All full of sand

Heyho blog readers! When we left Airlie Beach, the next destination was Rockhampton, the Beef Capital of Australia. The city carries this name for a reason, as there are huge herds of cattle grazing in the extensive pastures in the surrounding area. But this time it's not about milk, but mainly about meat. The travel guide lists various steak houses that advertise the best steaks in Australia. After selecting a restaurant with a tempting offer, we went into town with great hunger and anticipation. However, we were very disappointed when we found out that the special offer does not apply on Saturdays and the steak prices correspond to the high meat prices in Australia... That was unfortunately not suitable for our backpacker budget. Very sad!

So we continued on to 1770, a town named after its discovery by James Cook. Coming from the north, this is the first town where you can surf well. Our 3-hour surf course gave us a first impression that it's not as easy as it looks in the videos! The first attempts to stand up were recognizable, but only if the surf instructor pushed us into the wave at the right moment... We're still working on it!

After a night at one of the many free campsites here, we started our next day in Bundaberg. We were impressed, as it was pretty much the first town that showed not only a commercial and American-style side, but also revealed some charm with small churches and decorated bridges. Bundaberg is the home of Ginger Beer and high-proof alcohol. We could choose between 5 distilleries (vodka, gin, and rum - everything was there) and chose the alcohol-free version with the Ginger Beer.. What has happened to us?! But it was worth it, because we got a great tasting of all 15 Bundaberg flavors and met really nice people at the 'Bundaberg Barrel'. Definitely one of the best days in Australia, ending with fish and chips at the beach.

And then we went on our last major tour to Fraser Island. It is the largest sand island in the world and you can easily spend a week here and still not see everything. It's amazing to think that the 120km long island was gradually washed up by the currents and now a rainforest is growing in the middle. We were driving in jeeps, which we were also allowed to drive through the deep sand ourselves, and saw the most famous spots. At the top of the list is Lake McKenzie, which is filled only with rainwater and is incredibly clear. Here we could see meters underwater! But even more amazing are the small rivers winding from the mountain in the middle of the island to the sea. At first glance, you don't see the water at all, but only when you look closely, we could see the flow. It could just as well have been just sand. That's why the Aboriginal people called the creek 'Invisible and Silent'. But our highlight on the island was driving the jeep, because it's really a cool feeling when you can plow through the sand with four-wheel drive and bump over various hills and holes! My secret tip would be Lake Wabby. We had to walk for 45 minutes to reach a desert-like landscape where you can do a great handstand! Behind a steep dune, there is a small lake with some fish in it. They are the famous nibbling fish (whatever their real name is) that nibble off all the dead skin from your body when you sit still. It's really a funny feeling, but sometimes they can pinch pretty hard! (#guessitwasntdeadskin) On the last day, we also made acquaintance with a dingo.. fortunately only from the car, because while they may look cute, they don't hesitate to attack us humans. All in all, another successful trip!

Today our tour continued to the Glasshouse Mountains, a group of 6 mountains that date back to the volcanic era. The 6 peaks rise above the otherwise flat surroundings and offer a magnificent view into the distance after climbing to the summit. And at the end of the horizon you can see Brisbane... our next big goal!