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| koala cuddles |
We spent four lovely days at Magnetic Island, off the coast of Townsville. A beautiful small island with Horseshoe Bay on the north side, it was a great place to anchor for a little protection from the SE prevailing winds and swells. We arrived at 5AM following an overnight passage from the Whitsundays and after napping a few hours we set out for the
Bungalow Bay Koala Village, 10 minutes from where we brought Joy (our dinghy) ashore. Needless to say, cuddling a koala was top of the list. However the other local residents, including Shadow the red-tailed black cockatoo, Harry the southern hairy-nosed wombat, Eddie the Echidna, and an assortment of lizards, crocs and snakes, were fun to learn about, hold and interact with.
The following day we took a hike to the old Fort, with splendid views in every direction. THE highlight of the walk wasn't the fort itself, but seeing a wild koala. Magnetic Island has the largest and healthiest population of wild koalas in all of Australia, with 900 on the island.
We met some new cruising friends and were invited to join them at their bungalow for a barbecue and to do laundry... always a challenge for live-aboard cruisers.
All in all we had a wonderful stay here and would recommend a visit to Magnetic Island for anyone coming to the central Queensland coast.
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| Roger and the snake. The snake and Roger. |
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| A fashionable hat is always in good taste! |
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| Wild koala on Forts Walk! |
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| View of Horseshoe Bay from Forts Walk |
with Equanimity and Joy
