What a week! Spending time with Myswaggers camping in one of the best locations in the world has to be rated up there when you think of the word – Awesome.
It all started Saturday morning just over a week ago when we departed River Heads on the barge to Fraser Island. This is where the first fiasco unfolded. Brett and I roll into the office to collect our tickets for the barge. No Mr Alloway I do not have a booking for Brett, Alloway, Myswag, blah, blah, blah! I tell you now Brett was one cool customer. So was I because I had my ticket!! And of course the next available spot is late that afternoon. Cut a long story short it was decided to hang around to see if there were any no-shows which unfortunately there were not. As JK and we prepared to wave goodbye to Brett and Deb a tourist bus driver recognizes them and pulls a few strings, moves a bus or two and what do you know, the Landcruiser and Lifestyle were heading to Fraser.
It was an easy run up to Cathedral to find out where our place of residence would be for the next 7 days. Big congratulations and thanks to Johnny Trackabout (aka Jenny) for choosing the best spot on the east side of the island.
With a rumoured excess of 800 people in attendance for a cleanup Fraser weekend it wouldn’t have been an easy job trying to find somewhere suitable. We had a campsite with the lot – grass, space, ocean view, running fresh water lagoon and our own private posse of dingoes. Arriving at Kamp Karaoke we met up with JT, Ketsi, Yogi and Seqfisho. Later in the day we were joined by a gatecrashing Myswagger. That story can be left for another day due to my embarrassment but welcome Nick08 and Jesse!
Our very own lagoon.
Camp O, Nick08, JK
First day, Ketsi being told by the Ranger to put a shirt on.
Watty & Karen's Trackabout
Seqfisho's Lifestyle
JT's Rear Vision Trackabout Safari on the left, Watty's Trackabout and Brett's borrowed Lifestyle
Down the road approximately 500m our friends Berg, LesnJules and a newcomer Chinman were arriving at Kamp Knit to join in the festivities with MnM’s. They had a great shady spot and some very, very nice showers and toilets.
Berg's and Chinman in the background
LesnJules
MnM's
Late afternoon on our first day we were all together on the beach for welcomes and a few beers and a few more beers.
Day 2, Sunday we began with some optional activities including fishing, sand worming, eating, drinking, chatting and slingshoting. Then we followed that up with a drive up to Waddy Point for some exercise and lunch.
Julie on left, Ketsi on slingshot, Marc (MnM), Brett and Nick
Brett, Meagan & Marc (MnM's), Julie (JK), Les and Berg.
Berg's attempt at Myswag in the sand dune.
Watty & Ketsi doing the dishes after a yummy roast lamb in the Cobb.
Monday we planned a quiet day in order to prepare for the next fiasco, the Myswag 3rd Birthday Hawaiian Party. A few of us headed down to Eli Creek for a look and a test of the water. It was a tad chilly but some of us didn’t have a choice in getting wet or not. Thanks Brett it was fun! It was a bit of a bleak day, the winds had started so we headed home in time for a freak afternoon storm which hit both camps not once but twice. We all had to batten down the hatches so up came all the walls for awnings. There were bodies running madly trying to close windows and zip on walls all in the driving rain. No photo’s from me as it was raining that hard I wasn’t going to the car for the camera. Kamp Karaoke settled in for the night with early dinners, bed and listening to the drizzling rain. The party animals down the road I hear gave up knitting for the night and gave the cards a workout. Today we said goodbye to Nick and Jess after their 2 days with us tacked onto their own week’s holidays. We also said see you in a few days to Yogi and Craig (aka Etchasketchman) as they were heading to Sandy Cape for some fishing.
Nick 08 and Jess
Camp Yogi and Craig (aka Etcha......)
Getting up Tuesday morning we were all very unsure of what the day would bring for our big celebration. The last shower of rain was very early in the morning and we arose to a day good enough to party or should I say PARTAE! Preparations started from mid morning with gazebo’s being erected, tables being set up, food being organized and some very strange pieces of clothing being displayed. All in all it was a ripper day with everyone (I hope) having a ball, getting dressed up, playing cricket, eating, drinking again and just enjoying each others company. There were a few shenanigans but that’s to be expected anywhere there are myswaggers present. We all lined up for a mega sausage sizzle and a chocolate birthday cake to follow. Our day was made memorable by a visiting camera guy who was on Fraser with a few mates shooting stuff for the latest BCF ad. Be they shonky or not we had fun hamming it up in our outfits, showing off cars, sharing a drink and Ketsi even put on a lifesaving display. After a long day of excitement we still managed to kick on into the night!
Raewyn and the beautiful JT
Julie and the lovely Ketsi our resident lifesaver.
Glenda (aka Glen or Seqfisho)
The beautiful Brett and JT
Our lifesaver - don't ask.
seqfisho and JT with the crew for BCF?!
The Berg family arriving.
Watty and JT thoroughly not enjoying themselves.
Watty and Karen
Wednesday we had arranged a day trip to Kingfisher Bay Resort for some lunch and a leisurely drive. Departing at 9.30am we took a last minute detour thanks to Brett and ended up at Kingfisher some 3hrs later. It did provide some interesting tracks for a couple of the ladies who thought they’d like to take over the wheel. Following lunch, a swim, some souvenirs, fresh bread and icecreams the group decided to move on and take a look at some of the Lakes further south. We decided to head for home with a couple of others knowing that the day would get late. It did, and we stood on our sand dune with drinks in hand watching for headlights coming up the beach taking bets if it was the crew or not. They arrived back safely in time for a late happy hour!
Reece, Ketsi, Julie, Watty, Marc, Berg and Kirk at Lake Garawongera.
Our plan for Thursday was to take a drive up to Indian Head and onto the Champagne Pools for a swim. We were joined by Team JK while a few others decided to go across to Wathumba for a look around. A good couple of hours were spent lazing around before heading back to camp for some more relaxation time on the beach. Kamp Knitting Kneedles or should I call them Kamp Kard Sharks hosted a few of us for afternoon drinks and nibbles and showed us the complex game of ‘spoon cards’. All I can say is that it is fast, loud and very dangerous when belted on the hand with a teaspoon. Unfortunately the days are short and we headed home for dinner before it got too dark.
It's a hard life here on Fraser Island.
Happy hour at Kamp Knitting Kneedles.
Chill, this is what Friday was all about. We were all getting sad knowing that we would have to be packing up the next day and that this would be our last night together. The weather had turned a bit bleak with quite strong winds and it wasn’t really a day for swimming. So we all just did our own thing, some going for drives seeking additional alcohol, some just doing nothing. We welcomed back Yogi and Craig after they had spent the previous 4 days up at Sandy Cape. In Kamp Karaoke we thought we would go out with a bang starting with afternoon gourmet nibbles and drinks followed by a last minute feast where everyone cooked up what they had left and we all shared it around. Of course it wouldn’t have been Kamp Karaoke without the Karaoke and for our last fiasco a few songbirds thought they’d show us their stuff! Well some didn’t do so well and some did worse but it was fun and we had a laugh.
Glen, JT, Ketsi, Julie and Brett.
Ketsi's ready for feast time.
Lining up for dinner - Deb, Brett, JT, Yogi, Craig and Raewyn.
Fisho and Watty at the bar discussing the pro's and con's of Trackabout V Lifestyle!
The Banquet
Seqfisho's attempt at Karaoke.
Saturday was pack up day for all but the Ketsi’s who stayed on a day longer for some special ‘them’ time. Lucky buggers. So the morning was spent pulling down what had been our homes for the last week and packing it all away. The enthusiasm levels were not what I experienced 7 days prior. With goodbyes said we all departed for various barges with stops for lunch and sightseeing along the way. We had one last unforeseen stop which turned out to be the bogging of the week with Brett getting a little too comfortable in the soft sand with trailer in tow. And no, V8 power alone will not drive you out without assistance. Out with the Maxtraks, a bit of digging, some more V8 power and we were on our way again. I can tell you now that I’m glad he had them on board because my poor little Nissan was having heart failures thinking about what could have been a much worse scenario.
After a large feed of pies, sausage rolls and jam donuts at Eurong we headed for Wanggoolba Creek to catch the 3pm barge home along with the Berg’s, Les & Jules and Kirk & Jenny. We were followed closely behind by JK and Brett who were to wait for the 5pm. Somehow I think Brett and Deb have a barge thing happening because what do you know, we are all loaded on and there’s space for 1 more! Rumour has it that they would take the shortest vehicle and trailer. How that was worked out I’m not sure but I reckon I would have got the tape measure out!! Sadly we all waved goodbye to JK with Crownie in hand standing on the bank. :'( You’re a good man JK, Brett owes you one.
A short drive north for us we were home by 5.30pm unloaded the necessities, showered, ate and hit the sack, only to look forward to the following day of removing a tonne of sand from the car, the trailer, and a weeks worth of washing. But it was all worth it.
There is so much more to a Myswag trip that you can only experience by getting out there to one. Our kids had a great time playing with other kids, we even had a Kids Kraft Klass happening most days which was always supervised by our very wonderful junior JK, Reece. We had the Ozpig fired up almost every night thanks to Ketsi. There was hijinx going on with some members having an indisposable supply of alfoil and clingwrap. I learnt that I should have been a DJ!
And if you haven’t had time to prepare anything for dinner then you’ll be fed by every other camp. Dingoes do open food containers by themselves and they will leap tall Cape York trailers for a loaf of bread.
We'd like to thank everyone that came on this trip for their help in the lead-up, for your friendship and for making it all possible.
Karen, Watty, Georgia & Samantha
