Rainbow Beach 26 Jan 2011 (Australia Day)

Rainbow Beach is the jumping-off point for Fraser Island. It started in 1969 as a service centre for the sand mining industry. Prior to then there was no road to Rainbow Beach, the only access being by boat from Tin Can Bay.

The Rainbow Beach website says:

"Sandmining ceased in 1976 and it has since become a rather quiet and idyllic holiday, fishing and retirement getaway which promotes itself not only as the 'Gateway to Fraser Island', but as an 'eco-tourism' destination. This is not the place to be if you are after cosmopolitan-style pleasures but it does cater well to beach-orientated holiday-makers with hotels, motels, caravan parks. Although it has a permanent population of only around 900, about 70,000 visitors blow through town each year.

Over the next couple of days come for a walk along the beach, and discuss the merits of vehicles on the beach. 

Below: Looking towards Fraser Island and the non-vehicle, swimming beach. The surf life saver patrolled beach is also netted against sharks. Nice place to swim, if you can get over the vehicles on the beach!

Below: Late afternoon view from the Surf Club

Lifeguards and Lifesavers - Peregian and Rainbow Beach

What's the difference between a lifeguard and a lifesaver?

In the Australian context, there is an important historical difference , though they essentially they do the same thing and the boundaries are increasingly blurring.

A lifeguard is paid, usually by a local council or private entity, whereas a lifesaver comes through the tradition of the voluntary Surf Lifesaving Association, and does voluntary lifeguard duties on weekends and holidays.   Lifesavers belong to clubs (they're sometimes dubbed "clubbies") and wear the red and yellow colours. Surf Lifesaving clubs provide personnel who do lifeguard duties, but it's also considered a sport, with regular competitions. The original surf life saving club is a matter of contention between the Bronte and Bondi beach clubs in Sydney. The original surf life saving club is a matter of contention between the Bronte and Bondi Beach clubs in Sydney.

"Lifesavers are volunteers that typically patrol in groups under a patrol captain for a given period of time on weekend and public holidays under a roster system. In order to be a surf lifesaver a person must hold a Bronze Medallion or a Surf Rescue Certificate and pass an annual proficiency test. Life savers who are on patrol wear red and yellow cloth caps on the head. While not performing rescues they are also required to wear long-sleeve yellow shirts and red shorts to provide protection against the sun. " (Wikipedia)

Click here to see more about the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia. They have a fantastic iPhone app which describes beach conditions at more than 12 000 Australian beaches!

Article about rivalry between lifesavers and lifeguards.

I'd love to hear opinions from anyone !

Lifeguard signs at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland

The surf livesaving tower at Rainbow Beach, Queensland

Eurong Beach Resort

The pools at one of the two main resorts on Fraser Island. I swam in both! Very nice.

Seary's Creek near Rainbow Beach

Seary's Creek is fed by a spring in the Great Sandy National Park. The water is quite cool, but not too bad for a hardy "southener" like me!

Above: When you created ripples on the surface, it appeared as if the bank was collapsing into the creek.

Above: The water is stained with tannin from tea-trees. The effect of the light on the sandy bottom through the water made it appear as if the roots of the tree were ablaze.

Seary's Creek is located near Rainbow Beach in southeast Queensland:

Champagne Pools, Fraser Island

You can't swim at the magnificent beach along the eastern coast of Fraser Island (sharks, deadly sea snakes, currents....), but these natural rock pools are a gorgeous place for a dip.

They are natural fish traps, used by Aboriginal people.

Waves crash over the rocks, creating 'champagne bubbles".

Mahon Pool, Maroubra - Contrast

From one day to the next . . . Mahon Pool at Maroubra. The top photo was taken at 3:45 on 16 January 2011, the second one the following morning. How the ocean changes! (The photos following were also taken 16 Jan)

Here's a video....

Fun!

You can swim for exercise, competitively as a sport, for physical or emotional therapy, but lots of time swimming is great for no other reason than it's fun. Here's family and friends relaxing and enjoying ourselves on holiday at a resort at Peregian Beach in January this year.

Kandos Pool

Kandos is a town of about 1300 people in the Central West of NSW, 235 kms west of Sydney.

(thanks to Pratty for the pics)