Last Couple of Days in Noosa

On Thursday, we were up at the crack of dawn. The proverbial rooster (i.e.: my dad) called us out of bed at the ripe hour of 6 AM. We got ready quickly for our big day in Fraser Island.

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. It's 124 km long and 24 km wide (at its widest point). It's composed of sand eroded from the shores of New South Wales in Australia that's been collecting for millions of years off of the coast of Queensland. Because the sand is piled up so high, it's believed to contain more sand, by volume, than the entire Sahara Desert! Even though the island is entirely made out of by sand, it still contains a thriving ecosystem of scrub forests, rain forests, beaches, lakes, creeks, and dunes. The island has no settlements and no paved roads -- only dirt tracks and beaches. The only vehicles that people can take onto the island are four-wheel drive trucks.

For our trip to Fraser Island we took a tour with the Fraser Island Discovery tour company. Even though people are allowed to bring their own (or rented) four-wheel drives on the island, I wasn't up for driving around in the mud, getting stuck, and trying to push ourselves out of the muck. Our driver was really good and I'm sure he did a much better job of driving then I ever could have! He weaved between big rocks on the beach, splashed through huge puddles of water, and plowed through big piles of mud.

Even though it rained almost all day, it was still a lot of fun! I was in constant awe of how beautiful the island was. I was so surprised to see so many huge trees on an island composed entirely out of sand.

Friday was our last day in Noosa. We were blessed with sunny skies in the morning so we took a walk in Noosa National Park. We walked for about eight kilometers along the coast and the interior. We saw a lot of wildlife, too! We spotted a koala maneuvering its way high up in eucalyptus tree. On the coast we were graced with fantastic views of hidden beaches, cliffs and rocks. On the inland side of the trail we walked through tall stands of trees and vines. It was one of the best morning of my trip so far.

That afternoon, I made myself an appointment with a pair of scissors and a hair dresser. I had been mulling over the decision to cut my hair for a long time. It was time though. I'm happy with how things turned out though. I don't regret my decision. I'll put up a separate post about this stuff, though.

On Saturday we had to leave Noosa early. I had to drive my dad and my sister to the airport in Brisbane and say goodbye. They were flying back to Canada that day. It was hard. We were all emotionally torn up inside as I hugged my family. I wouldn't be seeing them again until September. I was now on my own.

--
Rob Szumlakowski
Byron Bay, Australia