It was a nice and cool night last night in the car which meant I could use my sleeping bag to the full effect, saving me the $10 hire fee most the others paid in the process. This meant I slept well, only waking up once for the toilet, although I was up at the crack of dawn as the sun woke me up. Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs and bread. My group was lucky as we got an extra 12 eggs from another group just leaving which gave us 4 eggs each. I let the girls in the group cook however and I wasn't disappointed getting a filling breakfast under the circumstances.
Due to the fact a few people had drunk a little too much last night we weren't ready to set off until gone 9, and after a quick tidy up of the camp we were off. Heading back the way we came along the hard sands of the beach, the first stop of the day was Eli Creek which is apparently regarded as some of the cleanest water on the planet. It was here we walked along this creek with the strict instructions not to take anything other than our swimming costume. We then got told that if we relax the water that continuously flows to sea from the mountains would take us back to where we came from, which it did. Our guide even filled up our water barrels here, and to be fair when drinking the water it tasted fresh to me!
After leaving the creek and disobeying our guides no camera command, we headed further south to Happy Valley which was another small residential area with a shop and everything. Everything on the island is really expensive though so we weren't here too long. It was then back to camp, this time with a really dodgy driver who kept hitting the rocks and getting the gears wrong. We even got stuck in the sand when entering the camp, and after frustrations from the radio we were forced to use the car mats to dig our way out. After one big push we were finally free to the cheers of others and we drove into camp ready for lunch.
Lunch today was tortillas and the leftovers from yesterday, which wasn't much. We still got two decent tortillas each though which tied me over. It was funny when accessing the food however as there was a lizard in the food cart, and when everyone went closer to take photos it jumped out the trailer! It proper scared everyone!
After lunch we headed up north this time where the sands got softer and where there were many off road tracks from the beach to avoid the increasing number of rocks. A while later we stopped at this headland where we were unable to go further to take a short walk to champagne pools, getting a brilliant view from the top of the headland en route. This was the only salt water area people are permitted to swim in, due to the shark risk and jellyfish, as well as the very strong rip tides coming from the Pacific. The reason this area was different was the fact it was a large pool protected by rocks on all sides. It was really salty with sharp rocks in places which made it a little precarious however. It was still fun though as the rocks stopped the large waves and created something like the wave machine at butlins!
After leaving the pools due to another rain shower, we drove back along the beach to Indian Head. Despite the rain it didn't make a difference as I knew by now it wouldn't last long and the sun would be straight back out and dry me off quickly. A short while later we arrived at the bottom of the headland where our guide recommended we go bare foot as it can be slippery. It was all good to start with on the slick rocks and sands, but when walking up to Indian Head some of the rocks were very jagged. We got brilliant views up here of the coastline both ways including the northern part of the island which is closed to tourists. Our guide said its the most beautiful part, but also the most dangerous for snakes and soft sands.
It was then back south to camp, stopping off at the red canyon which was strictly men only, literally. There is apparently an aboriginal law preventing women entering the area, which were these impressive red sand cliffs. When continuing down the coast our guide stopped to show us an eagle, but was more impressed when he realised that one had caught a puffer fish! He wanted it to deflate so he could show us the fish inflating, but it never happened so we let nature take its course as the eagle was circling above us!
Passing some dingoes on the way back, we stopped at these yellow cliffs called the pinnacles which was this time girls only. It was getting late by now and when continuing south along the coast past the campsite we were confused when arriving back at Eli Creek. Our guide just said it was an optional bathing stop, although I took a miss as it was getting cooler by now and I was hungry! We didn't arrive back at camp until sunset in the end.
Dinner this evening was steak and potato salad, although letting the girls in my group do the cooking once again we ended up with bbq marinated steak with fried potatoes and onions, with a salad tortilla on the side. It was a brilliant meal in the evening, it just needed a bit more stuff as it probably wasn't enough for eight people. We did have fruit cake after though which more of less everyone disliked which worked out in my favour! After another evening round the fire drinking Tooheys, I found some people willing to walk down the beach as you have to be dingo safe leaving the enclosed campsite. It was amazing seeing the pure night sky and just laying on the beach with the cool breeze. A while later after heading back I went to bed in the car as it was raining. The soft back seat was more appealing than the tent once again!
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