A Week on Magnetic Island

Townsville is one of the bigger cities in Queensland with a population of 120,000 who mostly serve in the armed forces or work in the mines in the outback and use Townsville as their base during their time off. The town itself is a sprawling mass of houses and bars, and the main attractions are often cruelly described as Cairns (a town several hundred kilometres north) and Magnetic Island, 10km off the shore. And after a day and a night in Townsville, where we caught up with Matt returning from the copper mine at Mount Isa, it was time to see visit of those attractions – Maggie Island.

The 15 minute ferry journey from Townsville was choppy, but quick and after a short bus journey from the harbour to gave us a glimpse of the tropical island before dropping us of at our hostel, Bungalow Bay. The accommodation at the hostel is mainly A-frame 'bungalows' scattered throughout six acres of bushland, so we dumped our bags in one of them and headed straight for the beach. Standing with the sand between my toes, I realized it had been nearly six months since I had been on a beach; and although that was because I much prefer trekking through the bush than paddling at the water front, I vowed to spend some serious time laying in the sun and listening to the sounds of the waves whilst I was here.

Close to the beach was a convenient pub, so we sat outside with a few cold beers and discussed our plans for the next few days. Matt had been on the island several times, so with him as our guide, we planned a 12km walk for the following day to explore some of the islands secluded bays.

The day was hot, dry, and clear – so even though the scrambling through small tracks was hard work it wasn't too uncomfortable. And at each bay we arrived at we could cool down in the water and dry off in the sun before wandering on to the next bay. We even saw a group of humpback whales off the coast as we were sitting under a palm on one of the beaches. One of the peaks of the island is renowned for the beautiful views at the top and the koalas living in the trees on its slopes – so our final slog for the day was up to the old WW II lookout built at the top of this hill. It didn't take long for me to spot a sleepy grey lump nestled in between two branches, and I watched him yawning, growling, and dozing for about twenty minutes. He was completely indifferent to my presence and only looked up lazily when I made some noises to get his attention and quickly returned to his afternoon nap. Further up the track we found another large male who was also growling and grumbling to no one in particular – but the highlight of the day was coming across a mother and joey as we were returning down the hillside. They were awake and looking around when we spotted them, and gradually began making their way up the branches to get some dinner. The joey clung to the mother's back until her weight prevented her from getting any higher and then the joey set out on its own, under the ever vigilant gaze of mum, to get the tender eucalyptus tips on the thin top branches.

There is an amazing amount of wildlife on the island. Some of it uniquely found here, and a lot of it is indigenous but animals like the koalas and a few of the other endangered species were brought over here when extinction seemed likely on the mainland. The possums however are not endangered by any means, and manage to get everywhere. Some consider them pests and vermin but their playful demeanour and inherent cuteness makes it difficult for us tourists to dislike these animals that pop up as soon as people start preparing dinner in the evenings. They know exactly where to go to scrounge the best meals! And of course there are the usual hoards of wallaby and pademelon in the fields at dusk.

There are also 150 different bird species living on the island such as sea eagles wedge-tail eagles, ospreys, owls, hawks, bush hens, kingfishers, pheasants, lorakeets, parrots, and curlews. The lorakeets are beautiful and very tame, and swarm down in their hundreds to eat food offered by the tourists. Not so amiable however are the curlews, a type of plover, which gracefully struts around the island but enjoys shrieking a piercing, haunted scream when it feels threatened, or lost, or finds food, or apparently whenever it feels like it. Usually in the early hours of the morning.

There are plenty of interesting plants on the island, too. Massive tropical leaves line the roads, up to 30ft tall, and there are dozens of different palms on the island. I saw a sign that warned of falling fruit – quite a risk when the fruits are as big as paw paws or coconuts; and when you aren't looking out for attacks from above, it's helpful to keep an eye on the floor as there are plenty of vicious spiders and snakes around, including the notorious death adder which I'm sure needs no further explanation. There are also some pretty nasty ants with green abdomens filled with formic acid – the same acid that gives citrus fruits their sharpness – so you can imagine what it feels like when they bite. Like a lemon squeezed into a fresh cut. But also like a lemon, the ants can be turned into a tea, or just licked on the bum to get a lovely burst of sour freshness. Yummy!

One morning I got up early to have breakfast with the koalas in the neighbouring sanctuary, which gave me an opportunity to eat and drink loads (a breakfast is only worth getting up early for if its a self-service buffet served with champagne) and get close to some of the animals. Barney the koala was a heavy but cooperative lump of grey fur that smelt like a mixture between eucalyptus and sweaty arse, and quite happily went to sleep as soon as he found a comfortable way to nestle between my arms and chest – though being a 'boob man', he did seem to have a more contented smile on his face when the girls were holding him. There were also cockatoos, crocodiles and carpet pythons which came out to join us for brekky, and later we were able to explore the rest of the sanctuary and had an opportunity to handle some of the other animals like the lizards and echidnas that hadn't made it to breakfast. The guy that showed us around was an obvious reptile lover, and told us plenty of interesting things about them. He was particularly impassioned by the fate of the crocodiles – all twenty-three species of which are endangered, yet they are still being farmed for their leather and meat. People tend to turn a blind eye, maybe because it is a reptile and people have difficulty relating to them compared with cute and cuddly pandas, or maybe because of their reputation as man-eaters. Even though only thirty-eight people have been killed by crocodiles in Australia in 200 years, and all have been either drunk Australians or German tourists splashing through known crocodile infestations at night when the crocs are most active. Either way, I don't think the poor fellows can be blamed for getting a little snappy.

Yet more wild life lurked beneath the waters, so on a couple of days we hired some snorkelling gear and went for a swim around the reefs. Water is not something I'm particularly comfortable in and putting my head under the surface and breathing through the snorkel felt very unnatural at first, but the lure of brightly coloured curios swimming amongst the corals made me forget about my apprehensions and soon I was gliding along with the little box fish, rass, and huge green and blue parrot fish that had also come to spend a day out on the reefs.

Tropical islands encourage a certain way of life from their inhabitants, where daily activities start when the sun comes up and end shortly after it has set. The days here have been beautiful, with clear skies and extraordinary heat that invokes a fabulous laziness – whether that is spent lying on beaches or lazing outside bars. The heat can be quite energy sapping, so bars and restaurants close early so their employees and patrons alike can get a good night's sleep before the day's routines start again – but there are hidden pockets of night-life on the island for the discerning party-goer to seek out and enjoy! The hostel has a bar next to a pool which is open later than any other in Horseshoe Bay – sometimes 10pm – and it is there that the locals and travellers can often be found towards the end of the night. So when the number of beers consumed is just right, that is also where the plans for parties are hatched, and from there we met some great locals – Aussies and Brits – who were always up for a good time.

Let the parties begin!