Cairns to Magnetic Island

On Saturday (my time), Mark and I got up early and went for a run along the Esplande in Cairns. I was able to talk him into running with me and it was great to finally have a running partner again. I had a great run even though it was extremely humid at 6:30am. Both of us were drenched by the time we got back to the hostel.

It was only 7:30 when we got back and there were some pictures of downtown Cairns I wanted to get before we left, so I grabbed my camera and heading back down to where we were running and took pictures. There is this huge wading pool in the middle of the boardwalk area. I think it is there because you can't swim in the water, but the weird thing is that is just in the middle of everything. There is no gate, no fee to use it and I saw a few water classes being conducted the other days. They do have lifeguards, so it isn't a big risk. It was the first time Mark saw it and of course, since it was water, he had to go in it. We were still in our running gear, but as Mark says "You only live once!" So we went for a swim - yes, I took off my shoes at least. It felt really good on the legs and cooled us down considerably.

Once we got all our stuff set back at the hostel and checked out, we went and hired our car. It is the exact same car I got when I did the Great Ocean Road, but it is a darker blue. I drove first because Mark was a little uneasy - I think I have pretty much gotten used to driving on the other side. He still was nervous as a passenger though, so I kept trying to get him to take a nap or something so he didn't bother me - he finally did but it was only for a short while, so I just had to tell him to get used to it!

We had to pick up our luggage at the hostel, so we made one stop before starting our trip. I parked in a spot right in front of the hostel and we were lucky we went back to our car when we did because as we got there a street checker was looking at our car and about to write us a ticket! I was able to talk him out of it but imagine that...we hadn't had the car for 15 minutes and almost got our first ticket!!!! That would not have been a good start.

Our trek now is south, so I got on the Bruce Hwy and headed towards Townsville. We passed a ton of small little towns and saw a lot of farms - cattle and sugarcane. The scenery was still so green and it was nice and sunny so we got to see a lot. We made it to Townsville in about 3.5 hours and then got lost a little bit before we found the ferry to take us to Magnetic Island. The ride was only 25 minutes across, but I was having flashbacks of my trip to Avalon - no, no 50 miles will be run on this island!

We checked in and what was the first thing I walk in to?!?! Yes, they have their daily feeding of Larakeets at 4:30 and so there were about 30 birds in the pathway to our bungalow. They would fly on people and just land on their heads. I got through there as quickly as possible!!! Then, we get to our bungalow and there are two birds (I forget their names, but will look it up) that have a nest outside our door. These birds though growl and hiss at you if they feel threatened, so everytime we walk by, we have to check were they are and not get to close because they will go at you with their wings spread. I DO NOT LIKE BIRDS!!!!

Then we walked down to Horseshoe Bay (a 3 minute walk from Bungalow Bay Koala YHA - yes, it says that in the brochure). We were amazed at how small the bay area was. There are about 3 restaurants/bars and a few shops. There are two other main areas around the island but we didn't make it to them because you had to take a bus. We just stuck around the hostel and went for a swim (it was hot and humid even at 7pm) and then hung out in the bar area.

Today (Sunday), I got up and went for a run, but it was a big mistake. The humid was ridiculous and I am 100% this island has more hills than Catalina - and they were steep. I'm surprised I made it home in one piece...I was dripping in sweat though.

The first thing we did today was take a 2-hour tour of the Koala sanctuary - it was included in the package we booked to stay here. We got to hold a snake, koala, crocodile and cockatoos (I skipped the birds!). I almost didn't hold the snake, but last minute decided "You only live once!" The koala was cool but not as soft as I imagined it would be. The claws were massive though and I can see how they can ripe you right down the middle if they attacked. Dexter wasn't even holding on hard and I could feel them digging into my skin. Then we got the crocodile. Its mouth was taped shut, so I was okay with holding it. It felt all slimey and weird, like the snake. I have never held any of these animals, so it was a cool experience.

After lunch, Mark headed out to find a bay to go snorkeling. I wasn't too interested, so I found "The Fort Walk" and did my own 2.5 hour hike. It was beautiful because I hiked to the top of one of the taller hills and was able to get great views of Balding Bay, Arthur Bay, Radical Bay and also of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef. We had perfect weather today because it was sunny and so the weather was a beautiful blue color. The downside was that is was still very humid and both Mark and I was sweating like crazy and were very tired from our different walks. He did do some snorkeling but I guess the water was warm and the visibility wasn't that great, so he didn't stay out long. When I got back from my hike, I spent a hour or so at the pool. It felt soooooo good to soak in the water and it cooled me down a bunch from my time out in the sun.

We went down to the Bay for dinner and drinks and just watched the sun set behind the mountains and the water just peacefully splashing on the shore. It is not very busy down there at night, so it was a great time to be down there.

Tomorrow we leave for Airlie Beach...