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| Glassy waters of Lake Mackenzie |
A Panorama from our camp
Not much prepares you for the sand of Fraser. Its overwhelming. Oh, it’s the
biggest sand island in the world you say. Doesn’t help and wont give you the
mental fortitude to endure the relentless grains of glass. Inside, underneath and on top
of everything you own for the duration of your visit. And for sometime
afterwards also. Perhaps that’s why some opt for the resorts that exist on the west
side of the island (only for the elderly and soft of course J).
The weather has been pretty sketchy and we experienced our
first night of extreme camping, facing into a few hours of serious terential rain buffeted
by gale force winds. Parts of the camper leaked badly and we had to move the
kids into the main room to ensure a dry night. As you may have gathered, we have experienced our fair share of rain, and heavy rain at times. Its not until you add strong winds that the water is pushed into the seams and zips. I’d often pondered the enormous bag of pegs and guy ropes that came with the camper. Definite overkill in my
mind. Well I’m sure you’ll guess what came next as our wind sail (aka the
camper trailer) nearly blew away.
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| Drying sheets in the aftermath of the storm |
There I was running around in my undies in the eye of the storm pegging
down the floor and tying down the structure before it blew away. We were pretty
close to a funnier tale of hardship, but despite some significant leaks we
survived the night. I’d actually bought a tarp in anticipation of big storms and potential leakages but left it at home due to the prohibitive size and lack of space in the camper/car. I think
we’ll probably make room for it post xmas.
As most of you would know, preparing a bush toilet is as
complicated as digging shallow hole in the ground. The toilet experience itself
I liken to a good yoga session, primarily for the involvement of the squat position;
in itself requiring a great balance, flexibility, strength and endurance.
The Fraser version adds danger to the mix, requiring one to negotiate a few additional skills.
Handling an umbrella in torrential rain and gale-force winds whilst trying to stay
dry is exceptionally challenging. The memory that will endure however, is the
presence of the persistent and formidable March fly, a picture of which I have
included to complete your re-enactment.
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