eatsleeptravelrepeat

So we decided to do the Cool Dingos Fraser Island tour. Often, people will do self drive and camping tour. However, as much as he driving part of the experience did sound fun...I am not a camper. Before you think it- no I don't think I am a flashpacker BUT I knew I would not enjoy it especially in the mixed weather Australia has been experiencing at the minute! To be expected the tour was mostly girls but it made it feel like a girl power trip! The Spice Girls would have been proud, I mean look at the bus...

I chose to do the 3 day 2 night tour!

Day 1 

The first day of early starts- bus pick up is at 7:45, this is pretty standard across all the trips regardless of whether you are staying on Fraser or not. If you do decide to do the Cool Dingo and you are joining from Rainbow Beach you will not be looking for this Dingo bus but a Fraser Explorer bus. 

From here you go on the jetty over to Fraser for coffee and muffins before travelling on to Lake Mackenzie. 

Lake Mackenzie is phenomenal. The views are out of this world. The clear waters and white sands were just amazing. I mean look at the photos! We  had about 2 hours here. We were lucky to have more time than the Hervey Bay group as well just because or ferry was shorter. 

After relaxing in luxury, we headed back up the near where the spice bus was parked for lunch. This was a buffet style with salad, ham, chicken drumsticks, an assortment of sauces and more! I won't lie I went back for seconds although definitely regretted it later! 

After lunch we had the first of our two walks of the day. The first being 2.6km. We saw one of the many forested areas of Fraser Island until we finally ended the walk at Central station.

After a rest and a chance to fill up our water bottles we completed another walk, this time 1.8km. 

They also provided us with snacks throughout the day including breakfast bars, apples, oranges and cookies. 

After our walks we were then dropped off at our accommodation which were so nice. Nicer than I was expecting and most importantly more welcoming than a tent! We were given half an hour to move our luggage and shower etc before we were taken to the beach to watch the sunset. Of course, we rewarded ourselves after the day with a large glass of goon! The Kingfisher Bay resort also offers a shuttle service between the beach and the accommodation! 

-Girls on Tour

After arriving back at the accommodation, we went down to our unlimited buffet dinner at the dingos bar. I won't lie, I wasn't holding out much for the food because you just never know on trips like these, what to expect! However, I was pleasantly surprised as the food was really nice. We had a bolognese, two types of curry, a tomato vegetable dish, various carbs and salad. 

After dinner we stayed and had a few drinks. In happy hour drinks aren't too bad at $5.50 for a basic. (Basic=vodka mixer). Then after a few drinking games back in the lodges returned. The first night we were there, it was not that busy. Bar staff here can only be described as miserable if I am honest although they don't care when people bring their own drink. 

Day 2 

Again, another early start but oh well. Breakfast starts from 6 and includes toast, cereal, fruit, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and baked tomatoes. Again, this was unlimited.

We left the accommodation at 7:30 and zoomed off to the Mahona shipwreck. Our tour guide Gaz explained that it had previously been a luxury liner before being used as a hospital and then later by the navy to practice attacks. We were lucky enough to be the first group there so I managed to get some photos without any tourists in them...RESULT!

After the shipwreck we moved on to the Red Canyon. He also told us about the aboriginal mythology surrounding it. It was really beautiful look out plus as you can see made a great panoramic! 

From the Red Canyon we headed off to the Champagne Pools. No you don't receive champagne as you arrive! The pools were amazing though and the views on the way were phenomenal. As the tour went on it was clear why so many people rave about Fraser Island. If you are doing the east coast don't even think about missing it out! 

After our relaxation in the pools it was off for a picnic on the beach. We were all provided with a box of salad, chicken, a wrap and various sauces for a diy wrap. It was even better than the day before! Plus I managed to sneak in a nap before we headed off again. It was at this point that the cookies were whipped out once again! 

After lunch we headed over to walk up the Indian Head. I would advise shoes for this rather than flip flops. Even if you are tired, push yourself at this point to do the walk because it's really worth it! The views are out of this world and you manage to see some sea creatures as well! 

To finish of the day we headed up to Eli Creek, where Gaz provided us with rubber dinghys to go tubing. Furthermore, the creek itself is great to just chill around after the long day. 

When we got back it was off to the Dingo bar for dinner which was even better than the first night. A variety of roast meat was provided with rice, roast vegetables, roast potato and mashed potato with the usual salad etc. I was very satisfied and definitely went up for seconds! 

The night ended with yet more drinking games and a return to Dingos later in the evening! 

Day 3 

Another day, another early start. This time we were off to Lake Birrabeen for my first attempt at paddle boarding! It was really fun although at times difficult to steer. Lake Birrabeen is definitely at its nicest when less people are there as when other people started arriving it started to get a bit crowded. 

After becoming a paddle board national champ we returned to the Eurong Beach Resort for lunch. Again the food here was really good and there was so much. My personal favourite was the hake in a white sauce! 

After lunch we had the choice of staying at the resort and chilling by the pool or going to Lake Wabby. However, to get to Lake Wabby it was a 2.4km walk which put a lot of people off. We persevered through the walk and the result was worth it! Especially because due to the type of lake it is, in as little as 20 years it may no longer be there.

We even persuaded Gaz to let us have some time in the pool once we got back! So got the best of both worlds. 

One of the good things about this tour is that you can start and end in either Rainbow Beach or Hervey Bay. So we started in Rainbow and ended in Hervey. If you end in Hervey you get the chance to shower although be warned there is only one shower so it's a quick one. Then off to the ferry. 

Gaz then drove us to collect our luggage and to wherever you needed to be in Hervey. We were off to the bus station so he dropped us off there before giving us some advice of where to eat etc. 

Overall I had the best time on Fraser and met some really nice people. I think  that if you don't do Fraser on the east coast you are mad so get it booked!!! 

Love Imogen xoxo