Townsville & Magnetic Island (11th-14th December 2018)

On the first day, we walked for quite a while with our many things to our Airbnb room. Along the way, we were able to explore much of Townsville, which is really worth seeing. In the center of Townsville is a large mountain that offers a beautiful view of the city. After we arrived at our Airbnb room, we first did some laundry and relaxed. Then we took a walk in Strand Park. Many people were doing sports, eating in restaurants and cafes, and enjoying the view of Magnetic Island. The weather was pleasantly warm and there was a very relaxed atmosphere. Our walk in Strand Park ended with a visit to Jezzine Fort and Kissing Point. "The 15-hectare cultural heritage site commemorates the military and Aboriginal heritage of the Kissing Point peninsula through 32 specially commissioned public artworks, extensive signage, and the restoration of significant elements of the Kissing Point Fort complex." It was really beautiful there, but unfortunately we couldn't stay there for long. We went back through the city to Victoria Bridge. It was elaborately decorated with Christmas decorations and that evening we felt a hint of Christmas atmosphere. Afterwards, we had dinner and went to bed, as we wanted to leave early the next morning.

We headed towards Magnetic Island. We took the ferry early in the morning and arrived on Magnetic Island after a 20-minute ferry ride. Upon arriving on the island, we first took a bus that took us to our accommodation. This bus had a crazy schedule. It felt like it was going back and forth through every street until it reached our hostel. At the hostel, we stored our things (too early to check in) and made a plan for the day. This plan was called hiking. We started from Picnic Bay towards the harbor. Then we continued to Arcadia, where we could already enjoy a beautiful view. The water, the blue sky, the tropical birds, and all the trees... delightful. After that, we climbed steeply up the mountain towards Florence Bay, where we arrived sweating. After a short break, we took the walking trail of the national park in search of koalas. Luckily, we saw one. After a few more lookouts, we reached Arthur Bay, where we rested under a tree on the beach. We didn't go swimming or diving because of the jellyfish danger. There were warning signs and emergency vinegar for possible injuries all along the beach. After resting from our way there, we went back to the hostel. This time on a different hiking trail right through the mountain. Exhausting, deserted, hot, steep, uneven, long but really beautiful. Ben and I were both glad when we were back at the hostel. We could refill our water bottles from time to time, but it was really hot. We felt like we were constantly applying sunscreen, but now we both have sunburn. You sweat off the sunscreen quite quickly. But we won't complain, as long as it doesn't rain, we enjoy the heat. When we arrived at the hostel, we checked into our room, had a welcome cocktail, and took care of organizational matters. By now it was already dark and we enjoyed the view of the starry sky at the beach. However, not for too long, as the next day started early again.

We were both awake at 6 o'clock, got dressed, packed our things, and then had a relaxed breakfast with a view of the beach. Beautiful. The location of the hostel was really fantastic. Then we checked out and took the ferry back to Townsville. After that, we walked through the city to a hostel. When we arrived at the hostel, we rested again. At noon, we went to a small mall and bought something small and just watched the people. A child played the violin and did gymnastic tricks to earn some pocket money. Others were on their lunch break from work and got something small to eat at the supermarket. After our small lunch, we planned our journey further. When the midday heat was over, we started another hike. We went up the mountain of Townsville to Castle Hill Lookout. There were a lot of stairs to climb and many people were also doing their workout there. When we reached the top, we enjoyed the view. We were also able to watch a rugby game from up there. Especially for Ben, it was a great experience. Going down was very fast. In the hostel, we cooked our dinner and relaxed again. Ben and I also had to go to bed early because the next day our bus from the harbor left at 6:15 a.m. So we got up at 4:20 a.m., packed our things quietly, and started walking towards the harbor. Very early but the temperature was still very pleasant. The journey continued towards Bowen.