Life's amazing on Maggie Island!

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Still on Magnetic Island and am loving it here!! I managed to find a job at Horseshoe Ranch. It's has the only horses on the island and is just a 15/20minute walk from the beach at Horseshoe Bay. Basically we get up and feed the horses at 6am, breakfast at 6.30am, then back out at 7.30am to get the horses tacked up. At 9am we take the morning ride out - an hour through the bush then along the sand at Horseshoe Bay. We jump off, take off saddles, put on stinger suits (it's Box Jellyfish season!) then ride the horses in to the water. It's amazing! After we've gone through the water for a while, we stop and demonstrate a few "tricks" - turning around on the horses backs, horse surfing (we stand up on them!) then standing on their bums before jumping/diving off! We put the saddles back on and ride home and have lunch at 11.45am. Then at 1.00pm we repeat the whole thing again! BEST JOB EVER!!

Today we got a surprise day off - there's a cyclone up the coast a little bit so the weather is shocking! (Feels a bit like I'm back at home!!!) Sam (the girl who owns the ranch - she's only 21!), Suzie and I headed for the beach at Arcadia, one of the other three populated areas on the island (most of it is a national park). Despite the very heavy rain we all bought bodyboards and flippers and headed out in to the sea, deciding that the 'no swimming' sign was more of a suggestion than a rule! (the lifeguards were happy enough to let us go out on the boards so that was good enough for us!) Sam said it was some of the biggest waves she'd seen on the island! IT WAS AMAZING!!! Think we might go back this afternoon, before heading to the pub for a well earned drink!

So I'm going to be on Maggie Island until the 31st of Jan then I'm flying back to Brissis for a night. One of Suzie's friends from England is going to meet us there and drive us down the coast to Sydney. Suzie and I managed to get tickets for Top Gear Live in Sydney on the 7th Feb which will be awesome, then who knows!!

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Photos

What a job!
Taking the horses along the beach

Suzie
Riding Bobby

In the water
Taking the horses through the water

Kylie
A bit of horse surfing

Margharita night
The girls - Kylie, Suzie, me, Karina and Sam

Kylie
Who needs a glass?!?!

Finished!
Sam and Karina

On the way home
Me and Kylie

Comments

[Audrey WAlker]

Mum here
Great to hear you on the phone last night Sands - and well done for the 13th BLOG. I check every day you know!Island sounds, and looks, amazing. Not too keen to hear you went into sea when a no swimming notice was up - remember to take care! Jellyfish give me the collywobbles too! Hear from you soon. Love mum XXX