News
17 June, 2021
Guide Dogs Visionary Trek on Fraser Island
A GROUP involving D’Aguilar resident Debra Mann has raised more than $16,000 in its quest to fund a litter of puppies for vision-impaired Queenslanders, following the Guide Dogs Visionary Trek on Fraser Island organised by Inspired Adventures, as only one of their Australian fundraising adventures for this year.
After more than $1,000 was raised at a wine and cheese matching event at Woongooroo Estate winery on May 2, Ms Mann was one of the group of eight participants who took part in the Fraser Island Trek from May 12 to 16.
“It was an absolutely wonderful experience and a highly successful physical challenge for which I am glad to have trained,” Ms Mann said.
“The group were very compatible, being like-minded with fundraising and a love of animals.
“Our driver Alex from Sunrover Tours was extremely knowledgeable about Fraser Island (their tours specialise with Fraser and Moreton Islands) and was totally accommodating with nothing being too much trouble and very flexible with the itinerary.”
Ms Mann said she highly recommended this opportunity to anyone who may be interested.
“As a group our combined fundraising sits at $16,079 with hopefully more to come over the next little while,” she said.
Pick-up on the first day was from Roma Street in Brisbane, followed by a pitstop at Wild Horse Mountain, a ferry crossing at North Shore, and travelling up Teewah Beach.
The group walked up and back to the lighthouse at Double Island Point from the beach. Then the 4WD went up and over and drove along Rainbow Beach to the town for supplies, before catching the barge from Inskip Point to the southern tip of Fraser Island where the group stopped for a picnic lunch.
Short walks and sightseeing took place that afternoon, and then check-in to Eurong Beach Resort which Ms Mann highly recommended.
Day two involved walking to the Lake Wabby lookout, then across a sandblow and down to Lake Wabby itself then finally through to the eastern beach by following a bush track, all up about six kilometres.
There was a subsequent walk through Central Station and Pile Valley, and then a swim at Eli Creek that afternoon with floating downstream on tyre inner tubes, where the group saw dingoes. By the end of the five days, the group had spotted about six dingoes at various locations around the island.
Day three the group walked from Indian Head, up and over Middle Rocks and Waddy Point, and then drove along Orchid Beach to the general store for a cool drink.
There was a picnic lunch at a fenced site, and then a swim at Champagne pools on the return journey to Eurong Beach Resort.
Day four the group walked about 20 kilometres from Dilli village through to Lake Boomanjin, and then onto Lakes Benaroon and Birrabeen and close to Central Station.
Then there was a drive to Kingfisher Bay Resort, where six of them were dropped off to walk about two kilometres along the beach from the southern side of Kingfisher Bay Resort, before enjoying a cool drink while watching the sunset over the great sandy straits before returning to their accommodation by 4WD.
The group had a sleep-in and a later breakfast on the final day before packing up and checking out.
Some of the group had planned to take a flight over the island for 15 minutes, but the tide didn’t suit the timing and there was not enough beach to accommodate the plane.
So the group headed back by 4WD to catch the return barge to Inskip Point, followed by a trip to Gympie railway station where they had a light lunch from the station café and saw the Mary Valley Rattler steam train return.
Finally there was another pitstop back at Wild Horse Mountain, before arriving at Roma Street at 3.30pm.
