break and moved on it was very late and the tide was not kind to us.  There was little beach left and what was there was very soft and hard going.  I knew we only had to get to Dilli Village, 11k, to access the inland road and was not too concerned – however Kermit was not coping well and was giving us a lot of reason for concern.

We arrived at Dilli Village and asked how we got to the inland access road and they said it was closed from there and we had to go another 6k down the beach – we then decided that giving up would be the much better option and took a cabin at Dilli Village for the night. Not until we got into the cabin did we realize we had electricity and mobile reception. 

As John has cheap rates for mobile to mobile calls on a Sunday we decided to catch up with a few people and let Bob and Maree know we had been delayed, yet again.  We now knew we would never reach Longreach and decided on only going to Blackwater to visit them and home again.

Kermit and the trailer were left to their own devices for the night because we had running water, flush toilet, electricity and a fresh clean bed.  The lights kept fading irregularly during the night – we had so many things on charge it’s a wonder the fuse box didn’t blow.

More to come from Calliope, Blackwater and Injune