DAY 5 - Townsville - Magnetic Island
To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and modern Townsville was. The historic high streets were alive with cafes nicely decorated in a quaint way that belies the modern sea port just a few km away.
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We took the Magnetic Island ferry ($47 for a family of 4) across the straight for a quick 20 minute crossing. We'd decided to hire the Mini Moke rather than use the bus service. |
For those of you who know me, the Moke was
a tight fit. Getting the little buggy into reverse required
some unnatural contortions. The island speed limit is 60 km/hr
but 40 km/hr suited us as the use of 4th gear was limited by
the ergonomics of a vehicle designed for those with a lesser
stature. The speedo max indication of 140 km/hr was ambitious
we thought.
 We found a short bush walk before lunch and found some interesting little lizards with orange heads. We were also fortunate to observe a wild bush turkey foraging on the hillside, an eagle riding the air currents over the beach, little swimmer crabs buried in the sand, lorikeets chattering in the trees and guinnea fowl foraging in a field. Our lunch stop found us at a pub on Horseshoe Bay followed by a kids swim in the balmy shallow waters with a gentle lapping surf. Our selection of holiday in August was well chosen as there was no danger of the stinging jellyfish normally active from November to May. Back at the camp the kids went on a successful frog hunt - two green rainforest tree frogs were discovered. On returning to the cabin we had a special treat - 2 geckos standing guard over our door hunting fat juicy moths and mozzies.
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