Fraser Island. part 3

Cycad seed pods at Fraser Island
Originally uploaded by chazjac

May 4
Fraser Island
Sunny, breezy

This is the last of three blog entries about the Fraser Island camping trip. I am writing this one on the 6th, shortly before our departure on the Sunlander for Cairns. Once again, I will be out of touch for a day or so as we travel up to the tropics.

The morning started out cloudy and slightly rainy, but it never did much more than sprinkle a little. One of the students had taken his sleeping bag outside to sleep by the campfire and had to relocate under the dining area tarp.

After breakfast, we drove up the beach for our last lake visit. We met two more dingoes, one of them quite large, according to the guide. I got no photos, as I had given up the front seat to one of the students who was nursing a cold. Butt a couple of the students did, so I am hopeful that they will share some with me.

Lake Wabby is a barrage lake, created when a sand dune moves to cut off a stream. The effect is reminiscent of an oxbow lake sometimes formed when a river changes course, though the process is quite different. The lake is at the end of a 2 km walk, one kilometer of scrubland forest, the other of sand dune. It is a challenging walk, especially for an older out-of-shape guy like me -- my legs are still a little sore from it.

The students actually found the lake a little boring, and many left by an alternate path early to head back to the seashore. That's another thing we'll change about the tour next year: more time on the walks to and from Lake Wabby; less time at the lake itself.

And the walks were interesting: more cycads, including a couple with ripening seed pods -- I hung a photo of these at the Flickr site. We also started to see some of the tropical birds: cockatoos, lorikeets, and parrots. No photos yet, but I should have opportunities in Cairns.

We returned to Brisbane with only a minor incident. The van holding the other American group was pulled over for speeding. That group was a bit wild for my taste anyway.

There is a bit of a cold running through the students and faculty. I have it but am recovering. I think we all agree that the train travel today (May 6) will be exactly the rest we need after our intense camping trip at Fraser Island.