Story Index:

Ao final
07/13/2014

Son in the sky
07/12/2014

Recife
06/27/2014

Impressions of Brazil
06/25/2014

Vida Dura
06/23/2014

Hawaii Fishing News - May 2013
05/01/2013

Un lugar para mi
09/09/2011

Crossed the border
08/18/2011

Quiero mas tiempo!
07/31/2011

Perched above Medellin
07/23/2011

Yay for a shower!
07/19/2011

New coast for me!
07/15/2011

The ocean calls
07/09/2011

Thick rain, freight train
06/26/2011

Tierra Dura
06/26/2011

Time to dry
06/24/2011

The next quarter century - on we go!
06/18/2011

Rolling with it
06/09/2011

Viviendo la vida
04/27/2011

You live and you learn: Adventures in Bureaucracy
04/12/2011

Snippets of Life - Part 4: La vida hermosa
04/08/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 3 - Las flores y los pájaros de Mindo
04/07/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 2 - An afternoon in Colonial Quito
03/30/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 1 - Fútbol en Argentina
03/27/2011

La diferencia principal entre Ecuador y Thailand
02/12/2011

Mi misíon por cada día
02/05/2011

Me gusta mi linea de trabajo!
01/28/2011

Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador
01/18/2011

First off, let's catch up: Where's Whitney?
01/13/2011

Day BA
02/24/2009

What a year! 2008 in Review...
12/29/2008

Southeast Asia Superlatives (and not-so-Superlatives)
12/12/2008

One week in Cambodia
12/03/2008

Waterfalls, cliffs, and caves of beautiful Laos
11/09/2008

Beautiful, happy northern Thailand
10/31/2008

One amazing month on Koh Tao
10/24/2008

Daily mission on the islands: Enjoy life!
09/14/2008

Bangkok, Thailand
09/13/2008

Last week in France
09/05/2008

August 08 in Europe
08/24/2008

Failed Cape Melville
07/13/2008

Day trip to Bowen
06/25/2008

Part 3: Volleyball playoffs
06/15/2008

Part 2: Ultimate camping
06/15/2008

Part 1 of... many: FOLK FESTIVAL!
06/15/2008

My weekend of great vistas
06/02/2008

A glorious weekend on Magnetic Island
05/27/2008

Ugh. I'm exhausted.
05/02/2008

New Zealand... ROCKS!!!
04/30/2008

It's been awhile...
04/23/2008

Sushi night at the house
04/07/2008

Thanks for all the letters and mail!
04/01/2008

I finally got to dive the Great Barrier Reef!
03/31/2008

Blues Fest - Byron Bay
03/26/2008

The little things I realize I miss
03/18/2008

Bouldering trip
03/17/2008

Beach volleyball!
03/14/2008

I'M GOING TO THE BLUES FEST!!
03/11/2008

So many new animals!
03/08/2008

time for school
03/06/2008

Whitney saw a wallaby!!
03/02/2008

Pictures for my stories
03/02/2008

Just some observations
02/28/2008

Mailing address
02/27/2008

Rain in the tropics
02/25/2008

Townsville!
02/25/2008

We're finally in Australia!
02/23/2008

The Last Supper
02/16/2008
A glorious weekend on Magnetic Island

This past weekend, my roommates Scott and Crystal and I finally went to Magnetic Island for the first time. Affectionately referred to as "Maggie" by Townsvillians, this island is just off the shores of Townsville, a 20 minute ferry ride across the water. I'd heard nothing but good things from everyone who knows Maggie, and let me just say, everyone was right. Maggie Island is an incredible, fantastic place that feels so far from the reality of Townsville. I feel like I just spend my weekend in a completely different part of the world, on an island in the middle of nowhere, where nothing but happiness matters, the people are laid back, the beaches are gorgeous, the hiking trails are awesome, and even the Mexican food is good! And the strangest thing is that as easy as it is to get to the island from Townsville, there aren't many people there. It feels like a secret. There rightfully should be more people, more tourists, more bustle, but no. It's quiet, relaxed, lazy, and you can find yourself on a beautiful beach with no one else on it!


My roommate Scott admiring the incredible views from the top Maggie Island.

The three of us spent Saturday hiking "The Forts" trail, which goes up to the old military forts on the east side of the island (the west side is all national park). The views at the top were incredible, and the trails themselves fascinating. On our way back down, we spotted 2 koalas up in a tree above us. My first koala in the wild! They are just as cute and cuddly-looking in person as they are in pictures. They look so incredibly out of place. They're like stuffed animals that someone placed in the tree as a ridiculous joke. Something that cute couldn't possibly survive in the wild! But what a lifestyle they have! They don't really have any natural predators (that I'm aware of), nor do they have competition for food, since other animals cannot tolerate the toxicity of eucalyptus leaves. They basically just sit around and eat for 4 or 5 hours a day, and spend the rest of the 19 or 20 hours sleeping, letting their body manage the toxins. Eat, sleep, and be adorably cute. I could handle that! :)


Cute koala with stuffed animal ears!

After our hike, we stopped in Horseshoe Bay to fill our empty bellies. And that we did, with good Mexican food!! I'm not sure any of you can appreciate how amazing this was to the three of us. We three Californians have been yearning for good Mexican food since we got here. It most definitely doesn't exist in Townsville, and when we try to make it at home, we come up with some really good food, but it just doesn't taste Mexican. It lacks authenticity. So when we sat down at this Mexican cafe in a tiny stretch of town on a sleepy island of Australia, we did not expect much. But apparently you can not go wrong on this magical island, because Noodie's Mexican Cafe was an oasis of GOOD Mexican food! The three of us could not believe our taste buds. I wish you all could've felt the excitement at our table when we took our first bites... we found it! It truly exists! Someone in this country knows how to make real Mexican food!!

We filled up with food and delicious sangria, and then headed off for our half-hour night hike back to the beach on which we were camping. Night hiking was great, because with our headlamps, we could see little glowing eyes in the darkness, making it easy to spot another koala and several brushtail possums running around the trees. It was definitely a cool experience.

One campfire and a good night's sleep later, we spent a gloriously lazy morning relaxing on the beach, with only about 3 other people on the beach with us. We played in the refreshing water, climbed around on all the massive boulders that line the bay (my playground!), and just layed out in the sun, soaking up the happiness. When Scott and Crystal said they had to leave so that they could get some work done that day, I was far too content in the sun to join them, so I stayed behind on the island for the rest of the day Sunday, just enjoying the magic of the place. When I finally did go home, I felt as if I'd spent my entire weekend doing exactly what I was meant to be doing at every moment. It was perfect.

It was truly an incredible weekend, and I can't believe that such a place exists just a short ferry-ride away from where I live. It's a whole different world! Well that's my story, check out my amazing pictures, because I think they do more to display the beauty of the island than my words could ever do.

Posted by Whitney 05/27/2008
FreeStyle Journal 19.03.21
©2003-2011 by Dan Goodell

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