Year One
Date: 20/10/2008 09:30
Weather: Perfect
Location: Deep Creek Fraser Island 25'30 52S, 152'59 14E
Author: Peter

Thanks to the wonderful people over in America and the great things they have done to the world economy we are now having to head home to find some work. Because of this I have been looking forward to Fraser Island and its world heritage list status as a great way to finish off cruising this year. One last hoorah I suppose.

When we first came to the bay I was hoping the male whales would still be around so we could have an up close and personal experience, as tends to happen in this area as the males come to you to investigate. A man (hippy) we met further back up north on the island who comes here every season says "the whales purpose in life is to fix peoples hearts". I was really hoping for this experience and can only hope we can get it the next time we are here. I was however greatful that there were still whales here and we still had a great time watching them.

Finally the other day after entering the great sandy straits we started to find walking tracks and 4WD tracks leading inland. Great I thought, this is exactly what I wanted. While anchored at McKenzie Jetty Ruins (25'24 53S, 153'00 55E) and walking some of the shorter tracks around to an old WWII commando training base and disused logging camps around the foreshore we discovered a path leading up to one of the lakes 10km inland. So the next morning we packed lunches and the bikes and headed to shore to finally see what I came here for, the Lakes and rain forest. Upon opening the bike bag I was shocked to discover my rear wheel was missing 7 spokes and the rim was now distorted. The bike was un-ridable and I was now stuck unable to do what I wanted the most. 10km on foot each way was to long to leave Jura so we headed back to the boat and upstream to Deep Creek the site of a disused log loading site.

Deep Creek is a very pretty little anchorage with 2 old wrecks rusting away hidden in the mangroves. One a steam powered vessel and the other a sexy old barque over 100ft in length (they don't draw lines like that anymore). Ashore more tracks, but again no bike to explore them. I feel gutted and I don't even know what happened to the spokes that caused the problem. Not quite the way I wanted it all to end.

Oh well I hope Tangalooma is good and I suppose there is always next time. I just feel sad that I'm so close yet I can't do anything about it.

Still beats being at work, especially on a Monday.

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