Fraser Island

We walked the couple of kilometres from the hotel to pick up the car in Brisbane (another upgrade) and got soaked. Rain! This is NOT what we ordered. We headed north for Noosa. This journey, from Brisbane to Fraser Island was supposed to take about 6 hours according to the travel agent. Google Maps reckoned more like four and a half but locals said it was about three and a half and I think that’s about the closest. So, in fact, the arrangements Trailfinders made for this part of the trip haven’t been as clever as the rest so far.

Noosa Heads was our overnight stop. The place Trailfinders had chosen first had been so badly slagged off on Trip Advisor we got them to change it. The Noosa Blue Resort, the replacement, provided us with a suite – all very impressive with a Jacuzzi IN the bedroom, I’ll have you know. Sadly the floor felt like walking on the beach and the whole place was grubby and rundown. I put on the customer feedback that it seemed neglected: could have been amazing but wasn’t. We learnt from the receptionist when we checked out that it was in the hands of receivers.Noosa itself was nice but totally dead. Restaurant proprietors were dragging us off the street and paying us to eat in their establishments to give them something to do. We should be so lucky on that count but it was dead.

We slept well and headed for Fraser Island in the drizzle. Got there far quicker than we had anticipated and soon discovered that, on this count, Trailfinders had not worked it right and we could have flown one way as we thought but were told we couldn’t and we parked the car at the airport as instructed when the resort has its own parking much nearer the ferry which would have not required paying for a transfer. Heads will roll, I tell you, heads will roll!

Never mind. We crossed at 3.30pm with just ONE other couple to check in at an almost deserted large resort on this island made up totally of sand. They upgraded our room because they had plenty to spare. One of the restaurants was closed because there were not enough clients to make running three viable but we had an excellent meal in one of the others – in fact probably the best value meal we have had so far and by far the cheapest glass of beer yet.

It has become clear from our conversations with restaurateurs and hotel staff that people are avoiding Queensland because of the floods and the cyclone. Though we didn’t know it they do consider this to be their wet and quieter period but it is evident that the situation is exceptional. We seem to be gaining upgrades of cars and rooms willy nilly so we’re fine with that and we are clearly welcomed as business for a region which is in recovery.

We booked onto the day tour of the island which involved hurtling along the sand roads and the beach in this MAN (for the vehicularly-minded):

and we were taken to see all sorts, including the paradise beach of Lake McKenzie

and the wreck of the good ship Mehano. I only included this bit because I like the picture.

We joined a charming couple for dinner: we had travelled over on the ferry with them, chatted during the tour and they were really nice company.

It really is a lovely place. the weather was not good on our arrival but it has been beautiful since, warm with blue skies flecked with white cloud – apparently better than they have had for a good while. We just crashed on the beach and by the pool for our last day and prepared for the trip back to Brisbane and the flight up to Cairns for transfer to Port Douglas. More people have arrived: the resort has been advertising big offers and we talked to a couple from Brisbane who had taken advantage of that: they normally camp rough on the island and thought this was the height of luxury. We think weekenders have inflated the numbers too.

We had a wonderful drive back down the Sunshine Coast stopping at Forest Fern to visit a patchwork shop – give me strength!! And then, on the advice of the delightful people in the shop, spent the afternoon in Malooloobah for lunch and to sit in the scorching sunshine looking at the beach and the surfers. Just delightful.

Right now I’m in Brisbane Airport where I have sweet-talked the VirginBlue lounge receptionist who divulged that I might pick up their WiFi just outside. So I’m going to try and hope I don’t self-destruct immediately afterwards. If it doesn’t work then this blog will have to wait until Cairns and be a bit out of date. But this isn’t BBC 24 you know.