The time has come to recap our final day on Fraser Island. Believe me when I tell you I wake up with a heavy heart knowing it’s our last morning on this precious island.

(I also wake up with a major headache as I was sleeping on an incline with my feet higher than my head. The body doesn’t like that. Lesson learned!)

This is Lake McKenzie — our first stop for the day and, for many people, the highlight of Fraser Island.

These are tea tree leaves, which produce oil of the same name. The oil has healing qualities known to improve skin, among other health benefits.

An iPhone selfie:

As we walk along the water towards Troy’s “secret beach,” he pauses to look for snakes. He’s got a good eye for spotting them; most people walk by and don’t even notice these creatures.

Do you see the (very deadly) snake hiding in these branches?

Here’s a closer shot of its head:

And another snake curls up a few meters away. Despite the fact that this snake is larger, it is not deadly like the first one:

Somehow we press on. Fingers crossed those rabble-rousing reptiles stay off the main path!

Troy warns us that to access this “secret beach” we have to pass through an underwater bridge.

Umm… I think ‘underwater’ defeats the purpose of a bridge.

I slap on my trusty GoPro and make the crossing.

Here’s video footage:

Turns out that wading through hip-deep water is worth it, because we land this secluded shore all to ourselves:

Troy demonstrates that this water — laced with tea tree oil, remember — is perfect for bathing.

Since we haven’t showered for two days, we all get in on the cleaning action.

Troy even uses the sand to brush his teeth (above right). I think that’s taking it too far.

One more shot of this picturesque lake:

Our last stop is Central Station, a jungle-like area in the interior of Fraser Island.

We store our lunch in the dingo lockers and go for a walk.

Signage about the history of Fraser Island lines the side of this cabin:

Troy poses among the foliage:

Wanggoolba Creek is totally silent — I forget the science behind this (and Google isn’t helping me out), but it makes no sound as it flows by. It’s also an area where Aboriginal men were forbidden because women came here to give birth.

SPIDER. Isn’t it creepy that you can see it’s face? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spider’s eyes, nose, and mouth before.

Someone from our group with exceptionally good eyes spots this leaf bug… can you make it out below?

My iPhone actually does a better job with macro shots (I left the macro lens for my DSLR at home).

There’s a goanna reptile camouflaged along the side of this tree..

Troy prepares our final picnic lunch:

He drops us off for our ferry ride to Hervey Bay. Troy then returns back to Noosa (our starting point) with the German couple while I wait for the ferry with Mickey and Oonagh from Ireland.

But several hours later the ferry still hasn’t arrived! Turns out there was a mix-up with the schedule — the ferry company canceled a trip due to the low tide but didn’t communicate that to tour companies who depend on this service.

But Mickey, Oonagh, and I are content to wait it out. The views aren’t half bad:

Around sunset the ferry arrives.

We reach the other side and are whisked away to our hostel. We learn that the owners of Dropbear Adventures have been frantically trying to get ahold of us, as they discovered the ferry was cancelled and feel so bad. They offer to pay for my night at the hostel and refund a portion of the trip to my fellow travelers (who are taking the night bus to Airlie Beach and therefore aren’t staying at the hostel). How kind! And what excellent customer service. There’s a reason this company is ranked #1 on Trip Advisor.

That officially wraps up Fraser Island, but here are a handful of photos from my time in Hervey Bay. It’s a small community with a lovely beach front. I spend two days here editing photos and catching up on blog stuff.

One of my hostel roommates is a very nice girl from Belgium named Shona. While my nose is buried in my laptop one night, she invites me to play a silly board game with her and a guy working at the hostel. It’s like Cranium and soon enough the three of us are humming, molding objects with clay, and playing a version of Pictionary. So much fun.

The next day Shona and I grab lunch at Enzo’s On the Beach.

And I almost forgot — during a rainy day, I order this grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and avocado from Black Dog Cafe and it is SO GOOD:

Last but not least, I pick up this book at Hervey Bay Flashpackers (a great hostel, by the way):

I have a few other novels to read first, but I look forward to devouring Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. (Spoiler alert: I read it in Bali and LOVE this book.)

I’ll be back later today with a bonus wrap-up post summarizing my favorite photos from Fraser Island.

Many thanks to Dropbear Adventures for sponsoring my Fraser Island tour in exchange for photography services. Opinions are my own.