heinpit.de

Claudia, Sue, and a humpback whale

Synopsis. September was subject to one big topic: Sea Kayaking along Fraser Island. After we had read in a travel guide that humpback whales visit the strait between the island and the mainland between July and October, we had already marked the two weeks of mid-September in our diaries in January this year. This is the best time for whale spotting, when up to 3000 marine mammels populate that body of water. Furthermore, the humpbacks are the most athletic of all whales, they love to breach and to investigate boats from close up. See also our photo gallery Fraser Island by Sea Kayak.

Kayak sails

Organisation. Four people (Sue, Kevin, Claudia, and Peter) with equally outfitted kayaks (to ensure that the speed is homogeneous) and sails for 10 days on Fraser. Drive with the cars to Hervey Bay, park them there on a camp ground, pack boats, and off we go. We have water for five days, need to find more on the island. We carry a water filter for this. Food for 12 days (hence, for two more days than planned trip duration). VHF radio to receive the current weather forecast. Laminated maps of the island and marine charts of the water ways. We set up camp directly on the beach. At night, we store all food in the kayaks to dingo-proof them. A camp fire each night. Each morning, pull down camp and keep going. Average daily distance: 20 km (not particularly much, but after all we are on holidays).

Night at the camp fire

Wildlife. An uncomplete list of the spotted wildlife:

• humpback whale, also breaching
• Dolphin, also jumping
• Turtle (Green and Logger Head)
• Shark (more precisely: two)
• Salmon
• Sting ray
• Dingo
• White bellied sea eagle
• Kite
• Hawk
• Kormorant
• Egret
• Millions of fish
• Billions of sand flies

Claudia

What is different at home.

• A paddle is really handy to pave your way through the railway station.
• The food stall refuses to prepare a chicken laksa on a Trangia.
• It's much easier to dig a hole into the sand than into the bathroom tiles.
• The black and white creatures passing by my lunchtime table are no whales.
• Do not drop the tea bag on the kitchen floor when removing from cup.
• We have two sinks instead of one ocean to wash up in.
• You don't hear the dingos walking across the kitchen floor.
• Real milk tastes a lot nicer than powder milk.
• Running water on tap with variable temperature control is nice.
• And the bed, well what can we say?!?
• Damn, we still wake up at 5.30 am.