Adventure Begins Here was lucky enough to win a competition held recently through hotel company Choice Hotels. Included was a two night stay at one of their amazing properties. We decided to head up to Queensland’s Hervey Bay using this prize for a long weekend of adventures.
We flew up to Maroochydore and hired a car to drive north to Hervey Bay. We went via Coolum Beach (lunch!) It was 27 degrees and sunny (we just came from Melbourne which was about 10 degrees and raining and still had jeans on). We would have loved to spend some time here as it looked amazing but we had a few hours drive to reach our destination
We flew up to Maroochydore and hired a car to drive north to Hervey Bay. We went via Coolum Beach (lunch!) It was 27 degrees and sunny (we just came from Melbourne which was about 10 degrees and raining and still had jeans on). We would have loved to spend some time here as it looked amazing but we had a few hours drive to reach our destination
We arrived at Oceans resort and spa in Hervey Bay and unpacked our bags. Our room on level 2 had an amazing view out to the pier and ocean. We hadn’t looked at many things to do around the hotel but after viewing the area from our balcony we decided to check out the pier before we came back for some dinner.
The next day after breakfast, we caught the Fraser Explorer Bus for an adventure on the largest sand island in the world - Fraser Island. After a gentle cruise on the Fraser Barge (with resident boat tomcat ‘Princess’) we arrived on the island and the 4WD bus was ready to take us around the island.
The roads on Fraser island are all sand, and before long we got stuck in traffic while waiting for another car to be towed out of the way. Our first stop was to an old logging station on the island, which wasn’t overly interesting but has quite a lot of history to it if that’s your thing.
We then made it down to the 75 mile beach and were welcomed by whales jumping out of the water just off shore. The drive along the beach was a lot more comfortable and faster (no bumps) than the ride through the island.
The main highlight along the way was a stop at an old shipwreck. The SS Maheno used to operate between New Zealand and Australia before being washed up on Fraser Island after a huge cyclone in 1935. Now it looks like this:
The roads on Fraser island are all sand, and before long we got stuck in traffic while waiting for another car to be towed out of the way. Our first stop was to an old logging station on the island, which wasn’t overly interesting but has quite a lot of history to it if that’s your thing.
We then made it down to the 75 mile beach and were welcomed by whales jumping out of the water just off shore. The drive along the beach was a lot more comfortable and faster (no bumps) than the ride through the island.
The main highlight along the way was a stop at an old shipwreck. The SS Maheno used to operate between New Zealand and Australia before being washed up on Fraser Island after a huge cyclone in 1935. Now it looks like this:
We decided to take the optional short flight over some of the island. It was the best decision as we had some amazing views of the shipwreck, a baby humpback whale with her mother and the notorious sand blows and fresh water lakes.
Before heading back for lunch (yes we did all this before lunch) we stopped at Eli Creek which was incredibly busy due to it being a long weekend during the school holidays. The water was so clear and everyone was enjoying floating down the creek in the sun.
After lunch at Eurong Resort, we headed to the last stop for the day - MacKenzie lake. This is the biggest freshwater lake on the island and we took the chance to have a swim here before heading back to Hervey Bay. It was paradise.
This was an amazing start to our weekend away. We have so much more to share on this adventure, we have had to make it a two parter.
Stayed: Choice Hotels - Oceans Resort and Spa
Coffeed: Salt Cafe (Not bad at all)
Ate: Lunch at Eurong Beach Resort and dinner at Bayswater Bar and Bistro.
Adventured: Fraser Explorer Tours
Until part two,
Sxx
After lunch at Eurong Resort, we headed to the last stop for the day - MacKenzie lake. This is the biggest freshwater lake on the island and we took the chance to have a swim here before heading back to Hervey Bay. It was paradise.
This was an amazing start to our weekend away. We have so much more to share on this adventure, we have had to make it a two parter.
Stayed: Choice Hotels - Oceans Resort and Spa
Coffeed: Salt Cafe (Not bad at all)
Ate: Lunch at Eurong Beach Resort and dinner at Bayswater Bar and Bistro.
Adventured: Fraser Explorer Tours
Until part two,
Sxx
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