WOW!! Fraser Island, what can we say?! We had a wonderful, tiring, exciting and relaxing four days away on this beautiful island.
We started day one with packing the bus, the girls this year actually packed fairly lightly (phew!), and making sure the snacks were easily accessible throughout the trip. Then in the safe hands of our awesome driver we set off on the open highway heading towards the call of the ocean. After 5 hours, one stop and not too many “are we there yet-s?” we arrived at the Kingfisher Bay Resort Ferry drop off with time to stretch our legs.
The ferry ride over tested our nerve with the temperature dropping with the windchill, the views across the bay were stunning however and kept us all content. We had a relaxing afternoon unpacking the bus, showering and getting ready for dinner and our evening bush walk. We had a fantastic guide who was full of useful information. We saw a stingray, a bat, found spiders hiding in plain sight, a bandicoot, and we were lucky to also see a rare scorpion under UV light hidden away in the crease of a log.
Early to bed, even earlier to rise on day 2—we’re going whale watching!!! What an experience! It was beautiful to see so many young women so excited to see these creatures, a lot of them for the first time ever. Students and staff were moving around the boat, chasing a better view of these majestic animals. It was too much for some of our lovely young women with the excitement, cool weather, then heat, mixed with sleep deprivation and the motion of the boat causing some to take a time out at the back of the boat. We spent the afternoon getting dressed up and relaxing on the beach, sipping on mocktails and laughing together.
On day three we had a small sleep in and then got physical! We went canoeing in one of the freshwater mangrove creeks. It was a strenuous, but really fun activity and it was impressive to see all the girls give such a huge effort, getting back into their canoes even when they capsized. We learned about the Indigenous people of Fraser Island and how they used the mangroves and the animals that inhabit the creek, and how important communication and team work is to keep a canoe upright. With an afternoon of resting by the pool, a bit of shopping and soaking up some much needed Vit D, we had an amazing opportunity to taste some bush tucker. We learned about how the Indigenous people of Fraser Island use these foods for various reasons, where they are found and how the restaurant at the resort uses these foods in their menu.
After three huge days we packed our belongings up and were in bed by 9pm for our VERY early wake up. It is not an easy task being away from home and all of its comforts, so I would like to say a massive thank you to our students and our staff, we all did great, all pulled our own weight and were so lucky to have an awesome experience such as this. Also a big shout out to the admin staff for organizing this camp and making it happen!