K'Gari (Fraser) Island

Almost 4 years. In the time since the last blog entry, the hosting has died, the files were covered in a thick layer of dust, and I hadn't left the country in far too long. The last one is still true, but at least the previous two have received some updates. And while K'Gari Island is still a national trip for me, most people would still regard it as a trip worthy of a plane. Australia is big.

The advantage to the size: different climates. Summer in southern Australia is a pretty wet, cold, and windy disappointment. Summer after going over 1000km north is wet, humid, windy, bordering the edge of cyclone Gabrielle, and absolutely stinking hot (for the most part). If not perfect, still a definite improvement, and a most welcome one.

And one of the main reasons my travel companions picked this place because the ocean "was like a spa" in terms of temperature. So naturally I still needed my wet suit. The water in the above picture was advertised as 25 degrees, which is colder than any spa I've ever been in (where the heater wasn't broken). But the water clarity at Lake McKenzie is unbeatable in its beauty.

Getting around the island is a rather bumpy affair. The planes taking off the beach have to roll along the beach and then immediately turn into the strong crosswind on liftoff. The land based transportation (our method) is based on driving in a giant unmaintained sand pit with lots of bear traps and long suspension arms that, while taking the edge off of the bear traps, also throw you around the cabin. The warning: "This might get bumpy, please keep your head away from the windows" was used more than once.

The island has some beautiful treasures. And while a one day guided tour is a good way of being introduced to some of them, having the time to enjoy them is a different story. Some of the places we saw were just 5 minutes. And even some of the longer ones where swimming was encouraged weren't anywhere near long enough when you include the pains of donning and wriggling out of a wet suit. Next time, getting a rental car where no-one chases you along is a must.