Hervey Bay and Fraser Island

So for Christmas this year I went to Hervey Bay with the host family. I've never celebrated with anyone else than my own family before, when I lived in England I spent Christmas alone. I think I actually prefer that to the one with my host family, but it was interesting to see how someone else celebrates, and I know I would have regretted it if I hadn't gone with them (it's better to regret something you've done than something you haven't done!).

Anyway. Hervey Bay was nice. One thing annoyed me though, it's spelled Hervey, but pronounced Harvey!! Annoying! Haha!

The beach was just 60 meters from our tent (which was MASSIVE), and after we'd opened presents and everything on Christmas Day I went for a walk to Urangan Pier. It was a 3km walk to the start of the pier from the campsite, and another 868 meter to the end of the pier. I didn't walk to the end though because I didn't have any shoes on and I didn't want to get splinters in my feet.

I walked along the esplanade for a bit on my way back to the caravan park, and I came across this rather yellow house...

On the 28th I went to Fraser Island for the day. If you ever go to Australia, or if you live in Australia, you should definitely go! It's SO beautiful there! I had to sit in the front of the bus because it was full and I was travelling alone. At first I was sulking a bit, but the driver was nice and funny, and I realized I got to see a lot more than the people sitting in the back! So it wasn't so bad really.

We went to Central station first, there was a very "groovy" looking tree there... It only exists on Fraser Island.

We then had lunch at Eurong Beach Resort, buffet, and the food was really nice. After lunch we drove on the 75-mile beach, which is classed as a highway. It was really weird, driving a bus on the beach, very pretty view though! We stopped at Maheno Shipwreck to take a few photos. Some people have been stupid enough to go inside it and then gotten stuck and hurt and tried suing the national park, so now you're not allowed any closer than 3 meters to the wreck, which is more than close enough really.

We then went to the Pinnacles Coloured Sands to take some pictures. I actually really like the Aboriginal's story about what happened to the sand. I'm sorry, I can't remember the names but the story as out guide told it goes like this:

A girl is married to a great hunter, he can hit and kill anything he throws his boomerang at. The hunter goes away for long times at a time hunting, when he goes hunting the girl goes down to the beach and dreams about the rainbow. After a while she falls in love with the rainbow. When her husband finds out he gets really angry, he tells her to forget about the rainbow or he'll kill her. The next time he goes away the girl goes down to the beach again and dreams about the rainbow. The hunter comes back and finds out, he gets his boomerang out and chases the girl down on the beach, they run along the beach, the hunter keeps getting ready to throw his boomerang and the girl keeps saying she loves the rainbow and she asks it for help. He finally throws it and the girl screams so loud you can hear it all over. Then the rainbow comes down just in the path of the boomerang before it hits the girl. But the boomerang draws blood from the rainbow, and the rainbow bleeds over the sand. And that's why the sand is coloured.

After coloured sands we turned around and went to Eli Creek. I walked down the creek as far as I could go. The water came up to the top of my thighs and it was very nice and refreshing, I could have walked up and down the creek all day. I'm glad I walked in the water instead of the board-walk because I wouldn't have seen this pretty spot if I hadn't.

After Eli Creek we went back to Eurong for 15 minutes while the driver washed the sand of the bus. The last stop of the day was Lake McKenzie. It's a beautiful lake. The water is really clear, and it's also slightly acidic, so it's good for your skin. It also takes your sun cream off though so you have to be careful not to burn! As far as I could see I was the only one travelling alone there, and there were loads of couples so I wished The Paramedic had been with me. Would have been nice just because then he could have taken photos of me as well! Haha!

After I had done Fraser Island I was pretty much ready to go home. It's hard living "on top" of someone for so long, but we were only halfway and just have to make the best of it.

On the 30th we could do candle-making at the caravan park. It was quite fun. The Mother, The Girl and I made one each. I usually always give a candle to my mother for Christmas, and sometimes for her birthday, but I didn't give her one this year, so I'm going to send her the one I made on Friday. Hopefully it won't break in the post.

New Years Eve at the caravan park was fun. We had a barbecue with some of the other people that was staying there that the host family knows from previous years. I had LOADS to drink. I'm rather impressed at myself for taking such a good picture of the fireworks actually. I didn't have a tripod and I'd already had half a bottle of wine and a few vodka cruiser type things. It was only the 9o'clock fireworks... I danced the new year in with some of the other holiday-makers. No new year kiss, it will have to be late one when I see TP again.

While The Mother and The Father was packing up on the morning of the 2nd I took The Boy for a walk so he would be out of the way and we walked all the way to Urangan Pier and back. But this time I walked all the way to the end of the pier.

It was nice to get home. Now I just have to start getting ready to leave. I have the rest of the week off though so I'll try to sort everything out before next week. I just have to try to not procrastinate... Yeah, good luck with that! 

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Hope 2012 is filled with love, fun and happiness!!