Maggie Island: Wild Encounters

While I was in Cairns I heard about a place called Magnetic Island, off the coast of Townsville, which seemed simply irresistible.  Honestly, what's not to love about a tiny island off the warm and sunny northeastern coast of Australia, with white sand beaches, miles of hiking paths, with an opportunity to cuddle koalas, feed rock wallabies, and ride horses through the crystal clear waters of the bay? That's right, nothing.

I spent 3 nights on Magnetic or (as the locals call it) Maggie Island at a camp ground/hostel called Bungalow Bay which has a Koala Sanctuary built on the premises.  On the daily they give tours where you can interact with animals ranging from crocodiles and lizards to cockatiels and echidnas.  But the big draw is the opportunity to hold and have your picture taken with a koala bear.  You have to stand still like a tree and cradle the fuzzy little creature to avoid stressing it out, since they are used to living very sedentary lives, but the experience is purely magical and goes by in a flash. While my koala was a little smelly, his fur was incredibly soft and I could have cuddled him forever.  

cabin? bungalow? hostel? ...how about all 3! My home at Bungalow Bay

Can I keep him?!?

Not so cuddly...

Trying to get the blue tongue lizzard to stick out his blue tongue for the picture....no luck

I call him the walking pine cone

Im a slaavve for you....uhh...sorry

This guy loved some Favorito pharomones LOL

cutie pie....muah!

How could you not love that face! The adorable echidna

At the campsite kitchen I got to get up close and personal with some other, more wild creatures.  Each evening as I would sit down to my home cooked dinner a little possum would appear out of nowhere and practically beg for food at my foot like a puppy.  I know what you Americans are thinking...oh no, not one of those ugly, scary, evil looking possums we see dead on the road everywhere!? No, not one of those.  Australian possums are actually quite cute and fuzzy, if not a little annoying.  Another animal that came a begging each night is a funny looking bird with long legs and big eyes called the bush- stone curlew, whose call sounds a lot like a blood curdling scream.  It's a creepy looking thing and can give you a real startle if it wakes you in the night.

Cuddly version of a possum

Creepy freakin bird

Another animal encounter on the island was with the unbelievably adorable rock wallabies.  I mean really, they could not be cuter.  They are like miniature kangaroos that agilely hop up down and around the boulders of  Geoffrey Bay.  If you bring pellets (which can be bought at almost any hotel or shop) or some fruit or veggies they will come out of the rocks in droves and feed right out of your hand.  Some even got so bold as to climb right into my lap for food.  And when their itty bitty paws curl around your finger you just melt.  I meant to only go see them for maybe an hour or so, but they are so addicting to be around I ended up staying for several hours.

Thought: What can I remove from my backpack to make this little guy fit?

cheeky little rock wallaby

Baby!!!

Besides the animals, I kept myself busy with other activities.  On day one I tried paddle boarding for the first time ever in beautiful Horseshoe Bay.  It was so relaxing and serene paddling my board around the bay, weaving between anchored boats on the still water.  I can see why people find it so addicting.  I also did lots and lots of walking up and over mountains from one gorgeous bay to another.  I even ended up coming across a nudist beach which took me by total surprise.  In all fairness, I guess I had a warning.  There was a rock that had 'Nudist Beach' spray painted on it, but I thought it was just some graffiti; someone messing around.  When I got to the beach it was beautiful and I started to take pictures until I noticed some very naked old men walking down the beach towards me. They started collecting drift wood and then joined their very naked friend at the top of the beach where I assumed they were going to start a fire.  I didn't stick around to find out.  (By the way, its Balding Bay for anyone looking to find or avoid this beach on your next trip to Maggie Island).  On my next to last day I decided to explore the internal paths on the Nelly Bay to Arcadia track on a quest to spot a wild koala.  Apparently Maggie Island has the greatest number of wild koalas then anywhere else in the country, but after walking roughly 5k I hadn't seen a single one.  So, I decided to keep on keeping on and walked the Forts trail as well which is about 4k and yielded some really lovely panoramic views.  Finally near the end of that hike I came across a pretty large koala snoozing in a far off tree.  Success!

wild koala bear snoozing away

I think this is Florance Bay

To be honest, I saw so many bays this day I cant even remember which one this is.

On my last day on the island I decided to pony up some extra cash for pony ride through the island and along the beach.  Actually, it was a horse, not a pony, named Freckles (I know- I get the irony of me riding a horse named Freckles).   I found that it was a little like riding a bike, and I slipped right back into the groove of riding after probably 10 years since my last go.  Freckles was a pleasure to ride as we graduated together from walking to trotting, then cantering and even galloping with an unexpected leap over a little puddle.  The best part though, was taking our horses into the water on Horseshoe Bay, riding waist deep through the cool water.  I even got to take Freckles out a little deeper then the others where he could swim full out.  Such an amazing experience! 

Everything about Maggie Island was amazing and magical.  It is definitely a place to get lost in, and I wish I could have stayed longer...but Fraser Island awaits!

Me and Freckles after a long ride and a swim