Heading NNW to Magnetic Island

Arriving at Magnetic Island

Today was Joanie's Birthday - here in Australia.  (Tomorrow will be her Birthday in America - so she gets two birthdays this year!)  Anyway, we left Airlie Beach around 9am for our 4 hour drive to Townsville.  Mostly uneventful, other than the several kangaroo road kill on the side of the road, and a nice short stop in Home Hill for a little rest and picnic lunch at their downtown rest area.

Once we arrived in Townsville, and finally finding our way to the airport to drop off our car, we took a taxi to the harbor and then took a 20 minute ferry ride to Magnetic Island.  (We were planning on taking the car to the island as well, but when we found out the cost of ferrying the car was $160, we immediately decided to return the car early and go to the island without a car. )  Turned out that was a good decision, as they have a very good bus service that can take you all over the island.

The Grounds at Bungalow Bay - Very Cool

Anyway, once on Maggie Island, we took that bus to Bungalow Bay – the youth hostel/Koala reserve that we had booked for two nights.  Once we arrived there, it looked great – both contemporary and modern and rustic.  However, rustic prevailed – the air conditioned bungalow that we rented had the worst queen size bed imaginable.  I knew it was going to produce two hellish nights, so we abandoned ship so to speak and found an apartment/hotel right near the ferry terminal in Nelly Bay.  

So back on the bus and about 15 minutes later we were in our new Magnetic Island home – and it was very cool.  We went from the most rustic accommodations imaginable, to a very modern and slick apartment overlooking the Marina.  It was awesome – full kitchen, great deck, comfortable bed – just a beautiful sight

.

The Bed at Bungalow Bay - Not Very Cool

So we moved our stuff in, took very needed showers and went downstairs to their Boardwalk restaurant for a light dinner.  After dinner, it was already late by our standards, so bedtime followed soon thereafter.  Wasn’t the best birthday day for Joanie – it started out with an okay but long drive – and ended with a lot of schlepping around Maggie Island – sweating.  But at the end of the day, we laid our heads down surrounded in comfort.  Aaaaah.

Our Magnetic Island Home - Awesome!