Day 13: Saturday, August 20 Noosa to Fraser Island
Man if this is winter I can take a whole lot of it. Once again it was bright and sunny and around 25 C. People here are feeling cold but it is just perfect for me in the shade but too hot in the sun. My two and a half hour drive to here from Noosa was in an Australian version of a Cadillac driven by the owner of the bus company. He didn't think it was worthwhile sending a bus for just one person so decided to drive me himself. He also arrived a half hour earlier than he was supposed to but since I had been up since 3:30 I was ready to go and it didn't present a problem. It may be a repeat performance on Tuesday from here to Brisbane (three and a half hours). The driver is very pleasant and provided good conversation and a lot of local history on the drive. There were very few silent moments. We stopped for a short break after about an hour and a half and I gave in to temptation and had a crab sandwich. It would have been better with some salt and pepper and bit of mayonnaise but was quite tasty none the less.
After giving me a tour of Hervey (pronounced Harvey) Bay he dropped me at the port around 11:00 leaving me with an hour to wait until the catamaran ride to the resort on Fraser Island. I sat and watched the boats come and go from the marina and then had lunch of a seafood platter (french fries, calamari, oysters, shrimp. barramundi). Typical deep fried boardwalk food and I didn't finish all of the fries.
The ride across to the island, forty-five minutes, was smooth and uneventful. We didn't see any wildlife until we arrived at the island and then saw a whale out in the bay. On arrival we got off of the boat and into an electric cart train for the ride to the hotel. Our bags were taken by truck and mine were in my room by the time I got here. The hotel structure is very impressive, all wood and glass and open space. I will have to get some photos before I leave. The rooms are in separate buildings set back in the bush, reached via paths through the bush and are also of wood on two levels. I was quite happy that someone else was carrying my bags.
The room is large with full doors leading out to a large square balcony, contains a double bed and a single bed, a large bathroom with yet another jacuzzi. I forgot to mention in when I was in Cairns but this room, like the one there, has a slot just inside the door and you have to insert your key into the slot and leave it there to turn on the power in the room. Not at all sure what that is all about. The view is of nothing but bush so not too exciting.
After I got settled in I debated whether to go for a walk around or to have a nap. Having been up so early the nap won out. When I woke up I decided to continue being lazy and sat on the balcony reading until it got dark. Then I was off to dinner knowing it was a seafood buffet tonight. Once again I did justice to the food - two dozen oysters (small), two dozen prawns (large) and numerous pieces of crab. The oysters were the best I have had since I arrived in Australia. I am still stuffed and feel that if I eat much more seafood I am going to turn into a sea creature. After dinner I sat for a while and listened to the entertainment provided by a duo. Quite good. Then I sat on the patio by the pool and watched the kids playing in the water as people walked by in parkas! What a riot.
When I checked at reception about arranging a fishing trip for Monday I was told that they don't do that sort of things here but when I read the Guest Services book in the room it said that they do so I will have to try and straighten that out tomorrow. If all else fails they do rent fishing equipment to allow for fishing off the long dock. My driver today said that fishing off of docks is often more successful than going out in a boat. My experience in many places lends credence to that so maybe that is what I will do on Monday.
My tour of the island leaves at 8:30 in the morning so I guess I will have to leave the room around eight to allow myself time to find the pick up point. Strange that it doesn't leave from the hotel proper.