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Published: February 11th 2009
Ferry to Magnetic Island
Looking back at TownsvilleThe ferry ride out to Magnetic Island was incredibly beautiful, but after having a goodbye night out the previous night, we were in pain. We were so anxious to get out to Magnetic Island because we had heard so many great things about the island!
We arrived into our hostel, which was another 'Base' hostel. This hostel was not like others, however. The bunks were separated into different cabins, so unique from anything else we had seen this far. It was a very quiet island, but our hostel seemed to be pretty busy. There was a bar right on sight, a pool by the ocean (that you weren't allowed to swim in because of the stingers) and kayaking available.
We spent the first day relaxing by the beach and pool. We felt like we wanted a day of rest after working for 3 weeks straight. It felt so amazing not to have any obligations and just relax once again. We are so lucky. We got to know people in our hostel and continued to read and soak up the beautiful Australian sun.
Our second day we spent with another Canadian we had met. We went on a wonderful,
unforgettable hike through a national park. Magnetic Island is actually a Koala Sanctuary and we were incredibly excited to explore the forests for these gum-tree loving, grey, slow fuzz balls! We took a 30 minute bus to this particular area in the national park where Koala's are sometimes seen. Eyes bright and heart racing, we began our hike through the forest. Our eyes glued to the gum trees for hope of a sighting.. we were so excited! We managed to see three different sightings, and it was normally just random that we actually found them - luck. We had spoke with other hikers who hadn't seen any at all. Two of the three Koala's had babies with them, which was actually the cutest thing I have ever seen. It was adorable! The Koala Bears are too slow for words do not move from the gum trees for 20 hours in a day. It has been said that they are drugged from the eucalyptus.. however, they actually just sit up in the trees for hours because the eucalyptus doesn't give them enough nutrition. We also had different spottings of Rainbow Lorikeet Birds, Magpie Birds and Owls (how random - and during
the day). During this hike we made it up to a beautiful tower at the top of the hill. It was so amazing to overlook the forest and ocean.. it was breathtaking.
We spent another night at the hostel and the following morning we woke early to go for a kayak. It was peaceful and incredibly beautiful. After getting back onto the bus, we took a ferry back to Townsville. We wanted to continue on our journey so we decided to catch another bus that evening and head to MacKay (pronounced Mac-I).
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