We're not late, we're on island time!

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Hello to anyone still reading along! Our latest update is from Magnetic Island, just off the coast of Townsville. We bussed up from Airlie Beach, thankfully a short ride, and caught the ferry across to the island (called Maggie by locals). As soon as we sat down on the ferry the skies open and rain poured down like it was the end of the world... we were happy to be undercover! As our 20 minute voyage continued, it was rather choppy and we narrowly missed being soaked by ocean water, but we arrived successfully to sun! We took the city bus to our hostel, Base, and checked in after a long wait at reception (apparently the locals are all on Island Time).

The hostel was quite impressive. It had mixed reviews online, mostly due to the puny size of the rooms (true, the rooms are miniscule and there isn't enough room for everyone to put their stuff). However, the complex itself is beautiful and spacious, like a bit of backpacker paradise. There was an enormous bar, a pool, hammocks, large grassy expanses, and best of all it was set right on the beach. We had arrived halfway through the day, so rather than embark on an ambitious hike we just wandered along the beach to the shops, bought some dinner and had a drink on the beach. That night we had some beverages with our roommies and turned in early.

Day two dawned cloudy and humid. Not great for suntanning, but ideal for the hike we had planned. Tj and I set out with our friend Kate from Germany. Our goal was to hike from our bay across the island to Horseshoe Bay following both roads and trails. It was a great success! We spotted two koalas in the wild and managed to avoid snakes. We also did the popular Forts loop to the remains of the fort built by the Aussies during the war to protect against invasion. Two of the original structures are still there. One is now home to some rather excitable bats that seemed curious about our intrusion. The other more commonly visited structure stands atop a hill and rewards hikers with a panoramic view of the island. From there we continued on to Horseshoe bay for lunch. We caught the bus back since our legs were exhausted after more than 10km of hiking. The local bus was hilarious, arriving late, weaving through many streets in an indirect route, and seemingly picking up passengers from their own driveways.

Our third day also had "hiking weather" so TJ and I walked to nearby picnic bay. On our way we hiked up to another great view spot for a look across the island. Picnic bay was almost eerily deserted. I can only assume that it was once the ferry dock and economic hub of the island and that tourist dollars have become more scarce since the dock moved to Nelly Bay. We then hiked to Cockle Bay and were able to see an old shipwreck offshore. Another successful hike, but we spent the afternoon relaxing and playing cards since our legs were tired.

So yeah, a good visit to Maggie. A highlight of our stay there was our great roommates. On the first night our roomie Michael decided to pull a prank on TJ and put peanuts in his pillow, to the amusement of everyone else. TJ got revenge on the second night and filled Mike's bed with cornflakes. We though Mike hadn't bothered to retaliate on the third night until we stripped our beds this morning and found TJ's pillow to be filled with dry macaroni!

We are home next wednesday, so it won't be too long until we see you guys! Meanwhile, we're in Mission Beach, a popular destination for skydivers..... It's also known for its cassowarys, giant 6-foot-tall birds that look a bit like ostriches. More updates coming soon!

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Comments

[Peter]

Horseshoe Bay
So it's only a short ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Australia? Why the hell do I bother going to Nanaimo then?!?!?