East Coast Expedition: A Brief Getaway To Magnetic Island

Jan 18, 2011

After two incredible days in Cairns, it was now time to begin my decent along the Australian east coast. I caught a 7:47 a.m. Greyhound bus to Townsville. This unofficial capital of North Queensland is located adjacent to the middle part of the Great Barrier Reef. I arrived at 1:46 p.m. Asides from passing the Big Golden Gumboot monument (remember how I explained that Australia is obsessed with erecting giant statutes of random things? well this was one of them), the six hour bus ride was rather uneventful. I chatted with my neighbor who was from Ontario, Canada and together we realized that neither one of us had yet to see a wild kangaroo, an unbelievable fact considering we had both been in Australia for over four months. When I wasn't sleeping or attempting to solve impossible crossword puzzles, we stared intently out the window trying to spot this iconic Aussie animal in it's natural habitat. We didn't. I must have used up all my luck spotting-animals the day prior when I saw the platypus.

The Big Golden Gumboot

When I arrived in Townsville, I trekked a few blocks to my hostel, checked in and quickly freshened up. I had a big dinner date on an island with one of my most favorite co-workers from Summit restaurant, Alexi, that couldn't be missed! Alexi actually trained me when I first began work at the Summit. She was my savior who I turned to whenever I felt like a deer in headlights (which was a lot at first). And then Alexi left me. She went off to Europe with her boyfriend and his family for 3 months, leaving me to fend for myself at Summit. I missed having my security blanket by my side, especially because Alexi was such a lovely person. She always made me feel comfortable and welcome. Above all else, she made me laugh and realize not to take my new job too seriously. As you know, I eventually settled into my position at Summit just fine, and before I knew it three months had passed and Alexi was back! Together we vented about other incompetent workers, rolled our eyes at cranky managers and laughed at absurd customers. When the clock struck "go-home" o'clock we frequently slipped off to the bar next door for a much needed glass (or two) of wine.

It just so happened that Alexi, my beloved hostess side-kick, had an older sister and brother-in-law who had just built a vacation home on Magnetic Island. It also just so happened that Magnetic Island was located right off the coast of Townsville, and Alexi just so happened to be there on holiday the same time I was passing through. Talk about perfect timing! Being the exception hostess she was, Alexi generously invited me over to visit with her and her family that evening. I eagerly accepted this offer. After my past few weeks of non-strop traveling, I was looking forward to spending some down time on a secluded island with Alexi and her family.

Mag Island. You can see Townsville on land too.

I boarded the "Cat" ferry mid-afternoon which carried me across the Cleveland Bay to Magnetic Island. Alexi and her boyfriend, Raph, picked me up in an tiny island car called a Mini Moke. These are designed like jeeps, only much smaller.  It began to rain when I arrived, so instead of exploring the island on foot the duo drove me around the island in the Moke, from one end to the other, pointing out all there was to see. As you can tell from the map above, Magnetic island is only 11 km long so it literally took ten minutes to cross. It was a small paradise (there was just one police officer on the island), and even with the gloomy weather I could see why Alexi fancied the place so much- it was beautiful. We journeyed up Mt. Cook and viewed the spectacular beaches and bays that spanned around us. My only dislike was that no one on the island could swim in the ocean water because it was infested with those dang deadly boxer jelly fish. In my mind I wondered, what's the point of an island "getaway" if you can't swim in it's sparkling water? But this was a trivial thought since the rain had washed away my desire to swim anyway.

Magnetic Island on a clear day (from a helicopter I was not on)

After the Mini Moke Magnetic Island tour, we retreated to Alexi's sisters home. I walked through the door and was greeted by three butt-naked, blonde-haired and blue-eyed little girls. They were adorable angels. Just naked. And they remained that way the rest of the evening, jumping on the trampoline, coloring and even eating dinner in the nude. As much as Alexi tried to persuade the girls to put some clothing on, they refused. It cracked me up. In addition to the three naked angels, I met Alexi's sister, her brother-in-law, her mother and her step father. They were all incredibly welcoming, friendly and fun. I never cease to be amazed at how hospitable the Aussies are. The group of us sat outside chatting, sipping wine and relaxing. It was just what the travel doctor ordered. Then we dined on the most succulent, flavorful rack of lamb I've ever tasted. Granted, I'm not a huge lamb eater, but that's probably because I've never tasted lamb like this. I licked the bone clean. Alexi's family kept me laughing the entire meal with their humorous table talk and silly family banter. I can't express how comforting it was to be surrounded by a wonderfully wacky family. It warmed my soul.

Alexi with her sister, brother-in-law and three nieces (fully clothed). I borrowed this photo from Alexi since I couldn't take one due to my broken camera.

After dinner, we gathered round the television and watched Outback Fight Club. Oh yeaaaa. This wasn't some Aussie made-for-tv take on the Brad Pitt movie Fight Club. Oh no. This was a documentary about actual people who live in the outback of Australia and fight each other for sport. The show synopsis is as follows: "Fred Brophy runs a unique outback fight club. He leads a troupe that tours rural Australia and invites ordinary people from the crowd to fight professional boxers (picture beer guts and missing teeth)- for a cash reward. Tent boxing is an unusual form of entertainment (that's an understatement) that is loved by those living in rural Australia." It was like the Ringling Bros Circus meets a state fair meets a keg party meets a really terrible high school fight in a back alleyway. Outback Fight Club was the most outrageous, hilarious, entertaining 60 minutes of television my eyes have seen. Even Alexi and her family were blown away by the show, confirming what myself, and clearly the rest of Australians, think about people who live in the outback: they are crazy. Stick to the coast if and when you visit Australia, it will save you a trip or two to the hospital.

I had to leave by 9:00 that evening to catch the ferry back to Townsville. I was reluctant to leave and wished I had more than an evening to spend on the island, but knew I had to be on my way to catch my bus the next morning. Missing that would mean missing the sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands that I had pre-purchased. I didn't want that. That would have been no bueno. When i arrived to the hostel, I was displeased to find that some punk had taken the lower bunk bed that I had clearly claimed as "TAKEN" by my bags and clothing laying atop it. This guy had the nerve to move my stuff on to the top bunk and climb into my lower bunk for a good night sleep, a move that clearly violates backpacker etiquette. I went to great lengths to make a ruckus as I prepared for bed that evening, although I'm doubtful that taught the inconsiderate nuisance anything. I should have whipped out some of the moves I learned on Outback Fight Club. That would have taught him not to steal a bunk from me.