Got up, packed and checked out of Base. One of the guys in my room had heard that the hostel a few doors down did a free shuttle to the bus terminal so we sat in their reception and were able to get on the bus :) no 20 minute walk with backpacks for us!
We got the seat right at the front of the greyhound bus so had great viewsof the Australian countryside. :)
Bus view
Got a free transfer to the hostel. The hostel also seemed to be offering a free matchmaking service as the lady of reception kept asking is any of us wanted to have a double room! I somehow managed to book the only room in the hostel without air con!
Wandered down to Woolworths to stock up on some food and then sat down with a cup of tea to relax.
With two of the people that I'd met we walked up to the top of castle hill. We walked along the goat track and you really needed to have the balance and hill climbing ability to walk it. The path was steps but they were uneven and at different heights and felt vertical at points. And whilst we were red, sweaty and huffing and puffing our way up all the locals where jogging past us with their dogs! Felt so unfit.
(Australia seems to be a country of extremes: weather, dangerous animals and fitness. You don't seem to get many average fitness Aussies. They are either super healthy or completely the opposite. Kind of how I imagine America is.)
The views from the top of the hill over Magnetic island were beautiful but unfortunately it was rather cloudy just on the horizon at the exact spot where the sun would set so we didn't get to see it set :(
Walking buddies and magnetic island
Castle hill
Once I'd sorted myself out at the hostel Simon (the guy on the walk) and cooked potentially one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Not just in Australia but anywhere in the world. We had some delicious mixed seafood from the fresh fish counter in a lime and chilli sauce that you cook in the over with roasted peppers, onions and mushrooms served on pasta! Oh it was amazing. We completely over estimated how much pasta and seafood we'd need so I probably ate 2 portions worth but was happy to do so!
Yum
Had a super cool evening playing the Australian edition of monopoly before going to bed. The amount of rules that I thought were real but turns out are only house rules is ridiculous! I lost completely! I spent most of the game not passing go and going straight to jail! And the Swiss girl who had somehow never played monopoly before destroyed us all! Never underestimate the power of the stations!
Day 47: Magnetic Island
Woke up early and had a lovely chat with Will. Still struggling with the whole other side of the world one person is going to be whilst the other is waking up! And that my feet are pointing people in the UK's feet!
Took the bus down with two of the girls in my room towards the 'rock pool' which is the area you can swim in in Townsville as not only does Townsville have stingers they are also sitting on a shark breaking ground! So there are all these amazing beaches with no one on them! We'd gone there as just in the sea past the rock pool there were lots of turtles living. It was a bit windy to the water wasn't calm enough to see them below the surface but you could see them coming up to breath which was cool.
We walked back to the hostel along the beach front and then down the Main Street so I can now say I've seen the main bits of Townsville.
Picked up the luggage from the hostel, got the bus back to the ferry port and then got the ferry across to Magnetic Island. Got the island bus down to the hostel. It travels such a ridiculous route. It goes in circles at times. Drove past the same supermarket 3 times!
Got to the hostel which has potentially the most beautiful setting of any hostel! Lots of little bungalows overlooking the sea.
View from my dorm door
Marc (who I met in the Whitsundays) and I got the bus across the island to do the walk up, with a Swedish girl we met on the way, to the old fort. We were pretty lucky as we got there just as the ranger reopened the track after the work they'd been doing on it that morning. It was a hot walk up but we say a big koala and a baby koala in a tree which was really cool and we got some great views on the walk.
Sleepy koala
View from the top.
We were really lucky that the bus was running slightly behind schedule so we didn't miss it and got the bus across to picnic bay for a cool down swim in the stinger net (can only swim where these are on the beaches otherwise you need a stinger suit).
Got the bus back to the hostel and showered and then had a lovely veggie burger for dinner (it was part of the package I'd booked) and a few drinks with the Marc and Tristan (a French guy I met on Fraser). Our evening could have been the start of a terrible joke... "There was an English girl, a French guy and a German guy playing pool..." and some I actually did alright! I lost to Tristan but was so lucky in my game against Marc. I'd aim for one thing and end up potting something else!
Pool
Chilled out on the decking area and then headed to bed as my legs were killing me from all the hill walking in the last 2 days.
Day 48: Magnetic Island
Caught the bus around the island first thing to Horseshoe Bay for my horse ride. I had a lovely Bay horse called Cougar who was very cheeky but I loved him. It was such a good couple of hours; we walked and trotted through the bush down to the beach. Obviously Cougar decided at points that trotting was too slow so I was in a gallop at times. It's really strange when they go between the two speeds as you can feel that how their legs are moving has changed!
We rode down the beach which was such an experience in itself and then dismounted, took off the saddles, changed into our stinger suits and rode bare back into to sea. :) can't begin to describe how cool that feels!
Beach riding
On the way back it rained a bit which was lovely as it was so hot and muggy before hand.
Wandered down to the beach where I was planning on having a smoked salmon brioche at noodies (as recommended by Mozza) but they were on their 2 week holiday so I ended up going to Nan's tea shop which was run by an English Lady and served Devonshire Tea. I ended up completely spoiling myself having a latte, a chicken and avocado wrap and then a slice of rocky road cake... Not very good for the budget but very tasty!
Had an unplanned nap on the beach at horseshoe bay and then went to bungalow bay yha for the wildlife show.
Got to hold and stroke so many different animals; snakes, turtles, lizards and a koala! And I met a girl I used to woke with at Twickenham! We had both recognised each other and after going through where we went to school and stuff we finally worked it out! "It's a small world" is such a true song!
Koala!
Frill necked Dragon
Afterwards we got to feed the wild lorikeets. The sound they made was so loud and so high pitched- it was horrible and deafening. We were give a bready mush to hold and they climbed all over you to get some.
Got the bus to Geoffry Bay where I went to see the rock wallabies and admired the view.
Stopped in the super market on the way home and bought some veg and tomato sauce to go with the pasta and then cooked again! Still have some chicken flavoured instant noodles in my cool bag but atm I'm all on the cooking!
Showered, sorted out my stuff and chatted to the parents then had a pretty chilled evening. I was feeling tired around 9pm so decided not to fight it (even though I know it meant I was going to be up at some stupidly early time the next day) and just get an early night. The girls in my room where having an early night too so chatted to them before falling asleep.
Day 49: Magnetic island and travelling to Cairns.
Slept for such a long time! Didn't wander to the beach until 8am. Cannot believe today is the first day of December! Don't even feel slightly Christmassy! Even though I've seen Christmas trees in the towns and Christmas decorations it can't be Christmas when just sitting still in the sun at 8 causes you break into a sweat!
Tristan and I went for an round trip walk in morning up to the top of the look out point. Even though we started walking at 1030 we were so sweaty by the time we got to the top and were so thankful for the sea breeze. Worth the walk for the views back over the hostel.
Base is on the near side of the further beach.
Soon as we got back we jumped straight into the pool to cool down and then showered and sat in the shade until we had to leave for the bus. Such a pleasure not feeling sun-creamy during the day!
Got the bus to the ferry terminal and then the ferry back across to the mainland. I have decided that magnetic island is secretly Tracey island from thunderbirds! It looks so much like it!
Back on the mainland I got the greyhound all the way up to Cairns. We arrived at about 8.30pm and walked to the hostel. Tristan had booked the same one as me a couple of weeks ago before we'd even met! Nice having someone you know in the hostel!
No comments:
Post a Comment