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Queensland

Kit and Tech Reviews Triathlon Try-Athlete

Garmin Forerunner 735XT Multisport Watch Review

This summer, I headed off to Australia with a spring in my step and a new Garmin Forerunner 735XT on my wrist. It had been a winter of discontent , disappointment and disconnection, but I had decided that by autumn, I would branch out into new sports and activities and leave my troubles and negative thoughts behind.

Armed with the Garmin Forerunner 735XT, I was equipped to track several new activities in addition to the staples of outdoor and indoor running, cycling and swimming which are more than adequately tracked by almost every other Garmin Forerunner watch.

These included Rowing, Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boarding and Hiking. All activities that I hoped to undertake while on my Australian travels.

There is also the option of adding other activity profiles, such as Strength and Cardio, but these basically operate like a stopwatch with heart rate based calorie burn, which don’t, in my opinion, add much value, although you can download HIIT training apps, which could be fun (please note that perceptions of what constitutes fun may vary).

The watch itself is smaller than the Forerunner 620 and similar in shape and size to the Forerunner 235. This makes for a comfortable fit and more likely to be “borrowed” by my training partner and partner in life, Teresa. It is quite light and given my knack for falling off of bikes, I have concerns about how durable the plastic casing and screen are. My first 620 (it was stolen during a burglary) suffered a few scrapes and some might prefer a more rugged watch, such as the new Suunto Spartan Ultra, but I do like how light it is and the fact that I can customise it and wear it as an everyday watch (more on that later) at work.

It also lacks the touch screen ability of the Forerunner 620, but I have a confession. While I loved my 620, I prefer using buttons. More reliable, especially in wet conditions (I do live in Glasgow) and a slightly faster and more accurate response than the touch screen , although that might be down to my fat fingers.

Outdoor Swimming with the Garmin 735XT

While in Oz, I went swimming in oceans, lakes, creeks and even under a waterfall and can attest to it being waterproof (and shockproof seemingly). The optical heart rate monitor doesn’t work in water, but Garmin do provide a chest strap for swimmers and another for triathletes with the Tri Bundle. I never tested these as I had left them at home, but when I start my swimming lessons (pool and sea), I will use this to measure my performance and progress.

Garmin probably didn’t have swimming in waterfalls in mind when designing the 735XT

Currently, I am more of a try-athlete than a triathlete, so the Forerunner 735XT is probably a tad advanced for my needs, but the Ironman within me is eager to test it in triathlons and I did manage to test while hiking through a few rainforests and on a kayak in the Whitsunday Islands

Kayaking with the Forerunner 735XT

I went “get in the sea” with this pic, as I was about to get in the sea

The activity profile on the Forerunner 735XT is actually for rowing and I am not sure just how universal stroke speed and distance are, but on reviewing my performance back on land and comparing it against average kayaking metrics, the numbers seemed about right. For someone not very good at kayaking, that is.

Seemingly this is at the low end of average.

And here is my main issue with the all singing (only activity it doesn’t measure) and all dancing Forerunner 735XT.

Post kayak or row, I love looking at the stats, charts and maps on both the Forerunner 735XT and the Garmin Connect App on my mobile phone and reflecting on my performance. While running, I can lift my arm and see how I am performing in real time, and make adjustments, but just try that while kayaking (and even swimming). You are dependent on two arms and monitoring your performance is impossible, using only the watch (feel free to correct me) without interrupting your flow.

However, the GPS does certainly work well enough, even at sea. It is very quick at acquiring satellites and much faster than my old Forerunner 620. I especially like the Garmin Connect maps.

My Garmin Map of Shute Harbour using my Forerunner 735XT

Hiking with the Forerunner 735XT

In Hiking mode, it also adds elevation and as we climbed Mt Ngungun in the Glasshouse Mountains (read my post about it) and Mt Cannibal (given the Australian tradition of naming every place literally such as “To The Beach Road”, I was relieved to find it was clear of cannibals ), my boys were elated to hear at regular intervals how high we were climbing. One caveat worth noting is that the Forerunner 735XT relies on GPS. For some reason, known only to Garmin, it doesn’t have a barometric altimeter that you can find in the likes of the Vivoactive HR .

Elevation (both in altitude and heart rate)

In addition to measuring our elevation, it also measures distance, pace, calories burned and of course heart rate, which seemed to elevate in pace with our ascent of Dunk Island. The dips were undoubtedly selfie and scenery stops. Not rests. Honest.

And that brings us neatly to the wrist based optical heart rate monitor (hrm). For me, chest straps found on sports watches are a pain. Literally. They are often too tight and I have often found it difficult to keep them in place. The addition of an optical hrm attracted me to both the Forerunner 235 and 735XT and there is something addictive about checking your heart rate while walking to work, climbing stairs, watching television and even while sitting on the loo. Possibly too much information, but I was only doing so for research purposes. Honest.

But the optical monitors are not without their detractors. Fitbit are currently battling a class action lawsuit for the inaccuracy of their optical heart rate monitor watches and I do have some reservations about the Garmin Elevate system. It is a proprietary technology and over the courses of several updates, Garmin claim that it has become more accurate and for the majority of time, it does seem to be. I have a very low resting heart rate and recover relatively quickly from exertion (it must be all the yoga and meditating) and the Forerunner 735XT seems to be unable to react accurately to sudden changes in heart rate, although it does eventually respond and for my purposes , the readings are accurate enough. While wearing it 24/7, I really like how it uses my heart rate to determine my daily basal metabolic rate. I.E. how many calories I burn each day (otherwise referred to as how much food I can eat in a day).

You become addicted to checking if your heart is still beating

I also quite like the customisable watch faces via Garmin IQ (their App centre) and the smart notifications that show me weather forecasts, social media updates, and even text messages and incoming calls (handy at work). However, these are also available on the Forerunners 235 and 635, and on their own, they are not a reason to upgrade to the Forerunner 735XT. However, the watch does come into its own with some key and rather exciting features.

Just call me Universal Biker

The Forerunner 735XT is the only Garmin watch order viagra
that supports the Garmin Varia range and having picked up the Vision In-Sight display headset, I can confirm that they pair together quickly. As I train for triathlons and get out on my bikes more, I will fully test the Vision and report back.

The Forerunner 735XT also improves upon the 235 by adding a function that would please my Chi Running coach (see my review of Chi Running).

A Metronome.

I am guilty of a long stride (even with my short legs) and a low cadence and the Metronome tool is set to pulse at the recommended 180 steps per minute, although this can be tailored to each runner. This helps you run at a more efficient pace.

For the sports scientists among you, the Forerunner 735XT is equipped with all manner of performance indicators. From the standard training tools, race predictor, VO2 max (premium Forerunners) and recovery adviser to more advanced Lactate Threshold (requires the chest strap) and Functional Threshold Power readings. I will be honest, these mean little to me at the moment, but I intend on finding out.

You might think that all of these functions and the constant use of GPS, heart rate and bluetooth might be battery intensive and in comparison to the seemingly never ending battery of the Garmin Vivofit, it is. While away for four weeks, and using the heart rate and GPS, I have charged it three times with a very quick charge time. I should point out that Garmin state that it will last 14hrs in full race mode, so any budding Ironmen might want to consider their expected finishing times and an alternative watch, such as the Fenix 3.

However, the Garmin Forerunner 735XT is a stunning sports watch that combines many of the best features of Garmin’s Forerunner and Fenix ranges and it equally works well as a physical activity tracker (like other models, it reminds you to move) and smart watch.

All of this doesn’t come cheap (Garmin Forerunner 735XT Tri Bundle costs £435 at Wiggle , but you can pick up the Run Bundle for £335 at Millets) and for the average runner or cyclist, I might recommend the less expensive options of the Forerunner 235 or Vivoactive HR, but then, who wants to be average and who would much rather be an Ironman (or at least a half Ironman)?

The Garmin Forerunner 735XT is a watch for Triathletes and Try-Athletes. It is the watch for me.

Disclaimer. Garmin provided a Forerunner 735XT for this review, but I loved it so much, I bought one for myself.

August 24, 2016 2 comments

Australia Travel

Best of Queensland : A walk in Noosa National Park

written by Stephen Morrison

It took me 21 years, but I made it back to Noosa, Queensland and once again, we went hiking in Noosa National Park .

Noosa is a tropical paradise located on the Sunshine Coast, approximately two hours from Brisbane and possibly as close to heaven as you might get. Well, it was 21 years ago. As a young backpacker, I fell in love with everything about it. I cruised and fished on Noosa River, I surfed on its gentle breaks and I just loved setting off on Noosa National Park walks. At night, we chilled in cool bars and made new friends, even if some were only for a night. Leaving Noosa behind, to continue my travels, was a difficult decision, but I promised to myself that I would return and if possible, I would one day make it my home.

So, when we were planning our Queensland itinerary, it made logistical sense to make Noosa one of our stops, but more importantly it made my heart flutter a wee bit.

Noosa, I was coming back.

The first thing we noticed as we turned off the Bruce Highway were roundabouts. Lots and lots of them. Someone on the Noosa town planning committee must have visited some International Roundabout Convention and came back obsessed with these spherical monstrosities. I then noticed how much it had grown. Noosa is now a thriving holiday resort and a much in demand destination and settlement. According to statistics, 20,000 other people have also fallen in love with Noosa and have made it their home since my last visit, while 54% of visitors to Queensland come to Noosa.

If anything, Noosa has become a little too overdeveloped for my liking and a little overpriced. I much preferred it as it was 21 years ago, but I guess nothing stands in the way of progress and its popularity is down to all the things that made me fall in love with it in the first place.

One of the things that I fell in love with was the wonderful Noosa National Park. Queensland is genuinely spoiled for amazing coastal and forest walks and Noosa National Park, accessed just at Noosa Heads, provides some of the most scenic and most accessible walking routes in the state.

Spoiled for walking options at Noosa National park

The Coastal track walk out to and back from Hell’s Gates is the most popular, but having visited the Information Centre, where you can stock up on supplies, visit the toilet (always go before you go) and collect maps, we decided to head inland on the slightly longer Tanglewood Track. If you follow my blog, you will appreciate that I/we often take the path least followed and that I seldom take the same route twice.

Plotting our route through Noosa National Park

Other than a few trail runners, we had, as we had hoped, the entire route to ourselves, which suited us perfectly . The boys pretended to be Tarzan on the vines and Teresa and I both felt relaxed as we listened to the noises of the forest and walked between the shards of sunlight that sliced through the thick forest canopy. Noosa is a bustling resort and it was nice to get away from the crowds, if even just for a short period of time.

Swinging in the rainforest

The route to Hell’s Gate, via the Tanglewood Track, is a gentle walk on a sandy track and although there are a few steep inclines, as it reaches its peak, it is suitable for most people and most abilities. Winter in Noosa is as close to perfect as I could ever imagine. It’s sunny and warm enough without making our attempts at being active too sticky or too uncomfortable. If, however, you are taking this route in summer, you might find it a bit more challenging.

Eventually the route meets up with the Coastal Track, where you are met by a noticeable increase in walkers, the crashing sound of waves below at Hell’s Gate and some high winds. It isn’t gale force winds that pass for a normal summer’s day in Glasgow, but while perched on the edge of a bluff, you do feel a little anxious.

Welcome to Hell’s Gate.

Hell’s Gate provides some great views across Alexandria Bay and if you are lucky (we were not) you can spot humpback whales and sea turtles in the waters below. Just don’t be bluffed by its beauty and step too close to the edge, as Hell’s Gate fully illustrates the ferocious power of the ocean as the waves smash and churn within it and lives have been lost on its slippery and steep sides. I know that I was on a constant “where’s Jack?” alert.

Hell’s Gate.

It is also a great place to sit down and gaze into the ocean below and warm from the sun above while thinking about…well, thinking about nothing actually. For me, the joy of walking is that it is often a chance to forget; to clear your mind and fill your lungs. Even wee Jack managed to sit peacefully and silently for a few minutes.

A wee rest before we began our return journey.

We then chose the Coastal path as our route back and one thing disappointed me. It is a busy route, but that is to be expected. However, it wasn’t just busy with walkers, but also runners. I truly love discovering new run routes while on holiday and while I could see the attraction of running along the Coastal Track, I witnessed and felt the runners’ frustrations at having to go around and sometimes push around walkers. As a walker, runner and cyclist, I am all for responsible shared use, but in my opinion, the Coastal Track was far too busy and narrow for runners.

I do sympathise. You walk/run past several gorgeous beaches and inlets and watch as surfers and terns skim across the water in search of that perfect wave and some tasty fish. However, it does feel like a procession with people hot on your heels and too eager to overtake and shoulder you out of the way.

Thankfully this forced us to step off the track and get out of the traffic for a while and we sat and played on the delightful sandy shores of Tea Tree Bay until the sun began its evening descent. The boys were keen to wade further into the water, but as it is an unpatrolled beach, we said no. However, as you can see in the picture below, they didn’t seem to mind too much.

We could have danced all night,

Sometimes we (and I probably mean me) can become too fixated with the pace and distance of a walk and we sometimes forget to fully appreciate and enjoy the experience. The second half of the Noosa National Park walk felt too much like a race, but that wee stop on that beach, at Tea Tree Bay, was enough to rescue the experience and keep the Noosa National Park walk as one of my favourites.

It also helps that as you step out of Noosa National Park you enter Hastings Street, where you will find an array of shops and eateries. Having been refused entry to the Noosa Life Saving Club, on the grounds of me not having photographic identification, we scurried across the road to a wee hamburger place. We were so hungry that we didn’t undertake our usual two hour Trip Adviser restaurant search, but we needn’t have worried. For sometimes what you need is right in front of you.

Betty’s Burgers is an award winning and wonderful wee outdoor establishment with great service and food. Yes, we might have happily eaten anything at this point, but the burgers were fresh, tasty and made exactly to your specification. For me, this meant a topping of fried egg and beetroot. I don’t know what inspired Australians to add beetroot to their burgers, but it is a winning combination and possibly one of the reasons why I have now been to Australia five times.

Betty’s Burgers were just what we needed after our walk.

As we sat with our burgers and watched the final embers of light fade from the sky and the world go past, I realised that although it wasn’t quite what I remembered, I still truly loved Noosa. As a destination it has virtually everything a family might want. Great beaches, walks, activities and places to eat in a climate that is hard to beat.

Noosa, I will probably be back

August 21, 2016 0 comment

Australia Travel

Best of Queensland : Glasshouse Mountains Walk

written by Stephen Morrison

“Are we going to be climbing hills or going hiking?”

This is the new question that the boys ask me whenever we are flying to a new holiday destination. I would like to say this is asked in excited anticipation, but the rather disappointing truth is that they would rather spend holidays in swimming pools and on beaches.

This is the Queensland that the boys really want to see

So, when we planned a two week tour of Queensland, while in Australia, they could be forgiven for thinking that since we had booked accommodation in beach resorts on the Sunshine Coast and the Capricorn Coast that we would be spending all of our time at the beach, especially as I had bought them snorkelling gear and an underwater camera.

The boys were possibly looking forward to seeing the Great Barrier Reef.

The poor wee mites.

For on Day One of our tour, as we drove to Noosa from Brisbane, and everyone was half asleep, I unleashed my hidden agenda and managed to convince everyone of the merits of a Glasshouse Mountains Walk. Next week, I attempt to broker world peace.

The Glasshouse Mountains are about an hour’s easy drive from both Brisbane and Noosa and make for a perfect stop on the way to or from either. They are as stunning as they are treacherous. Climbers are regularly injured trying to ascend their peaks and recently a woman was seriously hurt and had to be airlifted to safety.

So, it obviously made perfect sense to take my girlfriend and twelve and ten year old boys to the top of one of them.

Now, before you question my parenting skills, please understand that recklessly traversing up and over mountains is a family favourite. We’ve explored the Tatras in Poland and Slovakia and the Alps of Switzerland while we’ve bagged a few Munros in Scotland and we even climbed up a volcano (ok, it was inactive) in Italy.

Chilling on Mount Pilatus in Switzerland was just one of our mountain top destinations

A wee hill in Queensland would be fun.

I had mapped out a walk in the bush for the boys. They hid their excitement well.

Plus, I had actually researched all of the Glasshouse Mountains walks and, in Mt Ngungun, I had decided upon a relatively easy one for us to climb. Mt Ngungun is the sixth tallest of the Glasshouse Mountains, but it is also one of the most accessible. As long as you get there early and don’t stop for breakfast at the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout Café.

Although, you should actually totally stop at the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout Cafe as part of your Glasshouse Mountains walk

Not only is the breakfast menu worth the hours drive from Brisbane/Noosa, but the views across the Glasshouse Mountains National Park make the climb up them almost redundant. Almost. If lucky, you might even spot a few kangaroos that patrol along the mango trees, but who unfortunately decided to stay hidden during our visit.

We had set off from Brisbane at first light and when we arrived at the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout Café, we discovered that it didn’t open until 9.00am. This was just after 8am and I was keen to forego breakfast and start our ascent, but my girlfriend Teresa is a different animal. Without coffee and food she struggles to function. I have long since learned not to come between her and her sustenance.

So wait we did and I am glad that we did. Bacon, eggs and toast is such a simple dish, but it is surprising how often the bacon is too streaky and the eggs too runny. Maybe it was because we were on holiday or maybe it was because Queensland pigs and chickens are a breed apart, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a tastier pre-workout meal (seeing as I am also a fitness blogger, it was the perfect combination of carbohydrates, protein and fats), while wee Jack wolfed down his waffles and Danny salivated over the selection of cakes

A contender for our best breakfast in Queensland?

Once nourished, we set for Mt Ngungun and promptly went the wrong way. Which turned out to be a blessing, for a couple of hundred metres up from the café the Glasshouse Mountains lookout can be found.

Although, look out or you’ll drive straight past it. It is situated on the left hand side of the road and around a sharp bend. There are toilets, benches and the most wonderful panoramic views. Every Glasshouse Mountain can be viewed from this location and it really is a jaw dropping experience. I took 367 pictures, but still couldn’t capture how beautiful it was. You really need to see it for yourself. This is especially true if you lack the energy or inclination to mount an incline of one of the mountains (sorry for the terrible word play).

What a beautiful start to our first day in Queensland

We eventually dragged ourselves from the Lookout and with the aid of our satnav (an absolute necessity if touring in Australia) we headed towards Mt Ngungun. We arrived just after 10am and parking at its base was at a premium. It is free, but spaces are limited and you’ll pay dearly for arriving any later. We did luckily find a spot (on a verge), but others were not so fortunate.

Our brush with a Queensland Brush Turkey. The first of about 284 sightings

The walk starts off gently enough and apart from the last climb, there are wooden and stone steps all the way up. It does require a certain level of fitness and some narrow parts can be congested, but I witnessed people running up and down it and one parent even carried a young baby up, complete with push chair. It was a timely reminder to me that I really need to improve my fitness levels. Despite their complaining, the boys are like mountain goats once they are let loose and they loved spotting lizards and insects as we made our way up. We were even excited to see our first wild brush-turkeys. Eventually, after about the 200th sighting in Queensland, the novelty wore off.

So, how does Mt Ngungun rate as a walk and what did it do to my heart rate as I made the steady climb to the top?

As you can see, it is a steady climb to the top

It didn’t take long to get the heart pumping

According to my fancy and wonderful Garmin Forerunner 735XT (review coming soon) it took us just over 28 minutes to reach the peak of Mt Ngungun after a relatively strenous 450 feet climb. With an average heart rate of 134 bpm (beats per minute) and a max of 165 bpm, it was wasn’t quite the easy walk that I had anticipated, but it was highly enjoyable walk. We were touring in early July and even then, the temperature and exertion certainly made me sweat, so please take plenty of water. The tree canopy isn’t thick, so don’t forget to slap on some sunscreen either.

See, I could have made the family climb one of them.

Teresa and the boys struggled a wee bit on the way up, due to the heat (we are Scottish), and I would urge a serious word of caution on the final 50 feet to the very top. It does require a little bit of rock scrambling and sure footing. It is a long and bumpy way down and as a responsible parent (honest, I am) this was a step too far, for them at least. However, for me, the risk was totally worth it for these stunning views (and selfies, obviously) across the Glasshouse Mountains and the lush sub tropical forests below.

Ma, I’m on top of the world

Queensland is rightly celebrated for its stunning coastline, but hidden in the hinterlands are these majestic mountains, numerous national parks and wee towns that capture your heart and the contents of your wallet.

If you plan your journey well (or are just lucky, like us) you will drive towards Noosa on a Saturday or Wednesday and you will stop off at Eumundi for possibly the best market in Queensland. Yes, even better than Kuranda, the jewel of the Far North.

A fabulous wee place (ok, not so wee) to pick up all manner of goods and foods

Eumundi Markets is a diverse collection of over 600 stall holders who all share the ethos of make it, bake it, grow it and sew it. Here you will find quality handmade goods and foods from all over the world. They had everything including a kitchen sink (bush style)

Try before you buy with Eumundi Market soaps

Teresa was especially taken by the authentic homemade Ginger Beer and it was just as well that we brought a spare suitcase, as every second stall had a souvenir, shawl or scented candle that Teresa just had to have and for which I just had enough money to pay for (to be fair, her salary did pay for the entire Oz trip).

Homemade ginger beer at Eumundi Market

Eumundi Markets closes at 2pm, so my advice If you are driving from Brisbane to Noosa) is set off early, climb Mt Ngungun BEFORE breakfast at the Glasshouse Mountain Café before then heading towards Eumundi. That way you might also find time for a quick stop in Montville, a charming little town full of quaint artisan shops. That is if you can find a parking spot. Unlike Eumundi, which seemed to have hundreds of parking spaces, Montville has few and we drove around for ten minutes before disappointingly disappearing north along the extremely scenic drive towards Noosa, where I would once again convince my family to go for another walk in the wilderness.

August 14, 2016 1 comment

Australia Travel

Fraser Island Tour with Fraser Explorer Tours

written by Stephen Morrison

This summer, I made my long awaited (by me, at least) return to Queensland, Australia. It has been 21 years since I backpacked along the East coast and I was looking forward to visiting some old spots and experiencing some new adventures.

It would also be interesting to see how some things had changed.

Noosa, the quaint little slice of paradise, for instance had matured into a full blown holiday resort, complete with more roundabouts than Scotland’s roundabout capital, East Kilbride.

Another difference on this trip was my travelling companions. 21 years ago, I had the company of fellow backpackers Kath and Ollie from London and a trio of Canadian girls, while this trip saw me accompanied by two young boys and my partner, Teresa.

This meant that my 2016 Queensland adventures would need to be tamer than my summer of 1995 adventures.

No explanations are required for backpackers of any generation.

However, one must repeat activity would be a Fraser Island tour. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1995, I had the luxury of time (my only luxury) and we opted for three days of self driving and camping on the island. It was relatively inexpensive and we were able to collect wood from Central Station and build fires on the beach ; stop to fish for Taylor and even managed to pull over on 75 mile beach and watch Humpback whales and Tiger sharks from the relative safety of the beach.

I say relative safety, as on one occasion a Tiger shark decided to momentarily join on us the beach, as we fished.

No, I am not kidding. Fraser Island’s waters are awash with sharks and they obviously don’t take too kindly with humans attempting to steal their food.

I spent 6 months travelling from Sydney to Cairns and those 3 days were among my most memorable (I should, at this point, admit that due to the effects of XXXX , my memory of many days are hazy). They would be hard to beat.

Fast forward to 2016 and we were attempting to drive from Brisbane to Cairns in 14 days. There is too much to see and do in Queensland, so sacrifices had to be made. One of those sacrifices was to limit Fraser Island to one day and to go with an organised tour rather than hire a 4WD.

Time wasn’t the only deciding factor. I can’t drive (active traveller by choice and design) and Teresa wasn’t sure about navigating Fraser Island ‘s unforgiving terrain, especially with two helpless city kids in tow. Oh and cost in 2016 of hiring a 4wd seems to have risen above the rate of inflation, so going with an organised tour seemed to be the most sensible, time sensitive and cost effective decision.

My only fear was what attractions would be omitted from a one day tour and we scoured the internet (well, Tripadviser) for a tour that met our requirements.

After days of deliberation (I am the King of Procrastination), we opted for Fraser Explorer Tours. They came with a good reputation and based on my memories, they visited most of island’s popular sites.
They also offer hotel/motel/bus terminal pick up and drop-off and after a long, but memorable day, being dropped off at our accommodation was a welcome service.

As for the tour, a lot rests on the quality of the tour guide/driver and your fellow passengers. Our group of 31 included a tour group of 21 from Germany and another family from our Emeraldene Inn in Hervey Bay (fabulous accommodation, if a little away from the Esplanade and harbour). All were pleasant and there were no difficult prima donnas.
We were dropped off at the ferry and the crossing was slow, but pleasant. There are toilets and a small kiosk, which wasn’t too exorbitant given it had a monopoly on a captive audience.

Ferry ‘cross to Fraser, ’cause this land’s the place I love.

So, it all came down to the tour guide and quite frankly, he was amazing. Dave was like a driving version of Steve Irwin. He revelled in excitement as we hit each bump on a bumpy drive through the heart of Fraser Island and provided an entertaining and educational history of the island’s fauna and flora, although he did warn us that he might respond to difficult questions with fabricated, but feasible answers. He drove expertly along the sands of 75 Mile Beach, which was, at times, as busy as Sauchiehall Street and seemed to have a trained eye for spotting elusive wildlife. Only a dingo escaped his gaze and he alerted us to humpback whales, birds of prey and even a small catfish eel in one of the creeks.

Our trusted bus and Dingo Dave, our wonderfully mad driver.

The creeks are one of the wonders of Fraser Island and a must see of any Fraser Island tour. It takes 75 to 100 years for rainfall to emerge from the island’s water table, having poured its way through the island’s mineral rich sands and down towards the Pacific Ocean.

Dave told us that the water of Eli Creek was pure, save for a few microorganisms and that was the only invitation I needed. I had been on a ferry or bus for the best part of 3 hours and any opportunity to jump into freshwater is rarely missed by me. It was cold, but nowhere near Scottish loch “Baltic” cold levels or even Swiss Alpine cold levels. Compared to them, it was lukewarm.

Time fro chill after a few hours on a ferry and a bus

I even managed to convince the boys to join me, although they didn’t share my enthusiasm for submerging into the cool creek.

I still had work to do.

This is as far as the boys dared to go in Eli Creek

Anyone who follows my travels on social media will note that I have a penchant (or weird obsession) with water fountains. It started off as a whim and now it is a thing. Everywhere I go, I take picture of me drinking out of water fountains. Some are architectural marvels and others, like in Mumbai, India, fall under my extreme water fountain drinking category.

Drinking directly from an Australian creek on Fraser Island is not on the same level as Mumbai, but my microbiologist and infection control doctor partner might have questioned my sanity…not for the first time.

Drinking water from a creek. What’s the worst that could happen?

After my Eli Creek taste test, our Fraser Island tour group set off for lunch and as we drove back along 75 mile beach, via the the Pinnacles sand formation and the shipwreck Maheno, we watched in awe as humpback whales broke the surface along our route. Davy advised us to look for their water spouts and we stared intentently at the ocean, almost willing them to appear. And then the first spouts were spotted and these majestic creatures briefly emerged into the sunlight, before once again submerging. One of my main regrets of this holiday was not being able to arrive a month later. A day out from Hervey Bay during whale season should be another must do trip. However, being able to see them as part of our Fraser Island tour was a welcome bonus and surprise.

Jack standing tall at the Pinnacles and the wreck of the Maheno guarding Fraser island’s coast

At this point, we were given the opportunity to indulge in a 15 minute flight over the island and the two minute promotional sales pitch from the pilot wasn’t too forced and in hindsight, I wished we had taken the opportunity to view the island and shark infested waters. Compared to other island flights, the cost was relatively inexpensive and I know our boys would have loved the beach landing.

75 miles beach. Also an 80kmph freeway and er, landing strip

It was then onto lunch and I wasn’t expecting too much. Tour companies often advertise a full lunch and then supply few bits of fruit and a few slices of meat and cheese. A full mix of carbs, protein and fats, but seldom does it provide a good feed. On this occasion, however, Fraser Explorer Tours had arranged a full buffet of food at Eurong Resort. It wouldn’t win any Michelin stars, but even the two normally fussy boys filled their plates, with the pea and ham soup deserving of some praise.

Once fed, we then set off for the highlight (other than the soup) of the trip.The stunning Lake McKenzie.

Words and pictures (especially mine) do not do it justice. It’s crystal clear waters and blindingly white sands make it my favourite swimming spot in Australia. High praise, indeed, but not only is it a refreshing dip, it also has some cleansing properties due to its acidity levels, while its white silica sands can supposedly polish everything from jewellery to teeth……and yes, I just had to test the latter claim. I really hope that this was not one of Dave’s feasible but completely fabricated tour “facts”.

Lake McKenzie was a touch colder than Eli Creek, but that didn’t prevent me from diving in and going for a swim and I must have successfully concealed how cold it actually was, as wee Jack decided to join me and he too gave it the thumbs up.

The tour gave us roughly an hour to spend at Lake McKenzie, which seemed sufficient time for a swim, skin exfoliation and some teeth brushing . In addition to our tour group, there was one other Fraser Explorer Tour group and a few other private groups and I never felt that the beach area was too congested. In fact, the lake itself had only a few other people swimming in it and certainly no one else dared to brush their teeth.

The last stop of our Fraser Island Tour was at Central Station, named in honour of central train stations all over the world and located close to the crystal clear waters of Creek. Fraser Island’s Central Station was the heart of the logging community that transported Fraser Island timber all over the world and where these communities lived and even schooled. The logging company only recruited family men as loggers, as they believed that they were more dependable and more dependant on an income.

Today, Central Station makes for a beautiful walk along the creek and through the rainforest. The variety of trees, both indigenous and introduced by the European loggers, are stunning and Dave provided an interesting commentary on their history, uses and their inhabitants.

A treemendous walk in the rainforest

One such inhabitant is the funnel web spider, which strangely enough forms a funnel from its webbing, which resembles a small hole in the base of the tree. The temptation to poke a stick into said hole was strong, but as a responsible adult, I managed to control my urges. Just.

If you should go down to the woods tonight, don’t go poking any holes

Even when dead, the trees provide homes and this was as close to this potential snake den that I dared to peer. I certainly wasn’t going to my had in it.

In my mind, the darkness hid snakes writhing and ready to pounce

Once sufficiently frightened, we boarded the bus and made our final bumpy ride across the island to meet the ferry, just as day was about to meet night. We had spent about eight brilliant hours on Fraser Island and now we about to return to the mainland where Fraser Explorer Tours would drop us off at our accommodation, fittingly by Davy who had expertly guided us all day.

The Ferry Man awaits

It might have lacked the adventure of my three day self drive and camp, but the one day Fraser Island tour, from Fraser Explorer Tours was a great family day out. The pace, delivery and itinerary was perfect and we will treasure our Fraser Island memories.

July 18, 2016 0 comment