Fraser Island (part 2) to Hervey Bay

Hello all
After over a week over on Fraser Island I have returned to the Big Island.....Australia.

camp on Fraser Island

After a few night tolerating the above view from my doorstep I headed further North on Fraser.

watching darkness approach Fraser Island

 Fraser Island is a heritage-listed island located along the southern coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately 200 kilometres  north of Brisbane.It is a locality within the Fraser Coast  Its length is about 120 kilometres and its width is approximately 24 kilometres  It was inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1992. The island is considered to be the largest sand island in the world at 1,840 km². It is also Queensland's largest island, Australia's sixth largest island and the largest island on the East Coast of Australia.

Eli Creek Fraser Island

 Eli Creek is the largest creek on the east coast of the island with a flow of 80 million litres per day.

Eli Creek Fraser Island

 The Fraser Island dingoes are reputedly some of the last remaining pure dingoes in Eastern Australia and to prevent cross-breeding, dogs are not allowed on the island.

Dingo on Fraser Island

Dingo on Fraser Island

Next stop was the wreck of the SS Maheno.

SS Maheno

 The Maheno was built in Scotland in 1905 as a luxury passenger ship for the trans-Tasman crossing. During the First World War she served as a hospital ship in the English Channel, and was then returned to her owners to resume her usual commercial operation. By 1935 the ship had been taken out of service and was sold to a ship-breaker in Japan. On 25 June 1935, while being towed to Osaka to be broken up, she was caught in a strong cyclone about 80 kilometres off the coast of Queensland. The towline parted, and on 9 July 1935 the Maheno became beached on the east coast of Fraser Island.

SS Maheno

During the Second World War the wreck served as target bombing practice for the RAAF and was used as an explosives demolition target by special forces from the Fraser Commando School. The remains of the ship are now severely rusted, with almost three and a half storeys buried under the sand. Because of the danger it poses, climbing on the wreck is not permitted.

SS Maheno

Maheno from camp

 All along the beach freshwater creeks flow into the ocean.

my front yard on Fraser Island

 The beach is also the Highway on Fraser and you need to constantly be aware of vehicles approaching.

Indian Head Fraser Island

There is a bypass track over Indian Head to the Northern Beach and Waddy Point, but as I sat there watching vehicles getting bogged in the soft sand I decided that getting through with the camper on would be pushing my luck.

another camp on Fraser

 The beach is also used as an airstrip for joyflights.

 
I headed back down the beach past the Maheno once again.

I then headed inland to Central Station. This served as a Timber Camp back in the day when the tall timbers of Fraser were harvested.

Central Station Fraser Island

 Blackbutt trees (Eucalyptus pilularis), Queensland kauri (Agathis robusta) and satinay or Fraser Island turpentine (Syncarpia hillii) were extensively exploited as they provided excellent timber. 

Wanggoobla Creek Central Station

Satinay logs were sent to Egypt to be used in the construction of the Suez Canal For the first 70 years of logging, bullock drays were used to haul the timber to loading points on the beach. Railway tracks were laid through the forest to facilitate logging, but were later removed. 

Pile Valley Central Station

 The logging industry continued until 1991, ceasing following concerns raised by the Commission of Inquiry into the Conservation, Management and Use of Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Region,

Pile Valley Central Station

 Remember all this timber and rainforrest is all growing in sand......

give way to carpet pythons

After doing the Southern Lakes drive it was overnight at Dilli Village (run by the University of Queensland), in retrospect this place was terrific and I should have stayed there, unloaded be camper and done day trips from there.

75 mile beach Fraser Island

Currently I am in Hervey Bay and the trek North continues in a few days. I also realised today I am due to do my 6 month review on my Ute and Camper, so I will try to get that online in the next couple of days. 
Bye for now........