Townsville and Magnetic Island

24.06 - 26.06

Hahaha the island that Captain Cook's compass confused so much that he thought it was magnetic. Complete nonsense of course, but it has retained its name to this day.

On Monday evening we took the (very late) ferry from Townsville and got to know 'Maggie' in the dark. But that didn't matter because our hostel, which was right on the beach, was only a 10-minute bus ride from the port. So the 24th of June was mainly a travel day, which was then only ended with a round of bingo in the hostel bar.

The next day we rented what is called a Barbie car, a mini convertible in pink, with which we explored the island. With full speed (unfortunately the good car only had 42 hp) and full volume music from Timo's boom box, we drove to various hiking trails around the island. The first stop took us to a short but very juicy climb to a viewpoint in the south of the island. Despite partly cloudy skies, we had very pleasant views.

The second stop was at the northern beach of the island, Horeshoe Bay, from where we took a short hike to a beach that was only accessible on foot. In this beautiful bay we had our snack before we dared to make the hour-long return journey.

Last but not least, the so-called 'Forts Walk' was on, a famous walkway that leads along the old army base of World War II. It also leads right through a eucalyptus forest beloved by koalas, so it is very likely to see one or two wild koalas.

The two boys, as usual, ran ahead of me and Timo, but we didn't let that rush us and enjoyed the path and the views that opened up towards the end. We even saw 3 koalas, 2 of the 3 were happily eating leaves. Oh these cuddlers, no matter how many you've seen, you just can't get enough of them.

Now it was unfortunately time to return the good car, we quickly drove the luggage to our new hostel, and then it was time to say goodbye.

Unfortunately, we had rented a small private cottage for tonight, which had the same price for 3 beds as 4 normal dorm beds. So the boys checked in, and later sneaked me in discreetly. We also changed hostels because Timo's mom and sisters had given us the tip to visit the wildlife park that belonged to the hostel. And that's what we had planned for our last day on Maggie.

Actually, the $30 admission per person was definitely worth it, as each of us could hold a snake and a cockatoo, as well as stroke a turtle and a lizard. Holding the snake, in particular, we all found to be a great experience.

After the tour was over, we passed the time waiting for the bus that would take us back to the port with a round of card Monopoly (which I won). With a 20-minute delay and a bigger panic of not being able to catch the ferry to the mainland, we finally boarded the overcrowded bus. This was only possible thanks to two very nice local ladies who, despite a longer wait, calmly gave up their bus seats to go shopping and let us go first. We arrived at the port 2 minutes before 3 PM, only to wait another 30 minutes for the ferry, which, who would have thought, was also delayed. Well, time runs differently here.

Back at Remy's, we decided not to drive much further today, just to a free campsite outside of Townsville. Delicious spaghetti bolognese was our dinner before we fell exhausted into bed from the past few days.

You will hear from me again soon, friends, as I am unfortunately two weeks behind in writing 😱😭

Well, see you very soon, XO