Magnetic Island - Tropical Foliage

Sandy bays, palm trees, and other tropical plants make this
place a tropical paradise.

Magnetic Island - Bush Stone Curlews

I had some great sightings of these curious birds. Very well
camouflaged, quite shy and unique looking.

They have long, stilt-like legs, and earthy-toned plumage.
The most striking feature are their enormous eyes.

They have even been celebrated with metal sculptures outside
a local history museum.

 They have this strange streamlined stance when they move away and are feeling threatened.

Magnetic Island - Townsville Aquarium

Townsville Aquarium Headquarters has a 30-year-old living coral exhibit
with associated sealife, and I decided to see this instead of sailing tours,
jetboats or snorkelling.

Still sore from a bad fall down the flight of stairs the morning I left for
the trip to Queensland, I wasn't prepared to get my grazes infected or was
confident in my full capacity for swimming with a bruised or broken rib.

So a wonderful compromise was seeing the Aquarium in easy comfort.
The collection there was amazingly comprehensive, the talks and tours
informative. We were able to see up close, touch some exhibits and had
a great time, including a sightsee of the turtle hospital.

 

Magnetic Island - Lunch with a local

I was told that Green Ants can give a nasty bite. So I was a little
perturbed to have one right in front of me, on the table at the
Bikini Tree restaurant.

On a short coastal walk, I also found one of their ingeniously
constructed hollow nests formed from leaves that had fallen from a
tree to the ground. Apparently, these can get as big as footballs.

I bought Bec a small sculpture of one too made from wire and beads.

 There are still some ants visible on the top edge of the nest. 

 My little friend posed for this shot and was safely, for both of us, gently relocated. 

Magnetic Island - The wallabies of Geoffrey Bay

Coming into dusk you can see many of these sweet small wallabies
at Geoffrey Bay.

The very diminutive rock wallabies are only maybe a quarter of the
size of the large Black Tailed Swamp Wallabies we have at home.

They approached down from the tumble of granite rocks along the
shoreline. People visit with carrots to feed them, and get a very close
encounter.

 They silently and effortlessly leap down these huge rounded granite outcrops. 

 

 These perched rocks form an arch and are high enough to walk through.

  These baby pines are growing through cracks in the rock. Pines and figs seem 

to be two of the most prevalent species growing on the island. 

Magnetic Island - A selection of sunsets

Staying across the road from the beach where the sun sets,
it was often a theme for photos.

Magnetic Island - Teenage dream realised

As a teen I loved the idea of owning and driving a Californian
Mini Moke. The canopy could even be in denim.

That never did happen, however on a whim I asked a favour at
Bungalow Bay Backpackers and Koala Park for a photo opportunity.

Magnetic Island - The Beach

The beach at Horseshoe Bay is right across the road from the
accomodation, my friend's home.

Walked there a lot, beachcombing for shells and coral. As it
is situated within The Great Barrier Reef, there is a lot of
broken coral.

Another little treasure is quite a plentiful offering of 'Sea Dollar'
shells. I have never seen so many.

 There is a lagoon behind the beach, though low on rainfall currently. 

 Rounded granite boulders bookend the beach, make up the hills and mounts.

 The last cottage at the end of the beach, you need to drive on the beach to reach it.

Palm Island in the distance, shrouded in cloud.