Fraser Island, Part 2

Cycad plant at Fraser Island
Originally uploaded by chazjac

May 3
Fraser Island
Sunny, breezy

This is the second of three blog entries about the Fraser Island camping trip. One more will follow. I am writing these on the 4th and 5th, after our return to Brisbane.

I get up pretty early in the morning, and even earlier while down here, since my internal clock is still a bit messed up. The campsite we use on Fraser Island has a dingo-proof fence around it -- not that the dingoes would come into a camp site populated by humans and get vicious; it's mostly to keep them out of the rubbish bins. There's a nice little path just outside the fence that's perfect for a pre-dawn stroll.

I found this wooly caterpillar chain. Eight of them marching along a sandy road, head of one direct behind the backside of another, slowly crossing the road. Nearby, several more seemed to be writhing about in a ball. When I asked Reg about these later in the day, he told me that they were poisonous to the touch.

Breakfast at the campsite was simple: cereal and toast, with coffee, tea, and juice. The toast spreads included the usual: margarine and jam, peanut butter -- and of course Vegemite. Vegemite is a 'yeast extract.' I've never been completely clear on what that means, and the rumors about the way it's made vary, with some saying it's a byproduct of beer-making and others saying grosser things about yeast 'poo.' It's a dark brown in color, and has a consistency about like peanut butter, though not as sticky. The taste is tangy and very salty. I like the stuff just fine, but in very small doses. Americans generally do not seem to like it much. I do suspect that half the reason Australians have it around is to get some amusement out of tourists trying to cope with the stuff. I will bring a jar to the course reception at the end of the trip for those brave enough to try it.

Because Fraser Island has such a high water table, many streams pop out of the sand, cutting deep sandy gorges as the fresh water finds it way to the sea. When these reach the beach, they fan out and become very shallow. The larger ones will have steep banks that the tour guides must slow down for and maneuver through, while the small ones are a quick bumpy thrill when taken at high speed. The map of these streams is ever-changing: some dry up, others change course, new ones appear.

The largest and most permanent of these is Eli Creek, about 2/3 of the way up the eastern side of the island. We spent about an hour walking through the lower part of the creek -- literally walking in the water of the creek at some points. Th water was pleasantly cool, and the plant life abundant. Some of the students saw some eels, but I only noticed some fish that may have been Moses perch.

Right after we pulled away from Eli Creek, our tour guide stopped and had us dig up pippis, small mollusks similar to clams. Once I knew what I was doing, I managed to find about a half-dozen. That evening, we cooked them and had them as an entree dish. Their taste is like a clam or mussel but a little more delicate. I've never been a fan of either, but the pippis were not too bad if you like that sort of thing. One of the tour guides encouraged our students to eat them raw, and one actually did -- I was not nearby to discourage her. (For the parents: she's fine.)

We had lunch at Indian Head near the northern tip of the island. The climb up to the lookout point was challenging, especially for those of us who were barefoot, but the view of the water below was breathtaking. Some of the students reported seeing sharks and manta rays from their vantage point. Indian Head also seemed to be a chance for some of our younger tour guides to go surfing. They seemed to be quite good; but I know little about the sport. One of them came in very quickly after seeing a shark only a few metres from him, one of the same sharks our students saw from the lookout point.

After lunch, the students had a chance to visit some nearby tidal pools. There was a barnacle-like animal lining the seaward side of the pool that would squirt water when stepped on. The pools also had some fish, small stripeys and whiting. The students had a good time splashing about.

Later in the day, we went for a subtropical rainforest walk. It was a little unfortunate that the student groups arrived at different times, as we were unable to offer them a consistent guided experience. I was able to talk to my group about the rainforest canopy, a few of the trees found in the rainforest, strangler figs, epiphytes, and cycads, but other groups were left without any such commentary. It was also late in the day, so they were all a little tired. The order of the day's activities is something that we will change next year.

The evening was pretty much devoted to card games. Some students played Uno, while another group attempted to teach me how to play Pitch. It seems to be a relative of the bridge/euchre style of games, with a complex point structure. We played a few hands and then stopped for a simple dinner of hamburgers and sausages. I was exhausted enough to turn in early and get ready for our last day on the island.