After arriving at Townsville Station mid afternoon on Saturday we checked into our new hostel, the Reef Lodge and rushed off to the supermarket before it closed otherwise we'd actually have to pay good money for dinner rather than cooking it on the cheap for ourselves! We didn't do much else on Saturday evening as we were pretty tired from travelling all day, we just continued our "Yahtzee" championship!
On Sunday we decided to head out after an early lunch to see a bit of what Townsville had to offer. Conveniently there was a market in the main shopping area which was nice to browse and we also saw/heard a man playing a traditional didgeridoo. It's fantastic the noises that some people can make as these seem pretty hard to play.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on "The Strand" which is the seafront and runs the length of the town, a good kilometre or two. It was a really nice walk and we stopped and lazed on the beach occasionally. We also cooled off in the sea, albeit within a "stinger net" which is a big enclosure to keep stingers (jellyfish) out. We walked the entire length of the strand and at the end there is an artificial "Rock Pool" which is just another swimming lagoon surrounded by grassy banks and overlooking the ocean and Magnetic Island, where we were heading next.
After checking out on Monday morning, we headed straight for the ferry that would take us over
to Magnetic Island. To say that our hostel, the "Travellers Hideaway" (self proclaimed "No 1 resort on Magnetic Island") was unexpected and disappointing would be a massive understatement. However, to say our room felt like a prison cell would actually be quite accurate. My friend Dan had already been to Magnetic Island and recommended "Base Backpackers" but we thought it was a little expensive........how I wish I'd paid a little extra now! At our hostel there seemed to be maybe 4 other people, 2 of them long term. Luckily the other two were really friendly and had actually been in Megan's dive group back in Cairns. Michael was from Ireland and Alexis was from America and luckily they were just as disappointed with the hostel as us, which was at least a great starting point for conversation!!
Aside from the hostel, Magnetic Island really is a beautiful place, a real tropical paradise. There is not a lot there and really can really feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. The four of us went off on a "Fort Walk" that afternoon through the wildlife up to some WWII ruins. There were a couple of gun points just in case anyone tried to attack Townsville as it was a busy port back then. It turns out though that the guns were never fired in anger, however, they were once fired in "mild surprise" when a US ship turned up un-announced but that was the most action they saw! The main reason for going on this walk was actually to try and spot Koalas as all the literature said this was the best place and time. Unfortunately we didn't see any at all but we weren't surprised. If I was a koala I wouldn't live right next to a path with loads of gawping humans either! We did see some other wildlife including the 9th poisonous snake in the world (so I'm told), the aptly named Death Adder. Mainly because of his name we turned back when we came across him, didn't fancy being bitten at the highest point in a heavily forested and mostly deserted island! We finished our walk at Horseshoe Bay, the opposite end of the island to where we were staying (Picnic Bay). We had dinner, any reason to sit down, and then got the bus back home.
After much deliberation we decided that even though we had paid for 3 nights we couldn't stick them out, the place was that horrible (cockroaches, massive grasshoppers and other unknown bugs in the grubby bathrooms and kitchens). We decided the first night would also be our last.
This morning, before leaving we decided to go to "Koala Village". This is a small but well organised wildlife sanctuary with 2 hour guided tours by park rangers. This was an excellent
way to spend 2 hours. It was much better than a zoo because the ranger gave so much information and made it all so interesting, even though we didn't see that many animals. Their idea is that they want you to hold or touch everything that you see. The first thing that we saw was a crocodile and after an introduction and some info we both held one called Barbie who was just under a metre long. Their skin is really soft and smooth and you can tell why people want clothes and accessories made from it. Next up was a Cockatoo called Shadow who would stand on your arm and 
eat seeds from your mouth! We then moved to look at some lizards and I held a blue tongued lizard and saw a few others too, including one with a frilly neck who could only run on its hind legs, highly amusing to watch! Next up was the absolute highlight, the Koala. We met an 8 year old male called Barney and we were both able to hold him and have our photo taken once we had made a donation to the conservation fund. We finished off our tour by holding a python called Ollie. All in all, a great day out.
We left our hostel a.s.a.p and came back to Townsville where we're now staying at "Globetrotters" which is pretty good value. For $55 pn we also get free breakfast and dinner, a/c that works and is free, plus a room that isn't a prison cell! This is the life!!
On Sunday we decided to head out after an early lunch to see a bit of what Townsville had to offer. Conveniently there was a market in the main shopping area which was nice to browse and we also saw/heard a man playing a traditional didgeridoo. It's fantastic the noises that some people can make as these seem pretty hard to play.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on "The Strand" which is the seafront and runs the length of the town, a good kilometre or two. It was a really nice walk and we stopped and lazed on the beach occasionally. We also cooled off in the sea, albeit within a "stinger net" which is a big enclosure to keep stingers (jellyfish) out. We walked the entire length of the strand and at the end there is an artificial "Rock Pool" which is just another swimming lagoon surrounded by grassy banks and overlooking the ocean and Magnetic Island, where we were heading next.After checking out on Monday morning, we headed straight for the ferry that would take us over
to Magnetic Island. To say that our hostel, the "Travellers Hideaway" (self proclaimed "No 1 resort on Magnetic Island") was unexpected and disappointing would be a massive understatement. However, to say our room felt like a prison cell would actually be quite accurate. My friend Dan had already been to Magnetic Island and recommended "Base Backpackers" but we thought it was a little expensive........how I wish I'd paid a little extra now! At our hostel there seemed to be maybe 4 other people, 2 of them long term. Luckily the other two were really friendly and had actually been in Megan's dive group back in Cairns. Michael was from Ireland and Alexis was from America and luckily they were just as disappointed with the hostel as us, which was at least a great starting point for conversation!!Aside from the hostel, Magnetic Island really is a beautiful place, a real tropical paradise. There is not a lot there and really can really feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. The four of us went off on a "Fort Walk" that afternoon through the wildlife up to some WWII ruins. There were a couple of gun points just in case anyone tried to attack Townsville as it was a busy port back then. It turns out though that the guns were never fired in anger, however, they were once fired in "mild surprise" when a US ship turned up un-announced but that was the most action they saw! The main reason for going on this walk was actually to try and spot Koalas as all the literature said this was the best place and time. Unfortunately we didn't see any at all but we weren't surprised. If I was a koala I wouldn't live right next to a path with loads of gawping humans either! We did see some other wildlife including the 9th poisonous snake in the world (so I'm told), the aptly named Death Adder. Mainly because of his name we turned back when we came across him, didn't fancy being bitten at the highest point in a heavily forested and mostly deserted island! We finished our walk at Horseshoe Bay, the opposite end of the island to where we were staying (Picnic Bay). We had dinner, any reason to sit down, and then got the bus back home.
After much deliberation we decided that even though we had paid for 3 nights we couldn't stick them out, the place was that horrible (cockroaches, massive grasshoppers and other unknown bugs in the grubby bathrooms and kitchens). We decided the first night would also be our last.
This morning, before leaving we decided to go to "Koala Village". This is a small but well organised wildlife sanctuary with 2 hour guided tours by park rangers. This was an excellent
way to spend 2 hours. It was much better than a zoo because the ranger gave so much information and made it all so interesting, even though we didn't see that many animals. Their idea is that they want you to hold or touch everything that you see. The first thing that we saw was a crocodile and after an introduction and some info we both held one called Barbie who was just under a metre long. Their skin is really soft and smooth and you can tell why people want clothes and accessories made from it. Next up was a Cockatoo called Shadow who would stand on your arm and 
eat seeds from your mouth! We then moved to look at some lizards and I held a blue tongued lizard and saw a few others too, including one with a frilly neck who could only run on its hind legs, highly amusing to watch! Next up was the absolute highlight, the Koala. We met an 8 year old male called Barney and we were both able to hold him and have our photo taken once we had made a donation to the conservation fund. We finished off our tour by holding a python called Ollie. All in all, a great day out.We left our hostel a.s.a.p and came back to Townsville where we're now staying at "Globetrotters" which is pretty good value. For $55 pn we also get free breakfast and dinner, a/c that works and is free, plus a room that isn't a prison cell! This is the life!!
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