AUSTRALIA
2 January 2002 to April 2002
MAGNETIC ISLAND
16 March 2002
From Townsville we crossed to Magnetic Island. Captain Cook, in 1770 named
it Magnetical Island, erroneously thinking his instruments went out of
whack. Today just twenty minutes by ferry from Townsville it is a backpacker’s
delight, offering cheap bunker bed accomodation and watersports.
We went over to hike and chose a 6 km hike over a mountain peak. It was
a hot sunny day, but from experience we expected clouds to form and rain
to fall. Even though much of the path was in the dappled shade of trees,
after an hour uphill walk I was seriously overheated. Fortunately we came
across a little creek and Eitan soaked my clothes in water, making me smell
slightly swampish but definitely feel cooler. The island was beautiful
with granite bolders and lush vegetation right down to the sea. In
the late afternoon I went on another walk, Forts Walk, looking for koalas,
but it was still too hot for them. In WWII Magnetic Island served as a
front line against a Japanese invasion and the remains of the fort were
signposted. We ended our day at a restaurant on the Townsville Strand,
where the breeze was cool and the food excellent .
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NORTH QUEENSLAND