Magnetic 'Maggi' Island

20.03.

At 10:30 we took the ferry to Magnetic Island. When we arrived at Nelly Bay, the bus was already waiting for us and took us directly to the hostel.

After settling into our little hut and putting on our bikinis, we took the bus back to Geoffery Bay, which is next to Nelly Bay. Since it wasn't particularly beautiful and there was a danger of jellyfish in the water, we went to Alma Bay. There we could swim because there was a net in the sea.

After another lazy afternoon at the beach, we went to Horseshoe Bay. This is the furthest north and closest to our hostel. There are some small restaurants and we decided to have dinner there.

21.03.

The second day was for exploring the island.

First, we hiked to a lookout at The Fort. On the way there, we saw three wild koalas, although 'wild' only means there was no fence around them. Otherwise, they just sat on their branch and slept.

From the lookout, we had a great view of half of the island. In the interior, the view of the western side was blocked by Mount Cook, which rises quite centrally on the island.

After that, we went to the southern end, to Picnic Bay. After having lunch and walking along the beach against the wind, we walked back to Nelly Bay. From there, we continued to the stop 'the Fort' and the hiking trail along the remaining bays. We managed to visit all of them, except for Balding Bay, as it was already too dusk for that. So we arrived at the end of our journey at Horseshoe Bay and shortly afterwards at the hostel. Not only was the way over, but also our strength. After days of doing nothing, the island tour was quite exhausting.

22.03.

On the last day, we signed up for a tour of the Wildlife Park. It started at 10 and we first marveled at sea turtles and baby crocodiles. After that, it was time for baby turtles and lizards. You were allowed to hold a blue-tongued skink, a bearded dragon, and a baby crocodile.

After feeding the older crocodiles, we went to see the koalas. That was the highlight of the trip as we were allowed to hold a koala and take a picture with it. I definitely have a new favorite animal :)

Finally, we were shown a wombat and a python.

All of them were typical Australian animals.

At noon we were back on the mainland and went on a big shopping trip for our drive to Alice Springs.

At the campground, the same one as before Maggi, we relaxed with Susi and grilled burgers in the evening.

Magnetic Island was completely different from the previous islands. Much greener with impressively large rocks and felt much more alive than our adventure island K'Gari or the paradise islands of the Whitsundays.