Arrived in Townsville having passed 100s of kms of sugar cane fields. Ferry wi ollie to Magnetic Island - rough and ferry had a leaky roof - kids running through, screaming and being kids. Filled up with expensive groceries - $1.40 for 500g pasta!!! normally 80c/less. Waited 2 hrs for bus...
Arr at hostel via beautiful rugged landscape - all the island is granite boulders that look like they've jsut been piled up there for storage. Most of island wilderness - too steep and difficult to explore. Bungalow Bay; my hostel - modern wooden bar/reception , cool back to basic accom - wooden hut dorms wi ensuite! Dinner outside with possums coming up expectingly. Loads of green big ants (german girl squeezed some juice from its bum and said its nutritious and lemony...) and a gecko in my room. Nice real mattress!
Lazy day, getting used to local area. B+E came with Dana the Canadian to say hi. fed a tree of lorakeets wet bread; about 15 on me, screaming and pooing! Scratched me quite a bit. belly laughs.
Kookaburra feeding - slapping the meat on my arm to kill it!
visit B+E+D's hostel, Base. Barman squirted me, not funny and unprovoked. Stayed in spare bed in their room without paying :-0
Walked back the next day after a fry up brekkie - awesome 12km walk: Nelly Bay- inland loop (lizards, snakes, ulesseys butterflies and rainforest) with awesome lookouts. Became savannah on other side of mountain/hill. Arcadia - the forts, a WW2 gun emplacement, then home. 2 blisters :-) Others visited in their topless car they hired. More possums at dinner (carbonara).
Up early for PADI dive course!! Day of pool work/classroom theory. POol cold and DVD boring.. Completed all my 'skills' necessary - only me and Aarron the instructor (an ex martial arts instructor), so v quick progression. No ollie that nite for 1st time in ages - moved to E+Bs hostel cuz cheaper + I busy. Saw a possum with 1/2 face like terminator.
Medical passed - I'm 74kgs (76kgs when I bungee jumped :P) and 186cm. 1st open water dive, with Cecil the swiss and Aaron. Rough and murky (6m vis). Cool corals and fish. Strong swell + backwash - felt like on a boat when left water. More classwork; slightly tricky! Working out nitrogen in body and safe dive times.
Dived the Moltke wreck off of Alma Bay - V cool! Angel fish, clams, and loads of other fish I can't remember! Officially passed! No problemo. Good 'post dive' wet photo for certificate. checked account - half of what I thought not there! Checked web and the atm had shown a $ sign for a pound amount... bit scared. Free curry that night - real food! nice. Base again for Basils birthday, after not knowing where they were - thought in Magnums, 1st, where I found a Toad race! Lead by a very old, ozzie guy. No EBO+Dana, though. Eventually found them; got the last bus back not walk! A few rock wallabies bounced past while waiting for bus; like big kanagroo rats.
Leaving the next day for Mission Beach! 'Maggie' was v good cuz it was different to everywhere else and was V chilled out.
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