On the road from Yapoon to Hervey Bay 457KM 275mi. we stopped just out of town to see a memorial to Captain Cook, the explorer that discovered the South Pacific for the Europeans. The memorial was supposed to sing yet all we heard was the maintenance man or caretaker on his riding mower.

Later in the trip we stopped for pies at a bakery. Only these pies weren't desert fruit pies. Australian's eat meat pies similar to the pot pies Horn and Hardett used to sell. We had a delicious sweet(not sugar) chili pie a chicken pie and two days later for lunch a small quiche. We stopped for gas (our vehicles used diesel but got better mileage then my truck does so even though paid by the liter and the price was higher the cost per mile was less then at home). We also stopped at a fruit stand for some locally grown pineapple and a cup of coffee. The pineapple turned out to be very juicy and a real treat. Other than that the day was rather uneventful until we got to Herveys Bay. After checking into the campground and parking the van when we walked down to the ocean front and walked about two and a half miles on the board walk which wasn't boards. We passed many stores and a group of people lifting weights in an exercise class.

The next day we boarded a bus which took us to a ferry that went to Fraser Island, the largest all sand island in the world.

On Fraser we boarded a four wheel drive bus for a to of the island. The road through the tree forests was so narrow we wondered how the drivers managed not to scrape the sides.

I and several others took a short sightseeing plan ride over the island. Upon our return the tour stopped to photograph the old shipwreck I had seen from the air.

before taking us to lunch. On the way to lunch we saw a number of campers with tents, and pop ups camping on the beach.

We also got stuck in the sand but with the help of another driver our driver was able to get out of the loose sand. After lunch we continued our tour stopping at a large inland lake for coffee, tea and muffins which the drivers had brought.

Everything on the island especially liquids had to be brought over from the mainland and all garbage was taken out the same way. We saw two wild dingoes one before lunch and the other on our way to board the ferry for the return trip

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Most tourists come for the day but the Australians on holiday and backpackers camp, fish, hike and drive back and forth on the beach which unlike Daytona is soft in spots causing some people to get stuck. That night we went out to a restaurant for dinner and had the same light white fish that we had had at the wagon master's fish fry.

The next morning several of us returned to the docks and boarded a whale watching boat. The waters were quite rough and choppy and viewing wasn't that good but it was still enjoyable. We got to see a large green turtle as well as several whales.

Cameras only this harpoon gun is no longer in use.

Unfortunately I was changing lenses when the whales were breaching g so I saw it but didn't get any pictures. Upon our return to the campground my van wouldn't start. With some help from the campground owner and my traveling companions we jump started it. The remainder of the day from Hervey Bay to Twenton/Noose 179 KM 108 miles we caravanned with Marci and Steve stopping twice. At the Windsong Tea Garden Debby, Marcie and Steve went Opal shopping while I staid with my van and kept the engine running. I did manage to take pictures of the Lorikeets and Galah that Harry the Opal man feeds although I didn't know what they were at the time. We also stopped at Woolworth's for groceries and again I staid with the van engine running till Debby got back from shopping. In Australia Woolworth's is a grocery store not a five and dime. We arrived at our campground in the dark after driving through a small rain shower.