Rainbow beach Pippies hostel was a unique one which I stayed
in a permanent built tent hut which had two bunk beds in it making it a 4 bed
tent. It was a nice spot to chill especially just outside the tent where there
was a small table and chair which I could sit and was nicely secluded from the
group of people in the common area yet while I was hidden I could see
everything. It was relaxing as well.
Food as I was starting to get combatable in cooking in
hostel I was starting to buy proper food, hot dogs, pasta and olive oil and all
the required stuff to make a meal that taste better that something just to fill
up the stomach. Beer I finally found the trick is to BYO ( buy your own) and
put it in the fridge in the hostel as it was really cheap, sometimes as low as
below AUD 2.
So doing nothing for two days not even stepping out of the
hostel other than going for grocery shopping and well fed with good beer and a
book to read (eBook) I was really loving this place. People come and go and
conversation spark easily as flickers of stars at night. I was sitting still in
the ever flowing backpackers moving in and out of rainbow beach partly because
it serve mostly as a pit stop to go to Frasers Island.
However a storm was coming and I had no idea how much I
would enjoy getting away from this place in the future. I also found that
Pippies Hostel does the tour to Fraser Island which was not surprising. They
had a cheaper price than most of what I seen as well selling a 2 day 1 night
for AUSD190 and AUD279 for 3 days 2 nights. I figured I could afford AUD279
somehow and book the tour for Frasers. My first tour in Australia and it may be
my last one as well after the incident but let me walk through the pleasant
part first.
The tour was unique in a sense that all participant would
need to meet up one day in advance for icebreakers and it was a really simple
one. We were all sat down and made to listen to the safety briefing of Fraser
Island and all its regulations of such and at the end was told to go grocery
shopping for food for three days. Apparently the AUD 279 did not include food
and we were to cook ourselves camping style. The group form quickly after that
since everyone had to fork out money and also there is the question of
preference of food. Some were vegetarian, some didn’t eat beef like me, some
just plain didn’t like certain food, princess bastards. Still it broke the ice
nicely and bond were form faster than usual when you are shopping together for
3 days’ worth of food.
My group unfortunately I would name the group Shizer , which
means shit in German. I had a German group with lots and lots of German(4) and
a pair of Danish girls(2). Since the Danish could understand a little German
they were practically talking 80% to my annoyance in German. SHIZER.
Fraser Island
Day of departure and we in total there was 3 4WD cars
including the tour guides. Two of them was driven by the 2nd and 3rd
group first while us the Shizer group sat in the tour guides car. Off to Fraser
Island a beautiful morning of 7 am and we got there just in time for a long
drive along the coast speeding at 80km/h (it’s the actual regulated speed
limit) to our first destination lake Mckenzie.
Some facts to know about Frasers Island is that it is the
only pure sand island in the world where a rainforest grow out off. Apparently
the sand has sufficient nutrient properties to allow vegetation to grow but
still it is weird. A island form purely of sand and a rainforest grows in it.
If you go to a tree and dig up the roots you would only find sand no matter how
deep the pit goes.
Lake Mckenzie our first stop was a fresh water lake situated
high up in the island and above the ground water table hence only rain
catchment feeds the lake and as such no fishes, aquatic vegetation of any sorts
live in it. The view was somewhat a paradox when we first saw the lake. Pure
blue and pure white sands at the edges make it looked like a beach which grew
out of a forest. First jump into the lake and we notice the sudden lack of salt
making it harder to float or swim. Needless to say it was awesome.
Next stop was central station where we got the long history
of Frasers Island and its struggles that it went through the years such as sand
mining, tree logging and sorts which nearly destroyed one of the wonders of the
world. More local myth stories were told and we were off to campsite. What
happens when you put a group of backpackers isolated in a forest with only
tents and no one around to complain of noise and a full load of alcohol packed
in the trunk ….
Day two and it was up early and it was our Shizer group turn
to drive. I took the first drive as most was hangover from the night before.
Frankly I was afraid, and rather drive and take the control into my own hands
than let these hangover shizer kids dictate the destiny of my life. By the way
since I am Asian, they all thought I was a very young …. And was more worried
…. Idiots.
We went to Champaign pools for a wake up dunk and some of
use manage to see a spool of dolphins swimming in the sea. The others were not so
fortunate for only those who took the slow stroll manage to see it from the
high vintage view, it was just a matter of timing and luck really. By then some
had sobered up and was up for a drive so I gave up the drive to the next
destination, Indian Head Rock. Fraser Island has only three huge rocks along
the beach and there was a myth story behind in involving a goddess. The view
above the rocks was spectacular and looking down into the ocean if lucky, one
could see loads of marine lif. We manage to see a couple of turtles and a manta
ray.
Next stop was ellie creek which was a shallow water stream
wide and enough water flow to float down with ease. The creek was spend time
just going up river with body boards or floats and just slowly float down to
the beach. When even that got too troublesome we all ended up just lying in the
cool waters enjoying the sun.
The incident came next. Malina the Danish girl took the
wheel and off we go supposedly to Tea Tree Lake. We heard stories of fresh
waters turtles coming up the lake shore for lovemaking and the colour of the
orange lake was supposedly good for skin care plus tiny little fishes that
would swim to you and eat the dead skin off your body. Unfortunately Malina
decided to crash into a tree. I wont bore you with my anger and disgust so I’ll
leave it at that the car was a wreck that it could not be used after and needed
to be tow but by some miracle everyone was uninjured.
We never made it to the lake and all the boys has to work on
a holiday hauling and pushing the car although in tow by another 4WD back to
camp. It was a low point but we were not discourage for long for the next 1
hour was spend climbing the f*ucking enormous sand dune to get to a spot for
sandboarding. I was tired as f*uck but somehow manage to reach there boarded
twice and call it a day.
Night time and the party goes on I guess but all those that
were tired and was not up for partying due to the incident decided to turn in
early leaving the few of us with a much much more alcohols or as they call it
in Australia GOON. I learn some stupid Shizer drinking game in Fraser but the
few thing that stick was :
A : Whats the Name of the Game ?
B : Slap
A : Whats the Aim of the Game ?
B : To get f*ck Up ….. i.e durnk like fcuk
And the few new songs that added to my playlist such as
Tenacious D – F*ck Her Gently
3rd day came and all was just glad to get back to
Rainbow Beach safe and sound. The next morning was the argument of settling
damages to the 4WD … I won’t write this now since I am too angry to paint a
neutral perspective ….
Oh well …. Be in a Car Crash in Australia ….. CHECK .Shizer
, F*ck