A Date with 'our Maggy'

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Magnetic Island

We drove around 500km from Uncle Gordons (Wonga Beach) to Townsville, where we booked a trip to Maggy Island. For $89 (36quid) we got two nights accommodation at a wicked hostel situated on a stunning beach, free meal, free breakfast, free cocktail jug, free internet, free kayaking around the bays, and a return ferry ticket to the main land.

Magnetic Island has a real lazy and relaxed vide. The are four tiny beach villages, great bush walks, and many stunning tranquil bays that you can have all to yourself. Giant granit rocks and boulders, hoop pines, and eucalypts cover the Island, half of which is national park and a haven for rock-wallabies, bush-tail possums, giant fruit bats, and Koala bears! The surrounding waters are part of the great Barrier Reef world herritage area, so needless to say that the snorkelling was proper fab! Captain Cook named Magnetic Island in 1770 when his ships compass couln't make a reading, it was later discovered that the Island is not magnetic. Dubbed.

For a mere $60 Ally and I rented out a proper little Susuki 4x4, as many of the beautiful and remote bays were only accessible this way. We drove to a remote part of the Island called West Point, is was completely empty and the sun set was breathtaking!! It was brilliant fun burning around the empty sand tracks, no-one lives out there, so we could really step on the gas and do 'doughnuts' on the beach, wheel spins, etc...the car was proper, very small, but powerful (and safe)!!

It was Nelly Bay (the hostel beach) where we met up with Anne Osbourne, the only person from home that either of us had seen in 5 months!!..which was wicked! We went out for Mexicans, lazed on beaches, caught up on all the gossip from Bristol, drank a 'moderate/lethal' amount of swill, and had a proper good laugh!

Maggy Island was a pretty special place, i'm glad we went there.

Beautiful Bowen

From Townville, squirt and I drove 300km down the Bruce highway to small town called Bowen. Bowen was around the halfway mark between Townsville and Airlie, and we originally inteded to stay overnight....until we saw the bays!!

Bowen has a thriving fruit and vegetable 'scene' man!! Most travellers visit for seasonal picking work - which dosen't particular take my fancy, as most get paid 40cents (8p) for every 4 kilo of fruit that you pick and carry to the factory! That means you have lift a shed load of fruit to earn anything substantial. Or, you could do labouring on a building site, and earn $35 (14quid) and hour!!

Anyway, aside from the fruit & veg scene, we drove around the surrounding coastline and found some stunning bays. One in particular, called Hourseshoe Bay, was so nice that we camped there for five days! It really was proper lush, with excellent weather, really great snorkelling - in fact better than the barrier reef trip we did in Port Douglas - as the limestone rocks surrounding the bay harboured many varieties of fish, and lots of them too! The bays were also fairly empty, which is amazing when you think that palces North or South of Bowen are rammed with holiday makers & backpackers! During our time on the beach we even saw humpback whales breaching and playing in small pods!

Bowen was a good place to relax and save money for the Whitsundays, and wild nights out at Airlie beach!

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Photos

Me in 4x4 at West Point
..check out the doughnut ring!

Ally and Anne
...keep practising those pouts!

Horsehoe Bay - Maggy Island
nice boats init

Bowen
...we would never have found this place without our camper cow

Comments

[Anne]

Magnetic to Bristol :-(
Hey Nick & Ali! Finally you sent me your link to your blog page. I have to admit, reading your update has gave me a deep sicky feeling in my stomach, I think it's called Jealously!!! I haven't had the feeling for a long time, as I was there with you guys just over a month ago... LIVING THE DREAM! Now back to normality. You are missing so much here, life is amazing, Bristol is banging, everything is going on... NOT! Help me!!! I really wished I'd rearranged my flight like we talked about. The home buzz lasted about 3 weeks then to other people it's like you've never even been away! I have to remind everyone, I didn't watch Big Brother this year, I didn't know how hot it was in England this summer, I don't know sang that song because I WASN'T IN THE COUNTRY! I've just realised that this comment is just one big moan!! Sorry! But I thought I'd let you know that everyone is Jealous and missing you lots. Happy now! See you in March. Xx

[Cheryl]

You found our secret!
Hey you two - you found our secret hideaway - Horshoe Bay. The first time we ever saw it Eric & I said we are gonna go live there one day - it's that beautiful. Glad you found it too.