Day 1: Happy Valley > Valley of the Giants - 20.8km
Day 2: Valley > Wabby (+Side trips) - 27.9km
Day 3: Wabby > Central Station - 19.1km
Day 4: Central > Jabiru Swamp Camp - 31.3km
Day 5: Jabiru > Inskip Car park - 17.5km
Considering that Fraser is a sand island the track was relatively solid. A few sections gave way under foot but mostly it was fine. Lots of fallen trees to clamber over, or around, with the softer sections did make for slower going. It wasn't long though before I made the first camp 6.7km in... I was skipping this one. Nice lake though.
The next bit was more forested which helped with the path surface. Still plenty of trees down to make things interesting. Very large pines that seemed to reach into the clouds. My trekking pole is 1.15m for reference.
Just before 5pm I made it to where I was camping. 20.8km, not a bad afternoon. One other camper here so after i was setup I joined him for dinner. He's from Melbourne (seem to be meeting a lot of them lately...) but started an Australia tour back in Jan and has been in QLD since March.
As he is heading north I was able to glean some info about the trail (and the 0 Dingos he has seen.) We also shared tails of other adventures which is always nice to take a few notes from. He was heading west soon so I put him onto Carnarvon as a must see. Mozzies were pretty aggressive, so we soon retired to our tents. I would have barely made 7pm before falling asleep.
Easy pack in the morning and I said my goodbyes before heading out. It was just 400m to the first side trail of today. Up to a Giant Tallowwood, over 1000 years old and 11.5m in circumference!
It wasn't much further for another (7.2km return) side trial to another big tree. Still very impressive but a lot of extra kms for one tree... A lot of others must have had the same thought as the trail is less travelled and in softer ground. Something I should note for this trail; If you're a trekking pole user use the blunt stop ends. The spikes on my poles dig into the sand too much making them less useful.
Back to the main trail and just over the 1/2 way point for today was another side trail to Badjala Sand blow. I stopped here for lunch to enjoy the view. What was meant to be a relaxing hour turned into a 45min game of whack-a-mole with Mozzies. I lamented the wind the last few days as it was horrible for diving... but I sure could have used a breeze to keep those blood suckers at bay. Still, a good view, even if it was an effort to climb the edge of the blow to see it.
Just as I was hearing up to leave I noticed a tick crawling up my leg. Good to get them before they dig in. There was another couple arriving too, with day packs. They had been dropped off at 'M9' road crossing and were aiming near where I broke camp. Fraser GW seems to fall victim to a few of the other QLD Great Walls in that there's no place on trail that can't be traversed as a day hike. Takes away some of that remoteness feeling.
I got to Lake Wabby by 215 and found a group just leaving (towards the beach track) so I had it all to myself. Pretty rare for Wabby. I didn't stay too long though deciding continue on for camp.
After setting up and sitting around camp I questioned my decision to move on from the lake side... I was starting to get sore feet, so glad to be off them, but there were less mozzies by the lake... definitely a better view too.
One thing about camp though, and most of the trail actually, was the abundance of Midyim bushes. Haven't noticed much in the way of berries (wrong time I think) but in the right season they would provide a great little fresh snack on trail.
With so much time at camp I took out the map and started looking at my plan. 29.9km today... and if I combine two 'short' days I could do a 32km day and finish a day early...
2k wouldn't be too much longer, hardly noticeable, and it should be flatter trail too as it follows along lake edges for quite a bit. This would also have the added bonus of less time swatting Mozzies... and even with important blog writing time, 3 hours to kill before sunset solo in camp is a really long time.
Luckily a pair of hikers showed up at 515 so I had someone to share dinner, and the mosquitoes, with. With my new plan of action I also had some spare Tim-Tams which were good to share as dessert. After here and some time at the Whitsundays these guys plan to do the Larapinta, so it was nice reliving it through their plan.
Had a slow pack in the morning and left camp around 750am. Not a long day today, 18.6 in total. It was 12km to Lake McKenzie where I was due at 1030am to meet the folks, Kristie and Jeremy to get the rest of my food and have a bit of a play with the nieces. Lots of uphill from camp so I was slower than expected.
One other Nobo hiker who actually came from Hook Point (as opposed to Kingfisher like the rest) so he was able to give me some trail conditions for the remainder of the trek. It wasn't too long before Lake McKenzie came into view which its beautiful white sand beach.
Another 750m on and I was at the car park. Spotted dads Triton pretty quickly (unique roof rack and not many other Tritons on the island) but couldn't see Jeremy's Cruiser. Started to head down to the lake to find Kristie heading up to get changed into togs. She gave me the bad news that they has some mechanical issues with the Cruiser, sounds like blown CV joints :(
She and the girls hopped in the Triton for the day while he stayed back and tried to get some work done. Kingfisher Bay is better than most office cubicles I guess...
Down at the lake the girls were enjoying a (very cold) swim. I settled for getting my shins wet. The soft sand (which I'm told is a great way to exfoliate) does wonders for sore hikers feet.
When it was too cold to keep swimming we went up to the Dingo proof fence for some lunch. Mum had brought some really nice fresh Pineapple. Fresh fruit on trail is amazing. I also had a ham and tomato sandwich and some Cadbury chocolate. I eat well on hikes! A Monitor Lizard hung about for a while too, hoping for a feed.
The next 2.6k fell pretty quickly and I was soon on the boardwalk at central station. A bus group was coming the opposite way (there's a 900m loop) and had a few questions and comments but it wasn't long before I was at the Walkers Camp.
It seems that most hikers skip this one (makes sense with McKenzie not far away) as there was branches and leaf litter on all the sites. The others so far had been swept fairly clean, as far as hiker camps go. However I was happy to be here for the hot showers.
My excitement was short lived. I got ready and dropped 2x $2 coins in only to discover the stall I had chosen had a broken head. A single stream of hot water shot out like a jet, about an inch above my head... Still, I made do using a hand to direct water and got semi clean. Luckily I had a 3rd coin so after the hot water ran out I switched stalls and had a good, albeit short, shower.
While getting ready for bed I was found by a leech. Another reason to pass on this camp :o No other walkers here though I am close to a regular camp site so I could hear all the car campers getting back from the days driving/settling in for the night/cooking dinner. It was barely past 6 before I retired to my tent.
In the morning I discovered that a mouse had got into the "Dingo proof" cage and set upon my food bag. Luckily it only got into the milo/powdered milk mix and mustn't have enjoyed it. Leaving the rest alone. At the other camps they had sheet metal boxes which are rodent proof as well. Still, I otherwise would have had it in my tent and likely have a mouse sized hole in that too!
After breakfast was the task of getting up and out of the valley. They're only small hills here but I still feel them. Luckily half way up I was given a good reason to stop, a coastal carpet python sunning itself in the morning light. I may have stopped for some flowers too...
The morning fell pretty quickly making it to the next camp site, lake Benaroon, for smoko. Only a short break before continuing on to Boomanjin for a slightly longer break, finding a trekking pole someone had forgotten just prior to arriving. The last 2km before here was along the sandy shore of the lake. Some was compacted and easy to walk on but a lot was loose. With full exposure to the sun I was glad for the break.
In the morning I discovered that a mouse had got into the "Dingo proof" cage and set upon my food bag. Luckily it only got into the milo/powdered milk mix and mustn't have enjoyed it. Leaving the rest alone. At the other camps they had sheet metal boxes which are rodent proof as well. Still, I otherwise would have had it in my tent and likely have a mouse sized hole in that too!
After breakfast was the task of getting up and out of the valley. They're only small hills here but I still feel them. Luckily half way up I was given a good reason to stop, a coastal carpet python sunning itself in the morning light. I may have stopped for some flowers too...
The morning fell pretty quickly making it to the next camp site, lake Benaroon, for smoko. Only a short break before continuing on to Boomanjin for a slightly longer break, finding a trekking pole someone had forgotten just prior to arriving. The last 2km before here was along the sandy shore of the lake. Some was compacted and easy to walk on but a lot was loose. With full exposure to the sun I was glad for the break.
Pushing on further to Dilli Village I arrived just after 1pm. And thus officially ended the Great! Walk.
I was kinda hanging out for a soft drink, figured they would have a kiosk with a few things but it was all fenced off with "NO PUBLIC ACCESS" signs... Would have likely been ok but it didn't seem welcoming... so I just snuck in a beach access gate to fill a water bottle and continued on. About 600m down the Jabiru Swamp trail was a nice grassy spot on the shade to pull up for lunch.
Glad I'm doing this bit in the afternoon. Makes it nice and shaded. The Jabiru Swamp trail isn't so much a trail, but a seldom used vehicle track. While some of it was ok a lot was loose sand as you'd expect and also a narrower path to thread (the width of a tyre.)
After about 4km it did improve, there was a side road where most 4wd must come from/head off. The swamp itself is just that, a swamp. Surprisingly few mozzies though. Little bit of a breeze might be keeping them at bay.
There was only 3 platforms at camp (at least a dozen at the others on the official walk) and no toilet or water tank. Luckily I knew about the water and came prepared, collected from a stream that crossed the road. Good thing I always bring a trowel and spare TP too! Discovered tick #2 before dinner.
The next 15km of the swamp trail were as uneventful as the first 10. Swamp and more swamp. At least there was a Blue Tounge to say hello too. No streams south of camp; So carry all your water from the barge, collect from the swamp or walk at least a k past camp.
Just over 15k and I was onto the beach. A long line of 4wd waiting to depart the island, a few of them asking questions as I walked to the head of the queue. Some Dolphins swam by as I was waiting, then it was so to the barge and almost home free.
The line to get to Fraser was longer than I had ever seen it. All the way back to the bitumen road! Some nights in solo camps I think how nice it would be to have company, but then I see somewhere like Inskip on a long weekend, 2000 strong with campers. Loud music and people yelling and suddenly those quiet solo sites don't seem so bad.
A quick pit stop at Rainbow for a pie and a drink before starting the drive home. Had an amazing run down the Bruce. Completely accident free! A spot of rain near the Gateway exit saw things slow, but only a fraction and it wasn't long before I could start the exciting task of cleaning sand off gear...
Found another 2 small ticks, bringing the total to 4, nestled in when I finally got cleaned up. Just started spitting here, so a good excuse to leave the rest of the gear cleaning until tomorrow!
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