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As our boat pulled away from the harbour, I looked down at all the 4x4s on the deck and wondered just what was in store. We could see
‘God, this place is a little dire isn’t it? Can’t imagine there’s much to do at night around these parts at night’ I said. Looking around at the small esplanade, it seemed strange that almost all the shops appeared to be closed ‘Or during the day it seems’ I added.
‘I’ve just been down to the beach’ replied Emma ‘it’s got that horrible sticky sand on it. It’s all over my feet and I can’t get it off”
Well, this really did put the nail in the coffin as far as Hervey Bay was concerned – not only was there nothing to do, but its beach was also smothered in ‘sticky’ sand. There was no way back I’m afraid. So we filtered away the next few days visiting the shopping mall and as it was ‘tight-arse Tuesday’, watching cheap films at the local cinema. As we strolled back through the dark, lifeless streets having just seen a particularly gory war film (my choice surprisingly!), we discussed the sportsmanship associated with war
‘I don’t think they could have done that in real life, I mean, it would have breached the Geneva Convention’ I said sarcastically, referring to particularly horrible part of the film in which someone was tortured brutally
‘The what?’ Emma replied
‘Didn’t you know? Apparently prisoners of war have rights – you can’t treat them too bad at all, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. I mean, it is a war so you can go around dropping bombs wherever you like but god, if you don’t provide a prisoner with a cup of tea and a Bakewell tart every afternoon then you better watch out’
We had laughed about how ludicrously pointless these laws were all the way home before getting our heads down and preparing for the next few days of camp.
I went back to our truck on the deck of the Ferry and started chatting to the group we had been put with. There were seven of us in total – 5 Irish and then Emma and I. Much to my disappointment, the eldest of the 2 – a couple named Eva and Tom – had been designated as the drivers due to their ‘maturity’. Not that I was jealous you understand. The other 3 Irish girls were from Kilkenny and to this day I’m still not sure exactly what their names were. It wasn’t because we didn’t talk, in fact we talked quite a lot, it was simply because when the spoke I couldn’t understand a single word coming from their mouths. It was like having a conversation with someone who spoke Hungarian and as a result, I found myself using the exaggerated hand gestures I had perfected whilst talking to the Israelis in order to communicate. With map in hand, I jumped into the passenger seat and helped Tom plan a route around the island. In our particular tour, there were 2 other 4x4s travelling, carrying groups of young English lads, a few mildly eccentric Germans, some Canadians and a Norwegian. Having consulted with them and shown Tom the route they were taking, we decided it would be sensible if we all stuck together, at least for the first day. I took out the safety guide book we had been given and decided to read a little about
The island was originally named K’gari by the Butchulla people, which actually means ‘paradise’. According to legend, the island was formed from the goddess K’gari, a messenger from God, who had fallen in love with the beauty of Earth. In order to allow her to stay, she was transformed into a heavenly island of pure beauty. However, since the westernisation of
‘Shall we burn this old, rotten driftwood I’ve found on the ground Bill?’
‘Are you absolutely crazy Jim?! Have you not read the
‘No sorry Bill, what does it say?’
‘You can’t burn wood from the ground you crazy boy. Here’s a chainsaw, go chop down that tree instead’
I couldn’t really make much sense of this, but I put it down to the eccentricity of the Queenslander and concentrated on the adventure ahead.
Having arrived on island, we made our way in convoy into the dense forest. After a few hundred metres, we came across a little shop with all the essentials you could ever need. The roads were smothered in tarmac and, to be honest, it all seemed pretty easy going. I think god was reading me mind however, as when we turned the next corner, we were faced with the road ahead. I say road but really it was a deep sand track, hugged on either side by thick vegetation which stooped across, blocking our field of view. The main highway was on the opposite side of the island and this was the only route to it, so we had little choice. Besides, this was the name of the game and the whole reason you embark on a 4x4 safari. Tom looked worried, so we pulled over and released some air from the tyres in order to increase their surface area and provide some much needed grip on the frictionless sand. Approaching slowly, we entered the dark tunnel and left all signs of daylight behind. The track was littered with deep potholes, causing the truck oscillate vertically in a sporadic fashion. This was worse - far worse - than being back on Blue Thunder and heading out into the stormy Pacific. I could see Emma’s face changing to a pale shade of green. With each bump being exaggerated by the seemingly non-existent suspension, I wasn’t feeling too great either and neither were the girls from Kilkenny. Then all of a sudden we stopped. It was relieving to have a break from the never ending rollercoaster but worrying as to why we had come to such an abrupt halt. I jumped out the back and ran round to the front of the truck to join Tom who was looking concerned.
‘What’s up mate? You look worried’ I said noticing his confused gaze
‘The road seems to have stopped. There’s nothing up ahead at all’ he replied, pointing to a huge shrub which was standing in our way.
He was right, the road seemed to have come to a sudden end. As the other drivers from the two trucks following came to join, I suddenly heard a massive roar coming from the other side of the thick shrubbery. But it was not from an animal. It was an ongoing destructive noise – one that gave an impression of sheer power and dominance. It was the sound of millions of gallons of water falling through the sky and crushing the ground below into oblivion. The others hadn’t seemed to notice as they retrieved the maps, discussing whether we should turn around and take another route. I began walking towards the shrub, approaching the noise as it grew louder and more prominent. I reached out, grabbing the braches and to my shock it moved aside. Old and rotten, it had simply fallen across the track blocking the view in front. As it moved from my view, the vegetation cleared on either side to reveal the source of the noise. In front of me was the sandy beach and bombarding it was some of the most gigantic waves I have ever seen. Natures symbol of pure explosive brilliance, they broke on the beach with such power it caused the ground to shudder slightly. The beach was long and there was still about fifty or sixty metres between myself and the way so I decided to try and get closer to investigate. But as I walked out from between two sand dunes I go a shock. ZZHUMMMMM! That was the sound they made as the Doppler Effect kicked in and the first of many trucks sped past my position at high speed. I had completely forgotten, but during our briefing we had been explained about the beach. We were looking for the highway and here it was. You see, on
With the tide dictating our plans, we decided to use the time available and head north up the beach towards the The Champagne Pools on the north east part of the island. It was a strange sensation speeding along the beach, watching the waves break perpendicular to our motion. Occasionally we would pass the odd fisherman casting in from the sand. I always thoughts fishing was supposed to be a relaxing sport but I can’t imagine it was very stress free doing it in the middle of a freeway. The beach was littered with mini streams running from the dense forest down into the ocean, some of which had caused quite deep erosion on the beach. This somewhat hindered our progress and made for a rather frustrating journey which was constantly stopping and starting. In that respect, it was like driving in
‘What the hell is that?’ I said leaning forward to ask Tom and Eva in the front.
‘No idea, I think it might be that shipwreck though’ Tom replied
‘Shipwreck? In the middle of the road? This place just gets more unique by the second” I said reaching for the guide book. If there was a large shipwreck, I was sure it would be in there. And it was. Approaching the wreck with the massive hull half buried, half sticking out into the air, the sheer size soon became apparent. At 400ft long, The Maheno was a luxury liner completed in 1905 for fast travel between
Having completed our photo session, we jumped straight back into the truck and continued north along the beach. The traffic was getting far denser and we found ourselves swerving in and out of slower vehicles at high speed. There didn’t appear to be any kind of rules on which side you should pass or any visible lanes – it was like the start of whacky races with every vehicle doing whatever the hell it wanted. As we ate up the miles, I continued to read on through my fascinating guidebook discovering the wonderful secrets this island had to offer. Eventually though I started to feel a little ill from reading and travelling so put the book away. Everyone seemed quite tired now so conversation was down to a minimum. Instead, I put my face up against the window and peered aimlessly into the breaking waves. It then struck me that I had seen no bathers or surfers in the ocean which seemed strange, especially with brilliant high waves like the ones I was staring at. Yet again, I found myself clawing for my guidebook which was now lying on the floor having been shaken from my bag during a particularly large bump. However, I couldn’t really find much information about the beach and was just about to give up searching when my eyes were drawn towards the nature section. Suddenly everything became clear – the reason no one was even going anywhere near the sea was because that this particular section of ocean was a huge Tiger Shark breeding area. So, the ferocious nature of
By the time we arrived at the headland protecting the Champagne Pools, the sun was beginning its descent. The sand beneath the car was also beginning to get a lot deeper and dry making driving conditions very difficult. As we pulled in to park, we saw a number of people having to dig themselves out of deep sand bunkers. There was a small track going inland connecting this north part of the east beach with the northern beach, effectively cutting down walking distance to the Champagne Pools by quite a substantial amount. However, we had been severely warned against attempting it during the briefing due to the unpredictable behaviour and pockets of sinking sand. Following this advice, we parked up and decided to walk the extra distance. Within minutes we were incredibly glad that we had. The track was quite wide, enough to fit two or three vehicles, with steep edges a vegetation lining the sides but not enough to stop the bright setting sunlight illuminating the golden pathway. Ironically, this beautiful setting made for a complete massacre of 4x4 trucks. They were littered throughout the entire path, half submerged with their inexperienced drivers flooring the accelerator in an attempt to get out the dire situation. I ran over to help a German couple and beckoned Emma to help me pull the vehicle out of its grave along with ten or so other volunteers.
‘What possible difference will I make?’ she said
‘Come on, you can anchor us at the back’ I said making a little joke
‘Oh, that’s a bit harsh’ came the reply, but not from Emma, it was a little guy standing just in front of me tugging the rope as well. I quickly noticed him as one of the drivers from a truck in our convoy ‘you wanna give him a slap for that love. No sex for you tonight hey mate?’ he said laughing to himself
‘Nah, we’re not going out mate. She’s all yours’ I replied and we both laughed. Emma punched me on the arm and looked only mildly impressed.
He told us his name was Tim and he was on a month holiday from
Having helped the Germans out, we continued to walk along the track and up a small hill towards the Champagne Pools. It was pure pain. You see, although sand dunes are idyllic to look at, to climb up them is exhausting beyond belief. It takes the will power and strength of an Olympic athlete, as the ground seems to constantly be giving away beneath your feet. My calves felt like they were going to burst. By this point, we had been joined by one of Tim’s friends, Ryan. He was tall, stocky and with short dark black hair although he always wore a baseball cap and spoke with a thick Canadian accent. It amazed me just how many Canadians I had already met during my Australian adventure, yet only 1 American. Anyway, as the sand dunes ground away our energy, Tim continued to keep our spirits high by telling some amusing anecdotes concerning his travels so far and how he’d been frustrated following our 4x4 for most of the day
‘That bloody Tom is a shit driver. Did you see him coming across the island? Might as well have been stationary he was going that slow. I was like ‘mate, get the hell out of the way and let me lead’. It was so frustrating. Bet you were frustrated sitting in the back?’ he said ranting to himself in his strong north
‘Listen to him – he’s been going on like this for the past five hours’ Ryan quickly jumped in apologising, but obviously seeing the funny side too
‘He seemed to be going quite quick to me. Mind you, I’ve got a 1 litre, 4 gears, 1989 Peugeot 205 at home so a sit-on-lawnmower seems fast to me’ I said, laughing at myself in the unique way English people do.
‘Ha-ha really?!’ said Tim ‘you must be looking forward to going for a bit of a razz in these 4x4s tomorrow then?’
‘Can’t. I couldn’t get insurance because I’m under 21’
‘Yeah, but surely Tom’ll let you have a sly drive?’
‘Nah, he said I couldn’t apparently’
‘Are you joking? Who cares if you’re not insured? There’s not exactly much to crash into around here! I tell you what, come with us tomorrow and I’ll let you take it for a little spin’
‘Cheers mate, that’d be sweet” I said as we finally turned onto the northern beach.
As soon as we did, I was sure that trying to drive across this part of the island was a huge mistake – one that a group of Irish lads had evidently learned the hard way. Their truck was upside down in the sand, wheels spinning like the legs of a capsized tortoise and debris scattered across the surrounding area. Seemingly oblivious to dire situation they were in, the owners of the smashed up vehicle were sitting around the car playing a guitar, each with a can of XXXX gripped in their palms.
‘What happened boy? You guys ok?’ I asked approaching them just as one of them cracked a particularly humorous joke, resulting in a burst of laughter.
‘Wha’s that boy? Ah thee truck – jus a spot ah bad luck. Nothin ta worry yaself about’ one of them said reaching for another a beer from the cool box they had managed to retrieve from the rubble. Examining the situation I noticed that, along with the guitar, that was the only thing they had retrieved! Well, I suppose it was important to get the essentials sorted.
The
‘Umm I’m not sure it’s supposed to look like that’ Emma watching me struggle whilst stuck in the canvas
‘I don’t know, it looks ok to me. Maybe you could lend a hand?’ I said through gritted teeth
‘I’m okay actually, I’m quite enjoying watching your attempt! You carry on”
I did and a mere one hour later, the tent was constructed and as sturdy as ever – a fine place to reside indeed. Apart from the drooping roof.
‘Finished!’ I shouted emerging from the tent and standing back to admire the handy work ‘let’s just hope it doesn’t rain’.
Whilst I had been constructing our shelters for the evening, the others had been assembling the barbeques and preparing generous portions of meat for everyone. In addition, the beers had been cooling nicely and were now ice cold. As Tom, Eva, Emma and the other 3 took care of our cooking needs, I put my scouting skills into operation and started collecting fire wood. I have to say, not using timber from the ground was quite a challenge! Luckily though, we had stopped off at one the assigned collection points to gather some earlier during the day. As I began to assemble the fire surrounded by smoke from the sizzling barbeques, Ryan came over to give me a hand.
‘I can see you’ve had fire building experience’ he said remarking on the textbook scout fire I had built
‘Well I should, it’s all I’ve been doing for the past few months on camp. God, I’ve just put a bit of pressure on myself to perform haven’t I?’
‘Yes, I believe you have!’
The western part of the sky had now turned a deep shade of red, blending into indigo, navy and finally black the further west you looked. A few stars were scattered across the darker regions with the southern cross again posing brightly, even at this early stage of the evening. I gathered a few more pieces of damp wood and continued to build up the fire as I remarked on the view to Ryan
‘That sky looks absolutely amazing doesn’t it?’ I said as Ryan began to strike a match
‘Yeah man, it’s fantastic and so beautiful. I tell you, when I get all my travel photos developed I’m going to have enough incredible sunset shots for an entire album’ he replied looking up at the beautiful colours above our heads
‘I know mate, it’s superb isn’t it. I just hope I don’t start taking it for granted’
‘No way man. I’ve been travelling for nearly a year and I love it every time I see a sight like that. Even if you lived around here, you’d never ever get bored of seeing that at night. God I love it here’
I agreed, it was a truly incredible sky and probably the most perfect setting for a camping trip. Yet again I wished my friends and family were there, experiencing it with me, as I knew no words or photos would ever portray the incredible feeling of freedom and happiness sights like this could provide.
The fire flared up on the first attempt and went someway to restoring my pride that had been unquestionably damaged during the tent construction. Ryan threw me an ice cold beer as we fashioned a number of seats from the surrounding sand and sat back admiring the glorious scene in front of our eyes. We didn’t say much in those few minutes, instead we stared into the mesmerizing fire watching the blanket of diamond stars reveal itself above our heads. A few moments later, Emma came to join us with a plate full of cooked cow and a mountain of baked potatoes. There were various varieties of steak, burgers and even beef sausages which I felt obliged to sample along with another chilled stubby of XXXX. As I munched through my steak, drank my beer and stared into the fire I had just built, I felt like a man. A real man! On a negative note, most of the food seemed to have a large sand content but I think that is one of the things you have to expect on an island constructed from the stuff. Apart from that, the food was gorgeous and left me feeling positively stuffed at the end. Having completed my best attempt at washing up, I returned to the fire area and took my seat next to the warming flames as night started to close in and the temperature dropped. Ryan and I threw on the rest of the wood to create a furnace as all the other members of the camp came across to socialise and enjoy the security of the fire. In the third 4x4 there was an incredibly eccentric German lady on a honeymoon with her exact opposite conservative husband. They had been arguing for the entire day in German making it quite clear that she wasn’t satisfied with camping on their honeymoon, and as a result was refusing now to leave her tent. I couldn’t imagine the tent was much comfort, but I think secretly he was relieved to have escaped her childish screaming so made little attempt to persuade her out and instead came to join us for a drink. He had short dark hair, glasses and a suede coloured shirt which was tucked into matching shorts. In true stereotypical style, he was wearing lovely sandals over a pair of bright white socks. All of this meant that he wouldn’t have looked out of place working as an archaeologist in
The tide continued to come in as the roar of the sea increased a few more decibels making the ground shake beneath us. By this point, everyone was huddled around the flames, wrapped in blankets and enjoying conversation. Tim, having taken an obvious liking to Emma, came and sat next to us and proposed a game where we all introduced ourselves and explained where we were from. It felt kind of childish, but was certainly interesting to see the variety of cultures on our trip. As we all talked amongst ourselves, I heard Tim lean over to Emma
‘You know what luv, I really miss just having a cuddle. I love cuddling’ he whispered
I burst out laughing, unable to contain myself. With no embarrassment at all, Tim stood up and announced to the group his desire to have a cuddle with someone. Thankfully, with rejection looming Ryan stepped up and took one for the team, grabbing Tim in a tight bear hug much to the amusement of the audience.
‘Guess how old I am’ Tim said addressing the group
‘38’ I shouted as my response
‘Cheeky bastard. Nah, I’m 24. But, I am proud to announce, I am the most immature 24 year old you’ll ever meet’
‘Ha-ha, well that’s good to hear’ I said ‘what’s the most immature thing you’ve done?’
‘Well, now that you ask, there was this one time when I was drunk that I really wanted to meet Pete Waterman. You know – the geezer from Pop Idle. I thought I’d ask him to give me a job. So, in order to meet him, I went down to the auditions. Unfortunately, they stood me there for a preliminary round before I could meet him and asked me to sing’
‘Really?’ Emma said laughing ‘what did you do then?’
‘Sang the first thing that came into my head - the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ theme tune’
‘Brilliant! Ha-ha – so what happened?” I asked
‘They threw me out actually. Never did get to meet him. Ah well, it’s quite a funny story I suppose’
‘So is that why you came travelling – because you didn’t make it as a Will Young look-a-like?’
‘You know what – I just wanted to experience the world. I was sitting in a rubbish job and one day mentioned to my mate that I might want to do a bit of travelling and he looked at me and said ‘are you stupid? Why would you want to go and waste your money on that – you’ll end up driving a Corsa for the rest of your life?!’ and that sealed it for me really. I was surrounded by people with such a lack of ambition – people who measured life on what car they drove. I didn’t want that, so I got out as soon as possible’
‘Fair play mate’ I said ‘I think most people here have a similar outlook’
It was true and that’s why you get on with most people you meet travelling. Although you all come from different backgrounds and cultures, the overall beliefs you possess are the same. Sensing the conversation was getting a little too heavy, Tim then broke into song and gave us his appalling rendition of ‘Only Fools and Horses’, only to stop half way through as one of the Danish guys gave a massive, highly pitched scream. I looked up to see what was going on and there, about ten centimetres from his face was a dingo....
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