Just did the family camping holiday up to Fraser Island for the second week of the school holidays. Didn't go exactly to plan, but it was a nice get away!
It has been a number of years since we had been to Fraser Island, last time being about 14 years ago with a V8 Range Rover and trailer. This time we took a low clearance 4 cylinder Suzuki loaded to the brim with camping gear, fishing gear, kayaking gear, food, etc...
After 10 weeks without any rain I was certainly nervous about the inland tracks and the ground clearance given the amount of traffic on the island with school holidays and perfect weather. I went through the worst case scenario with the family before setting off on the track to Central Station after getting some 'erroneous' advice from other 4WD enthusiasts.
Enough to say that sinking feeling occurred when we got stuck behind a slow moving 4WD and we lost momentum and the worst case scenario became a reality. Note to self - trust to your own experience! With a little help from some friends I got off the track and got a tow out through a couple of spots which left the suzuki sitting high and dry with wheels spinning.
A new plan was hatched and we "camped" at the Eurong resort and spent time exploring the Eastern side of the island. There was a lot a whale traffic heading south and they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back to the cold waters of the southern ocean. It was nice to do the fishing thing again with the family after many years away from Fraser.
The main differences in the last 14 years were; less sharks so assumably less fish to bring them close to shore, less dingos, less pippies, and more people - lots more people.
2013 Fraser Island from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.
No comments:
Post a Comment