Fraser Island – Day 2

INDIAN HEAD


ELI CREEK


LAKE WABBY




Sunday October 7, Day 2 Christa and I woke up at 6 am just after sunrise to find that some of the crew were already up and had taken some beautiful sunrise pictures of the wreck. We had a full day planned so we didn’t waste any time in packing up and eating some breaky. We hit the beach” highway” and were on our way to Indian Head by 7:30 am. As we drove along the beach Michael and I were itching to get into the surf, the waves were perfect and the ocean looked so inviting. The only thing was the water around Fraser Island is a breeding ground for tiger sharks so we had to hold back. We noticed that at a few places there were kids playing in waste deep water which we thought was a bit crazy but their parents were there not seeming to worry which only increased the temptation. As we continued on we noticed large clear blobs lying on the beach, we found that they were giant jelly fish that had got stuck when the tide went out. A little further ahead we saw a dog running along the beach and lay down in the wash up of the ocean, when we got a little closer we realized that it was a dingo. Dingo’s are wild dogs that inhabit the island that are known for stealing food from campsites and have attacked children in the past. We stopped to snap a couple of pics and then drove on. We arrived at Indian Head where it was a short climb up to the top of this big rock. From there you can spot dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles and whales. I was so excited at the thought of what I might see that I ran ahead only to find that the water was super murky so the visibility in the water sucked. We hung around for about 10 minutes before someone spotted dolphins just off the coast. We could also see whales splashing around a little further out. October is prime time for whale watching in Hervey Bay is where the humpback whales migrate to give birth. As we sat on the rocks we also encountered an Eastern Brown snake that was about a meter long and YES this snake is on the list of deadly snakes in Australia. The snake didn’t seem too bothered by us but we stayed out of its way as it slithered along the rocks away from us. We were just leaving when I noticed this bird’s nest on the top of a palm tree, I thought it would make a nice picture so I pulled out the camera and just then 2 beautiful eagles flew into the nest just below me. Oh how I love the wild. After a group photo we left Indian Head and headed back down the beach to Eli Creek. As we were cruising along the beach I was looking out at the ocean when all of a sudden this humpback whale launched out of the water and created a huge splash. I yelled for Gawain to stop so we could watch, just then the whale jumped out of the water again and created an even bigger splash. This is called breeching and this mother whale was teaching the calf to breech. It was so cool to see this in the wild unfortunately it was a little too far out for my camera to focus. We arrived at Eli creek which is a beautiful crystal clear fresh water creek that runs into the ocean. We all went exploring up the creek about 200 meters and then let the current carry us back as we swam in the waste deep water. Just before we jumped into the truck to out next destination, Sam, Mike, and myself couldn’t take it any longer and ran into the ocean for quick body surf. I know that this may sound crazy but the waves were so perfect and hey.....I am still alive. After playing in the surf I jumped in the driver’s seat and we were off to Lake Wabby for lunch and then a 2.5 km hike through a beautiful forest. Lake Wabby was well worth the hike. The emerald green lake was surrounded by a massive sand dune and filled with cat fish & turtles. We hung out there for a couple of hours and really didn’t want to leave but we had to beat the tide. As I was driving down the beach there was another truck in front of me and all of a sudden I saw him veer up one of the creeks that washed out to the ocean. Well this definitely got my attention and I asked the crew if we should follow this guy up the creek. There was a little hesitation and before they could say no, the windows were being rolled up. It’s a good thing that our Land Cruiser had a snorkel because the water was about 4 feet deep. Everyone loved it and we just had to turn around and go back down the creek to get to the beach rather than take the road back and just as we pulled out of the creek there was a police officer right there, I didn’t know if what we were doing was wrong or not so I just gave him a friendly wave and although he stopped and glared at us, there was no worries. We cruised down the beach and found an awesome spot just up from the beach to set up camp. After our tents were set up, Christa being the amazing host that she is, made some awesome pasta for dinner and then we all hung around chatting and star gazing.