Last night was a little wild with heavy rain and wind on and off and it's still raining this morning. Today's plan is to take a drive up the beach as far as Orchid Beach and have a swim in Champagne Pools, a protected ocean swimming spot past Indian Head. Hopefully there will be some sunny spots while were out of the car.
First stop was the Maheno wreck some distance north of Happy Valley. We did contemplate calling in at Eli Creek but decided to put that off until this afternoon.
The SS Maheno was an ocean liner belonging to the Union Company of New Zealand that operated in theTasman Sea, crossing between New Zealand and Australia, from 1905 until 1935. She was washed ashore on Fraser Island by a cyclone in 1935 where the disintegrating wreck remains as a popular tourist attraction. There is a little less of the wreck each time we visit.
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| The SS Mahino |
A little further up the beach we made a stop at The Pinnacles a spot where the coloured sands found here, Rainbow Gorge, the Cahedrals and Red Canyon are evident.
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| The Pinnacles |
On arriving at Indian Head we took the inland route around the headland and on to Champagne Pools. This area is often very soft and a bit of a challenge getting through without getting bogged. At least it was last time we were here. It was no problem today, probably because the rain is packing the sand down.
At champagne pools we found we would need to share the water with at least one tour bus and several tagalong groups. There were people everywhere. When it started to rain we decided to head up to Orchid Beach for a coffee and return a little later.
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| Indian Head and Champagne Pools |
What a great decision that was. When we arrived back some time later (after a coffee at the general store and a drive around Orchid Beach) a bus was just departing leaving the pools completely empty ready for the four of us to enjoy. The water was just great.
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| Champagne Pools |
Eli Creek is always a popular spot. A freshwater swimming spot as opposed to the saltwater swimming spot at Champagne Pools. There has been a lot of work completed here since our last visit including a walkway for quite a way along the creek. Arthur and Alex had a walk along the creek but we all decided that we didn't need another swim.
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| Eli Creek |
Back to camp so that Arthur had time to catch some fish to put on the barbecue tonight. He did catch a few small ones but nothing to replace the steak we had brought as a backup. A beautiful sunset tonight with a pale pink sky.
