Kroombit to Rainbow Beach

Southbound
For the correct pick up time and place see the relevant Timetable.

Kroombit to Rainbow Beach -

ACTIVITY INCLUSIONS:
> Goat Rodeo
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
> Horse Riding (Goat Muster)
> Clay pigeon Shooting OPTIONAL HOP OFFS:
> Miriam Vale (southbound) for the Town of 1770
> Childers
RECOMMENDED ACOMMODATION:
> Palace Backpackers (Hervey Bay)
> Beaches Backpackers (Hervey Bay)
> Frasers on Rainbow (Rainbow Beach)

ACTIVITY INCLUSIONS: Goat Rodeo
We could take you to a Cattle Station and show you cattle but we thought goats are way more interesting! We've built a yard and introduce you to farm life by explaining some of the routine animal handling duties on a farm. You'll be told about how to catch a goat safely and humanely, how to gently hold it, basically you will become one with the goat! It's kind of a crazy scene and something unique to Kroombit and Oz Experience. It's all highly supervised and you can see you have to wear helmets when in action. Reckon you can team up with a mate from the bus and catch a goat, milk it and drink it?! There's also whip cracking practice - the stock whip is used to make a loud 'cracking' sound not to hit the animals (always a good skill to have up your sleeve). It’s harder than it looks but after some expert help from a skilled hand, Alan will show you how it’s done.

The town of 1770 / Agnes Waters
The township of 1770, is the site of James Cook’s historic landing on 24 May 1770, and known as the ‘birthplace of Queensland’. It is also the closest southern access point to the Great Barrier Reef and the last surf beach available if you are travelling north. Located on similar latitude to Hawaii, it’s cool in summer and warm in winter, the beaches are clean and unspoilt, the waterways teem with fish, the scenery and natural environment is outstanding: magnificent estuaries, ancient tropical rainforests, palm lined deserted beaches, dramatic sunsets and pure, clean air. It was the last piece un-developed coast between Sydney and Cairns. A road to the coast here was only put through in the 1970s and electricity only arrived in the 1980s when the land was by private interests. The first policeman was only stationed in the town in the last 3 years! Now, it’s a bustling holiday location.

1770’s most colourful Great Barrier Reef destination is Lady Musgrave Island, visited by 1770 Reef Cruises on Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday. Visit the lagoon of pristine coral reef, snorkel, scuba diving and glass bottom boat coral viewing, it’s a special way to discover the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef. There are also trips to Fitzroy Reef with diving options, trips on the pink amphibious LARC vehicle (travels on land and in water), sea kayaking and many other activities available.
If you wish to go to 1770, you need to let your guide know and they will drop you off at Fingerboard Roadhouse (northbound) and Miriam Vale (southbound). Oz Experience does not stop at 1770 - unfortunately it’s just a little bit too far off the beaten track for us. There is, however, an independent Shuttle service to 1770 from some nearby drop off points depending on which direction you are travelling in. Ask your guide to book the Shuttle for you if you are getting off – please give him/her enough notice. It’s your own responsibility to book the shuttle and to organise to be picked up again by oz Experience.
If you are travelling Northbound, the service costs $14 each way the drop off point from Fingerboard Roadhouse (which is about a 25 minute drive from 1770) and $28 each way if you are travelling Southbound from the drop off point at Miriam Vale (45 minute drive from 1770). The hop on/hop off times for Fingerboard Roadhouse and Miriam Vale are on the Timetable you will find on http://www.ozexperience.com

Whilst the cost of getting to 1770 might put some people off, the shuttle charge can be absorbed when you consider these discounts you get for taking the shuttle service – basically, you can get the cost of the shuttle back through discounts with key services you’ll be using in 1770 including the pub!
The discounts include:
2 pots (glasses) of beer for the price of 1 at the Agnes Tavern!
$2 off first night at Cool Bananas and 1770 Backpackers
$2 off second night at any hostel Cool Bananas and 1770 Backpackers
$5 off Scooteroo tour – get on scooters and see kangaroos in the wild
$5 off 1770 Liquid Adventures guided sea kayak tour
$5 off any all day Surfboard Hire at the Surf Shop
10% off clothing at the Surf Shop
10% off at the Latino Cafe (food only)
For more information about 1770/Agnes waters region, check out http://www.townof1770-agneswater.com.au

Hervey Bay
Our final stop for the night is Hervey Bay, another gateway to Fraser Island and also a nice kind of place in its own right, with a great beach and Esplanade. Another drawcard would be around 3000 mammals weighing up to 40 tonnes each! These Humpback whales divert from their 5000km migration from the warm water of the north to the icy water of Antarctica, for what appears to be a little R&R. The viewing season goes from the end of July to the end of October, with early September being the best time. Fraser Island Safaris.
There are two popular ways for the traveller to see Fraser Island from Rainbow Beach or Hervey Bay. These include:
- Self Drive Safaris
- Guided Safaris

Self Drive Safaris are designed for the individual travellers wishing to join a group of like minded people. This adventure promotes the true Aussie ‘take it easy’ experience giving travellers the opportunity to create their own experiences on Fraser Island. Travelers are given a suggested itinerary on how to explore the World Heritage listed natural wonders of the world however are encouraged to design an adventure that best suits their travelling style, whether it be laid back or active. The beauty of this style of travel is the fact that travellers experience a real adventure as they get to drive the car, camp under the stars, cook and have fun in a natural wonderland without being on a strict program.
Different operators have different vehicles with their own unique features. Generally, they all offer power steering, specific sand driving tyres, upgraded suspension. Group sizes are limited to ten people only. Camping equipment supplied (depending on the operator) includes tents and cooking equipment. Generally these are three day safaris so you have the time to see everything, although two day options are available.

Guided Safaris give you the best of both worlds – action-packed days discovering all the wonders of World Heritage Fraser Island and fun nights enjoying great meals and partying in the resort bar and a fully accommodated tour with no extras apart from what you drink. An inclusive tour is a great way to discover Fraser...no tents, no sleeping bags, no cooking, no driving, no hidden charges...no worries! You’ll have an experienced guide doing the driving and telling you about everything there is to know about Fraser Island
At night you’ll sleep in the Wilderness Lodge or Eurong resort, set in a eucalypt forest. All-inclusive guided Fraser Island tours offer 3 day 2 nights or 2 day 1 night options including return catamaran transfers, resort accommodation, ranger-guided 4WD tours and all meals (buffet dinners and breakfasts with picnic lunches on tour).

Other free stuff to do:
• Whale perving when in season: July - October Fraser Island

The world’s largest sand island, this World Heritage wilderness features towering rainforest, massive sand blows, beautiful freshwater lakes and continuous beach. Stretching over 123 kilometres along the southern coast of Queensland, Fraser Island (184 000 hectares)is the largest sand island in the world, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in recognition of its natural values as an outstanding example representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes and as an example of superlative natural phenomena. The island is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly coloured sand cliffs, its majestic tall rainforests and numerous freshwater lakes of crystal clear waters.
The massive sand deposits which make up the island are a continuous record of climatic and sea level changes over the last 700 000 years. Fraser Island features complex dune systems which are still evolving, and the array of dune lakes is exceptional in terms of number, diversity and age. The highest dunes on the island reach up to 240 metres above sea level. Forty perched dune lakes (half the number of such lakes in the world) can be found on the island. These lakes are formed when organic matter, such as leaves, bark and dead plants, gradually builds up and hardens in depressions created by the wind. The island also has barrage lakes, formed when moving sand dunes block a watercourse, and ‘window’ lakes, formed when a depression exposes part of the regional water table. A surprising variety of vegetation types grow on the island, ranging from coastal heath to subtropical rainforests. It is the only place in the world where tall rainforests are found growing on sand dunes at elevations of over 200 metres.

Birds are the most abundant form of animal life seen on the island. Over 320 species of birds have been recorded. It is a particularly important site for migratory wading birds. Few mammal species are present on the island. The most common are bats, particularly flying foxes. The dingo, Australian native wild dog, population on the island is regarded as the most pure strain of dingoes remaining in eastern Australia. The lakes on Fraser Island are poor habitats for fish and other aquatic species because of the purity, acidity and low nutrient levels of the water. Some frog species have specially adapted to survive in this difficult environment. Appropriately called ‘acid frogs’, these frog species are able to tolerate the acidic condition characteristic of the lakes and swamps on Fraser Island.

Called K’gari by its Aboriginal inhabitants, the island shows evidence of Aboriginal occupation of at least 5000 years, although it is possible that further archaeological work may reveal evidence of earlier occupation. Early European reports indicated that Fraser Island was heavily populated by Aboriginal people, but subsequent research suggests that there was a small permanent population of 400 - 600 which swell seasonally to perhaps 2000 - 3 000 in the winter months, when seafood resources were particularly abundant. Fraser Island contains many sites of archaeological, social and spiritual significance. Middens, artefact scatters, fish traps, scarred trees and camp sites bear witness to the lives of the original inhabitants. Early European contact, initiated by Matthew Flinders in 1802, was sporadic and limited to explorers, escaped convicts and shipwreck survivors. In 1836 a number of survivors of the shipwrecked Stirling Castle lived for about six weeks on the island before being rescued. During these six weeks, hostility and aggression developed between the Europeans and the Aborigines. One of the survivors was Eliza Fraser, the wife of the captain of the Stirling Castle, Captain James Fraser, after whom Europeans named the island. Day-to-day management of the island is primarily the responsibility of the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage through the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Information courtesy of Australia’s World Heritage published by the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Commonwealth of Australia, 1995, World Heritage Unit and Cool Dingo, Palace Adventures and Frasers on Rainbow.

Hervey Bay <> Brisbane via Rainbow Beach & Noosa

RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATION:
> Frasers on Rainbow (Rainbow Beach)

Rainbow Beach
Imagine Byron Bay 25 years ago, and you will get an idea of Rainbow Beach. Rainbow Beach gets its name from the towering sand-cliffs that stretch for over a kilometre along its uncrowded, white beach. These ‘Coloured Sands’ are part of an Aboriginal legend that tells of Yiningie - the spirit of the Gods represented by a rainbow - who was killed in a fight over a woman and crashed into the cliffs, forever colouring them with his spirits.
Rainbow Beach is the gateway to some of the most amazing natural attractions to be found anywhere in the world.
The nearby Carlo Sand Blow’s unique sand mass covers over 15 hectares and overlooks the towering coloured sands. It’s an excellent spot to watch the sunrise or sunset. The 360 degree views are spectacular, with magnificent views of Fraser Island, Inskip point, Tin Can Bay and the ocean where one can often see the migrating whales from August to October.

Rainbow Beach is a tiny coastal town with a laid-back atmosphere. The main street in the centre of Rainbow Beach, where the hostels are located are only 100 metres from the main beach.
Rainbow Beach is only 10 minutes by ferry to World Heritage listed Fraser Island. Rainbow Beach is fast becoming the gateway to Fraser Island but also has much to offer in its own right.
Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island, almost 110 km long with rainforests growing on the sand dunes, unlike any other sand island. Over the last 15 years Fraser Island has become the number two destination for all backpackers visiting the East Coast of Australia, second only to the Whitsundays.

Activities & Attractions from Rainbow Beach:

• Check out the Coloured Sands - 72 colours ranging from white through to rich reds and darkest black
• Enjoy sunset and spectacular 360º views from Carlo Sand Blow (a huge naturally created sand mass)
• Sea Kayak with dolphins, turtles and whales (seasonal) at Double Island Point
• Try your hand at Boogie boarding in the rolling surf
• Hand feed wild dolphins at Tin Can Bay
• Horse ride through beautiful bushland and along the beach
• Sky Dive enjoying awesome views of Fraser Island, Carlo Sand Blow and the Coloured Sands
• Hand Glide or Paraglide from the top of Carlo Sand Blow
• Dive with Grey Nurse Sharks at Wolf Rock, voted in the top 10 of Australian dive sites
• Enjoy fantastic fishing - beach, rock, estuarine or reef - take your pick!
• Discover Fraser Island with a self-drive camping adventure or fully guided accommodated trip (see the ‘Fraser Island Safaris’ in the next pages about the differences)