06.-08.09.16 Magnetic Island

After Cairns, we took a 6-hour bus ride to Townsville, off the coast of which lies the small island of Magnetic Island. After spending a night in Townsville at a cool hostel with a rooftop pool, we took a 20-minute ferry ride to the island.

There, I stayed at a hostel right on the beach, but unfortunately, it was too windy to go swimming right away.

The next day, together with Lea, Erin, and Renée, I rented a car to explore the rest of the island. First, we went to 'The Forts' National Park, where we took a short hiking tour. The national park includes the remains of an old fort, which was rather insignificant compared to the main attraction, the wild koalas living there. After about half an hour, we found the first one, a koala mama with a little baby.

After the national park, we drove to Athurs Bay, a picturesque little bay. Then we went to the next bay: Horseshoe Bay, where we explored the surrounding forests a little. There, we saw parrots, turkeys, and even a bald eagle.

At the next stop, we had the chance to feed rock wallabies. They were very friendly and even ate out of our hands.

To end the day, we tried to watch the sunset at the west end of the island, but unfortunately, it was too cloudy. However, we were invited to a campfire by very friendly locals.

At night, we went to the bar quiz, which my team finished second in and won a proud $40 voucher.

The next day finally had perfect swimming weather, which we took advantage of at the pool and in the Pacific Ocean.