Loka: Stop 7: Magnetic Island

My alarm went off so early, I felt like I'd barely closed my eyes. We were to meet at 4.30am outside of the hostel. I lugged my belongings down the stairs and met my new Loka group at the bus stop. Niki was to be our guide until Cairns. Waiting with her was Mario, Aquiles and Gabriele. I was amazed to see the latter two accompanying us, they were at least in their sixties. Two English girls, Pippa and Rosie, were next to join us and we were all ready to go. The same shuttle bus from before arrived, with the same driver. He welcomed us on board and informed us that our train was running very late. Either way, we had to get to the station. Once there, we checked in our luggage so that we wouldn't have to carry it any longer.

I felt cheated, I'd woken up before the sun to catch a train that was going to be two hours late. Oh well. The nice shuttle man took us around the corner to the bakery. There was so much choice I didn't know what to have, add the fact that it was barely half past five. In the end I went for a cuppa, a chocolate and custard flavoured croissant, and a meat pie for the train journey. We all ate in the small cafe. At this time of the morning there were no other customers; good job too - we took up all of the little available space. The croissant was delicious, but very messy. I managed to get sugar and flakes of pastry all over me and the floor.

We were driven back to the station and sat down to wait in the small waiting room. We chatted and giggled, planned activities and tried not to fall asleep.  Finally on board the train at gone 8am, I settled down to watch Sing and eat my pie. I somehow managed to not nap, a result considering how long I had been awake! I wandered up and down the train a few times and played with the entertainment system. What a luxury to have in-seat screens - on a train no less. We arrived at Townsville station about 11ish and collected our belongings. From here, we would be catching the bus to the terminal and taking the ferry over to Magnetic Island.

Tickets in hand, we hurried off the bus to get to the terminal, we were some of the last people on board. This meant there were no seats available, but I was happy standing outside with the sea breeze through my hair and the sun on my face. It only took about 40mins until we were arriving in paradise. Pulling into the marina, the island looked beautiful. It was so green, with lush palm trees, gum trees and mountains covered with tropical foliage. I couldn't wait to explore! First things first, we had to catch the public bus to our hostel, out on the other side of the island by Horseshoe Bay. It was hilarious trying to fit all of our bags and suitcases, along with ourselves, on the already busy bus.

We arrived at Bungalow Bay Koala Park YHA and checked in. We had about half an hour until a tour of the neighbouring koala park, which us young'uns all signed up for. I quickly took my stuff to my very cute three-person "bungalow" cabin and made myself at home. It was then time to grab the camera and head on over to reception. At half past two a lovely young keeper called Kat gathered the group together and walked us to the park. It was quite literally next door. How amazing!

Our first talk was by a small enclosure where we could see a few lizards, but mainly turtles. I was entranced, watching a tiny turtle eating lettuce leaves from a small bowl. The size of him compared to his food was just so cute, I could have watched him all day. Kat then surprised us with the tiniest baby turtles I have ever seen. They were only a few days old and were slightly bigger than a fifty-pence piece. Adorable. We were lucky enough to be able to handle them and see them up close. I loved to watch how their little arms and legs moved from within the shell. I managed to get some really cute photos, I didn't want to give them back they were just too lovable.

Our next encounter was at the reptile enclosure, where we learned all about bearded dragons, skinks, and blue tongue lizards. We got to handle them as well, Kat allowed us to pass them amongst ourselves and have a hold or just a stroke or pat. We were in the middle of the crowd and, at one point, had all of the scaly friends. I loved the blue tongue, she would poke it out occasionally and it made her look so cheeky. It was really used to deter predators, as bright colours in the animal world tend to mean poison. Once they were all back home, we turned to the opposite enclosure with their resident freshie. Now even if fresh water crocs don't attack humans, there was still no chance of us holding him!

While some of the other guests lined up for their chance to hold a koala, we were allowed to wander around. We headed straight for Hagrid, a male koala who loved the attention. There were two crazy birds who didn't like that... jealous, Charlie and Shadow began making lots of noise to get noticed. I tried to talk to them to make them feel included, but one just flapped me away and the other flew off. Charming. We all then had to sit in a circle to wait for a treat.

That treat was a massive bloody python. Sure, it wasn't venomous, but it could still crush a car if it so desired. We all had the opportunity to handle this "beautiful creature"; I felt a bit queasy just looking at her. Luckily, we weren't at the start of the line so I had plenty of time to decide if I wanted a turn. Screw it. It was now or never to face my fear. Kat draped her over my shoulders and I held out my arms as instructed. She was heavy and very mobile, clearly trying to find the warmest spot on my body. I did not like it one bit when she decided to have a little taste, a little lick of my arm. Nope. Kat could have her back after that!!

Harry the wombat was next for us to meet, Kat grabbed him from his little house with little difficulty. He was so chubby and adorable. He just looked like a big teddy bear, especially the way he was being held. I loved being able to give him a stroke and take a selfie. He was much more photogenic than me. We had a little bit of free time now to revisit any of the animals before leaving. I just wanted to say goodbye to Hagrid. We didn't have long to get back for dinner.

Niki recommended a chip shop by the beach, so we all wandered on down together. Horseshoe Bay was beautiful, with that signature blue sea and green palms on the golden sands. We were there with plenty of time before sunset and I was excited to watch the colours fade. We were so early in fact that the chippy wasn't even open! We went to the bottleo first and then queued outside, picking from the menu. When the owner opened the doors we rushed in, I ordered a "Backpacker Beach Pack" which was just mackerel and chips. I ordered mine breaded so it would be just a little healthier. But then I did add on a banana milkshake!

We all sat on the beach and watched the sunset. Dinner was delicious, and the view was top notch. We also played a few get to know you games, including "two truths, one lie". We seemed to have gathered a few seagull friends, clearly hoping for some scraps. Niki quickly ran back to the chippy and bought a small bag, she thought it would be hilarious to cover one of us in chips and see if the birds would eat them. The chips, not the person. We all reluctantly agreed to take part, putting all our legs together in a star and having the boiling hot chips scattered on ourselves. They were quite literally burning us. And the seagulls weren't even bothered, if anything they flew further away!

After clearning up our mess, we headed back to the hostel. Aquiles, Mario and I found a seat at the bar. I was tired but not ready for bed just yet. I got an iced water, or two, and we chatted about all sorts. History, economics, travel, people, transportation. We got into a discussion about which side of the road was the correct one to drive on. Obviously I was vying for left. We agreed to disagree in the end, it was time for bed!

~

I was the first to arrive in reception the next morning, ready and raring to go. The best way to get around the island was by 4x4, open-top 'Barbie' jeeps. We were being collected at 8.30 to be driven to ours. After my driving experience on Fraser Island I wasn't sure I wanted to drive again. However, as soon as I found out there wasn't any sand driving involved I put my name down immediately. We had two jeeps between us, with myself and Rosie as drivers. Niki had requested manuals because "it's more fun", I couldn't wait to get going. In my turquoise car was Niki, Aquiles and Gabi.

It felt great to be behind the wheel again and I was out onto the main road in no time. Rosie had a little more difficulty with her clutch and gear box, but she figured it out and we were both off. First stop was the IGA to grab breakfast and wallaby food. Once I'd parked up, both Aquiles and Gabi commented on my skills, saying I was a "natural". We hadn't done anything too difficult just yet, but I was glad they had faith in me as their chauffeur. I bought bananas for the wallabies, one for myself, a turkey baguette, and a few snacks for the day.

Niki had warned me she was terrible with directions, but I didn't realise just how bad. Luckily I could read signs and got us on the right road. Unfortunately, we stil missed the turn off for Geoffrey Bay, so had to do a few manoeuvres. I'm sure Niki would love to pretend she was just testing our driving skills, but she really just couldn't remember which road we'd needed. We pulled up alongside each other and all jumped out. We grabbed our bananas and carrots and moved towards the rocks. There was a permanent population of rock wallabies here that we could hand feed! They were so funny, you would hold out a piece of fruit and they hop closer and closer, quickly grab it and retreat. Some were happy to stay and sit right beside us, munching on their banana.

Once all of our food had been eaten, we went back to the cars. Just in front of our parking spot was a small ledge to sit on and look out over the sea. There was a huge school of rainbow fish right below us. Niki had bought bread to feed them, and even suggested we get in there and swim alongside. It looked way too cold for me, and it was too early to be getting wet. We all just sat and threw the bread instead. They were jumping about all over the place to get their share, I've never seen fish move so fast. While we were there, we saw some divers wading into the sea. Apparently there was a navy shipwreck not too far off the coast that could be explored.

Staying with a wildlife theme, our next drive took us to find koalas. Loka had an agreement with a family that had wild koalas on their land. We could go and watch them and take photos as long as we didn't tell anyone else where they were. This was understandable, otherwise they'd end up with hoards of tourists everyday. A drive through the suburbs proved tricky for Niki's navigational skills again. We got a little lost and took a turn too soon. Instead of koalas, we found German Sheppards! Finally, we were on the right road and pulled up near the gum trees in question. Mario was the first to spot some, a mother and joey sitting high in the trees. They were so cute, completely unbothered by us excitedly snapping away below them. We tried to see if we could find anymore, but to no avail. We bid farewell to our new friends and piled back into the cars.

We now had a short drive along the main road to get to the Forts Walk. The day was warming up and I was glad we didn't have a roof, feeling the wind against my skin was a nice relief. The car park was really busy so we had to drive further down the road. This was the beginnings of a four wheel drive track, so was a bit difficult to reverse. We had to be right off the edge so as not to block the road. I got so far but knew I wouldn't be able to park properly, so handed over to Niki. Luckily, she managed to fit right next to the bush with little trouble. We grabbed the essentials and were ready to get going.

Magnetic Island was useful in WWII as gave the infantry a 300° view of Coral Bay and became a location full of forts, command posts, gun stations and ammunition huts. The trail would take us along a ridge behind the bays below and on to the renaining infastructures. The more we walked, the hotter it seemed to become. We were heading higher to the lookouts, with an abundance of steps. Just what I wanted when I was already sweating. Mario did spot a koala high up in one of the gum trees that provided a nice distraction. There was just the one this time, an adorable lump of fluff resting on the branches.

We reached the topmost lookout, an old observation tower. Here, we were able climb right on top of the roof and be on the watch for any enemy action. Luckily for us, those days were long gone and we could just enjoy the incredible view. There was also some information to read, accounts from veterans, wives and children who had incredible stories of the war, and the role of the Forts. Somehow seven had become three, us three English girls had lost the others. We weren't sure if they had already began their descent or if they were waiting somewhere for us. We tried shouting out into the bush, fat lot of good that did. I remembered I had Niki's number.. but no signal to call her. In the end, we just headed down the path, listening out for them along the way.

We found Niki and Mario towards the end of the track, so proud of ourselves for going the right way! The others were waiting in the car park, while they were going to fill up the water bottles. We cheekily handed our now empty bottles over too and went to start on lunch. I was so hungry after the busy morning we'd had. I sat on the ground and started on my turkey baguette. Then who should I see but Paddy, the crazy Irish lad from Fraser! We had a quick catch up before the others returned and we were off to our next stop.

Niki was very excited for our drive down to Radical Beach, saying it was a "proper 4x4 territory". I was looking forward to doing some serious driving, down on the dirt track and on to the beach. I just hoped I could do everyone proud and not get us stuck somewhere. I have to say, potholes had never been as fun! It was awesome, I didn't even try and avoid them but just went with the flow. Aquiles and Gabi were loving it, being in the back they felt it even more. We arrived on to the beach "carpark" and I reversed between two palm trees. Just because I could, and it was aesthetically pleasing. Looking through the trees to the beach I was amazed. It was stunning!

I left my shoes in the car, grabbing the rest of my lunch and beach essentials. We walked across the soft sand and found a shaded spot behind a cluster of large rocks. Perfect for eating and keeping our water cool. I finished my lunch pretty quickly so that I could get tanning. I then saw Aquiles jump into the water and decided I'd rather cool off in the sea too. It was the perfect temperature, not too hot and not too cold. There was barely any tide or current, the water was so still it was like being in a swimming pool. I swam parallel with the shore, all the way from one side of the bay to the other and back again.

I dragged myself out of the sea and grabbed my towel. Now was time to dry off and relax. I picked a nice flat spot on the rocks, slapped on some suncream, and closed my eyes. I woke up maybe half hour later and swapped sides. The next time I woke up Mario and Aquiles were paddling their feet. I climbed down, dug out my camera and got my feet wet. The view of the beach from the sea was just as stunning as that out to sea. The lush forest and tall palm trees epitomised paradise. Far too soon, it was time to dry off again and get back in the jeeps.

Driving back up was even more fun, I loved getting a bit of speed on and really attacking the potholes. I had to keep stopping whenever I lost sight of the others in the mirror. This happened surprisingly often, in the end Niki told me to just gun it up to the top and we'd wait there. I was getting a bit worried when I hadn't seen them for a full five minutes after we arrived. Finally, Rosie came chugging up the hill, they'd been going as fast as they could! We were all desperate for a toilet stop next, cue an IGA detour. Aquiles and Gabi then wanted to enjoy an alcoholic beverage with their sunset, so we stopped again at a bottleo. Finally, we could head over to the other side of the island to West Point.

There weren't many people on this beach, so we had a nice big section just to ourselves. It was the perfect spot to watch the sun go down, being the most westerly point and offering views for miles. I was so content, sitting on my towel and enjoying my crackers and dip. The colours as the sky gradually turned from day to night were beautiful, the sun bathed the sea, the sand, the trees and us in her gorgeous golden hue. We had a rather opportunist photo shoot, making the most of the glorious view. It was over before we knew it and we had to get back to the hostel.

There are very few street lights on the island, and definitely none on the first half of the journey. I was a little nervous as my lights weren't that strong, and I knew the road winded around a fair bit. Thankfully, we got onto the main road with no issues and reached the hostel in no time. It was a quick turnaround, we were meeting back within the hour to drive to Base, the other hostel on the island. Typically, we had to queue for the shower. When it was finally my turn, I only had about five minutes until I had to be at the cars. The quickest shower I've had in a long time, scraping my hair into a bun, chucking my clothes back on meant I was ready with time to spare.

I rushed over to the carpark, thinking I was late. In actual fact, I was the first to arrive. Aquiles wasn't joining us, but we still had to take both cars to fit the rest of us in. We were heading to "boozy bingo", so myself and Niki were the deso drivers. We arrived just in time to order food, I went for beef nachos, and sign up for bingo. The food was good, and the game was hilarious. I bumped into Paddy again, and saw Alice and Nikki from PowerPlay. It's always such a great seeing people again, especially when its a surprise. Once the game was over, I didn't win, I had a little boogie and drove myself and Mario home. I was so tired, I made a half attempt at packing my belongings away before crawling into bed.