17/09/2018

We say goodbye to Airlie Beach, where many young backpackers continue their journey with the Greyhound (which is red here). Our next destination is Townsville, 241 km north on the A1. The ferry takes us to Magnetic Island, a 50,000 ha incorporated island of the city. Here, day tourists, off-roaders, hippies, and party people come together. We can hike across the island, walk along wide beaches, or party. Today, we start by walking along the beach and instead of shells, we find dead corals. At the end of the beach, we can already hear the party from afar. People with hats or wigs on their heads are obviously partying in the bar, having fun like Captain Jack Sparrow.

We turn around and enjoy the evening on our balcony with sausages cooked on the grill (by grill master Holger), and burnt potatoes (by Alexandra 🙄). The waves are crashing. The night is not any less quiet than the party, as some kind of running birds in the garden make a big fuss all night long. Before going to bed, we inspect the vacation rental one more time. Oh no: a gecko is feasting on a colony of red ants in the bedroom. We are on a tropical island! Thank goodness we have another bedroom. Move the suitcase to the other bedroom and lock everything securely. Put the groceries in the fridge, including the instant coffee. We check our shoes - no inhabitants - and put them in the suitcase.

The next morning at 6:30 a.m., the alarm clock rings because you can see koalas either early in the morning or at dusk. We were told we can find them in the eucalyptus forest, but the chances are extremely low. Our hike takes us to 'The Forts', a former observation station from World War II on the highest point with a view over the entire island and the bays. We hike with our eyes on the treetops to spot koalas or on the ground to watch out for snakes and we start sweating due to the ascent and the tropical humidity. We enjoy blooming trees and the wide view over the silvery glittering sea, accompanied by the mundane squawking of the white cockatoos.