Magnetic Island

Alex and I made a good distance towards tropical northern Queensland. We ignored the cities of Bundaberg and Gladstone and passed through Rockhampton (stopping just to visit the nice Botanical Garden and Zoo). We also didn't go to see Mackay or the Whitsunday Islands. Moni and Florian went on their own way. They are going north to Cairns as well, but at a slower pace. Alex and I decided to rush a bit because it's his last week here.

To give you an idea of the distances: Brisbane to Cairns is about 1700 km. Like from Hamburg to Rome. The temperatures got noticeably warmer. Especially the nights are no longer "winter nights" as they were in the Brisbane region. Finally!

In Townsville we went for a day trip to Magnetic Island. A fast ferry took us to the island, where we rented a Mini Moke car. That was not cheap ($73 for a day on which we could go less than 20 km), but we did it because it gave us mobility and independence from buses. And it was fun to drive "something special". Four wheels, four seats, no doors. A picture of Pinocchio on the hood.

Magnetic Island (which got its name from Captain Cook, who thought in 1770, when he passed by, that the island had interfered with his compass) is beautiful and has some nice beaches. We had brought our snorkeling gear and tried it in Florence Bay. But it was a bit disappointing because the visibility was poor and the underwater world was not too spectacular.