AUSTRALIA
2 January 2002 to April 2002

MAGNETIC ISLAND
 16 March 2002

From Townsville we crossed to Magnetic Island. Captain Cook, in 1770 named it Magnetical Island, erroneously thinking his instruments went out of whack. Today just twenty minutes by ferry from Townsville it is a backpacker’s delight, offering cheap bunker bed accomodation  and watersports. We went over to hike and chose a 6 km hike over a mountain peak. It was a hot sunny day, but from experience we expected clouds to form and rain to fall. Even though much of the path was in the dappled shade of trees, after an hour uphill walk I was seriously overheated. Fortunately we came across a little creek and Eitan soaked my clothes in water, making me smell slightly swampish but definitely feel cooler. The island was beautiful with granite bolders and lush vegetation right down to the sea.  In the late afternoon I went on another walk, Forts Walk, looking for koalas, but it was still too hot for them. In WWII Magnetic Island served as a front line against a Japanese invasion and the remains of the fort were signposted. We ended our day at a restaurant on the Townsville Strand, where the breeze was cool and the food excellent .

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