Year 2, Weeks 17 & 18 – Island Escapes and Rockin’ Nights
The next few weeks were a busy time of work for Ryan. With the humidity slowly creeping up, it certainly made him work extra hard! Rachael worked from the van but managed to go for a walk up through the Jezzine Barracks and along The Strand most days.
Every day finished with a relaxing swim in the caravan park pool, hanging out with our neighbour Tom, and having quite a few late nights. By the time you’ve had a swim, shower, cooked dinner, and sat down to relax with a few drinks — it’s 10 o’clock before you know it!
The weekend came around and we decided to head over to Magnetic Island for the day. For $40 return, and just a short 20-minute ferry ride, you step off into paradise. As soon as we set foot on the island, all our troubles melted away!
We hopped on the bus ($1 per person for the whole day!) and headed to Horseshoe Bay. It was quite windy and probably not as picturesque as we’ve seen in photos — but you get that! We then wandered through the Butterfly Forest (not quite in season, but still plenty to see!) and even spotted a couple of wallabies for good measure.
From there we decided to keep walking to The Forts. A hot day — and probably a bit of a mistake! But we made it partway, taking in the scenery and keeping an eye out for koalas. None spotted this time, but fun fact — the koalas on Magnetic Island are free of the diseases that affect those on the mainland!
A view from the Forts Walk
We got halfway up the trail and realised that if we didn’t turn back soon, we’d miss the next bus and have to walk for another hour… so back down we went! It was nearing midday and we were desperate for a swim. Lesson learned — go early next time!
We hopped on the bus and headed to Alma Bay. What a stunner! A sheltered, small bay with calm, crystal-clear water — absolute perfection. It was a Saturday, so it was busy, but still divine diving into that water.
After cooling off, we wandered across the road to the Arcadia Village Hotel for lunch. Ryan went to grab drinks and Rachael said, “Surprise me.” He came back with a frozen margarita — the perfect island drink! Turns out the beer and the cocktail were both $12 each, so it was a no-brainer for Ryan and a delight for Rachael.
There was about an hour wait for food, so while we waited, we sat back, relaxed, and had a few more cocktails. When lunch arrived, Ryan had a seafood platter and Rachael chose a Vietnamese prawn salad. Ryan’s lunch was delicious, but unfortunately Rachael’s prawns were a little lacklustre — though the salad itself was fresh and tasty.
One thing we noticed was how reasonably priced everything on the island was. We’d expected higher prices being on an island, so that was a pleasant surprise!
After lunch we hopped on the bus again and made our way to Picnic Bay, where we stopped by the Maggie Island Brewery for a tasting paddle. After a wander around Picnic Bay, we waited for the bus back to the ferry terminal. Conveniently, there happened to be a bar right next to the bus stop — called the RnR Bar, nonetheless!
Maggie Island Brewery
So once again, Ryan surprised Rachael with another cocktail. This one happened to be from a local Townsville brewery and came in at 11%. It was delicious… but definitely a one-drink-only kind of cocktail!
We hopped back on the bus, then onto the ferry, and headed back to the caravan park for more swims and a few more beverages.
Sunday was a quiet day — more swims, good food, and chilling out around the park.
The following week was much the same work-wise, though we did head to the theatre one night to see a local production of Rock of Ages — and what a show it was! One of the best amateur productions we’ve seen. Townsville certainly has some rocking talent!
At the end of the week, it was time to start packing up and getting ready to leave Townsville. We said our goodbyes to our neighbours and rolled out Saturday morning — ready for the next adventure.
Hit the road 🎵 — we’ve got places to be. – R&R
