Magnetic Island

Hello dear ones, we are currently in a small coastal town called Bowen, Julian is cooking for us and I am taking the opportunity to tell you about the last 2 days.

Day 18: 07.09.2018 - Magnetic Island

Today the alarm clock woke us up early: shortly after 6 o'clock we were already under the shower and after a quick breakfast we were sitting in our LIU to drive to the ferry port of Townsville. We wanted to sail to the popular 'magnetic' island on a 20-minute crossing, where we had booked a private boat tour around the island, as Julian has already reported. Captain James Cook was the namesake of this island a long time ago, as his ship's compass went crazy near the island. He concluded that the island must have a magnetic attraction.

We arrived by ferry at one of the island's numerous bays - Nelly Bay. Julian had taken a tablet for motion sickness in advance so that he wouldn't have any problems this time, and everything worked out well :)

We continued by bus to the boat landing stage, where we were expected at 9:30 by Cliff, the owner of the boat and leader of the tour. Cliff is a really nice, uncomplicated and tanned man, about in his late 50s. With a cigarette in his mouth, a floppy hat on his head, and a holey shirt, he led us to the boat. Two other participants - Mary-Anne, a lively older lady, and her son-in-law - were already sitting on the boat's side benches. It was a small metal motorboat that could accommodate about 8 people.

The five of us set off, always according to Cliff's motto: It's your day, we only do what you feel like doing!

Our first stop was just a few minutes away in a small bay. Cliff opened a ramp at the bow of the boat and let us snorkel in the cool water. He knew exactly where to find the most beautiful corals, even the tiniest reefs. In addition, there was an old shipwreck at this spot that we were allowed to explore. The corals here were very beautiful, but there were not as many fish as at the Great Barrier Reef. I got a bit scared when a small jellyfish appeared in front of me, and from time to time we both felt a burning sensation on different parts of our skin. North Queensland is famous for its dangerous jellyfish, but Cliff assured us that we would not encounter any of these specimens at the moment (the jellyfish season starts in October). Back on the boat, Julian actually had a few welts on his upper arm, but they disappeared quickly, luckily.

We soon continued and stopped at two more locations where we could snorkel. We only went into the water once more.

In the sky, various birds of prey circled in search of their prey. Cliff handed me a dead fish from his cooler, which I held up in the air somewhat fearfully to feed one of the birds. A 'Brahmini Kite' circled above us and sank deeper and deeper until it swiftly and almost unnoticed snatched the fish from my hand. Unfortunately, he dropped the first one over the water, but skillfully grabbed the second one from my hand. It was fascinating to see how accurately and without touching me, the beautiful bird of prey grabbed the fish.

We continued along the island's coast, with a view of deserted bays with white sand, forests, and rocks. The water shimmered turquoise blue and we enjoyed the ride and the view.

A little later, we stopped again in a bay to feed fish called 'Batfish'. Cliff knew the island like the back of his hand and knew exactly which animals, whether fish, birds or giant clams, lived in which bay. As soon as we threw a few fish chunks into the water, countless fish came and snapped their mouths out of the water. The fish were about 50 cm wide and completely flat, so you could stroke the smooth side when they came to the surface. We had a lot of fun with the funny fish, it was definitely one of the highlights of the tour! Two small reef sharks also came by to have a look.

As the journey continued, Juli was allowed to take the helm and brought us to the next bay.

We took a small lunch break at 'Horseshoe Bay' and treated ourselves to fish and chips.

Now it was my turn to steer the boat and on the further journey, Cliff showed us several white-bellied sea eagle nests. An eagle couple sat near its nest in a tree. We tried to lure them with fish. Julian threw fish onto a rock and after a while, the sea eagles plunged down to snatch them. The Brahmini kite was also delighted and got a few fish. It was simply breathtaking to see the graceful animals from such a close distance. As we continued, we watched the eagle couple hunting from a distance for a long time.

The day was coming to an end, the sun was already lower, and Cliff drove the boat at high speed back to the boat landing stage on the open sea. The water whipped us in the face and we caught sight of a large sea turtle, which stretched its head out of the water next to our boat to breathe. We reached the port at around 5 p.m., said goodbye to everyone, and thanked Cliff. Back on the ferry, we realized how tired we were from the long day. We still had to find a place to sleep and drove to a free parking space at a gas station for the first time. We were lucky and got a spot, had dinner, and went to sleep at 9 p.m. It was a completely successful and eventful day that will certainly stay in our memories for a long time :)