Lisa Visits: Day 7-9 - Fraser Coast

It was a 4 hour bus ride from Cotton Tree to Hervey Bay. We departed in the morning and arrived in Hervey late afternoon. Woolshed Backpackers is where we were calling home for the next few days. Nice little resort of cabins one street north of the esplanade. Lisa and I checked in and then booked our day tour to Fraser Island for the next day. Would have loved to go with the option of doing a 2/3 day camping trip, but we didn't have time so the 1 dayer it was.
After getting settled, Lisa and I toured Hervey Bay and checked out the beach. Hervey is a great coastal town lined with hotels, contained apartments, and hostels. The gateway to Fraser Island and you could tell the whole town functioned on tourism.
Bright and early again, our tour guide picked us via the courtesy shuttle to bring us to the marina for departure on the 'Fraser Dawn' to the island. Once there, we hopped in a heavy duty 4WD and started our tour around the world's largest sand island. Highlighted stops along the way included:

Coloured Sands

Pristine waters of Lake Garawongera

Beautiful Eli Creek

Yidney rainforest amidst towering Satinays & Kauri Pines

The rusting hull of the Maheno shipwreck

You know when you go on these tours it always says on the brochure 'included: extensive commentary by our knowledgeable guides', well this time, they really meant it. Our tour guide Colin knew so much about the island....telling us all about the stops along the way, the islands history, it's flora and fauna, how the island got it's name...it was amazing. I found it so interesting to listen to him when he talked about it all. So interesting in fact, I actually retained some of it! Do you know, that the island got it's name after Eliza Fraser, a shipwreck victim & wife of a sea captain (he who died of a heart attack) who befriended the Aborigines on the island until her rescue in 1836. At first her story sold well (that she was captured by the black people), but she began to embellish it so much that people started to doubt her. She eventually remarried (another sea captain!) and returned to a life of obscurity.
A long day it was, but a great day. Lisa and I chilled out in Hervey the next day doing the beach thing, eating at the waterfront cafe, and relaxing before departing on the overnight train to Airlie beach. 12 hour train ride up the coast....here we come!