Arriving late onto Magnetic Island we drove off the Fantasea Ferry and made our way along a dark windy road until reaching the Bungalow Bay Koala Village.  As the sun slowly came up over the horizon, we were up and out of the camper with the excitement of seeing this new area.  Being here for a few days away from the mainland made this short stint on the island feel like a holiday from the holiday!  We made our way over to Picnic Bay (on the south end) and went for a stroll along the jetty to found ourselves with a magnificant view of tropical fish without even having to snorkel.  The water was an amazing torquoise and crystal clear!  We then stumbled across a rough walking track on the way back.  Along this, we had great views of Picnic Bay and a steep decent lead to a small hidden cove.

That afternoon we ventured down a bumpy 4×4 road that lead to more secluded beaches.  A small walking track and boom!  Trees opened up to the stunning Florence Bay with no more than 20 people.  We had a late lunch here and even snuck in some cheeky beers ( a little crab mate was keen to get in on the action too!)  Once properly nourished, we threw the snorkels on and went for a paddle off the beach to a small reef.  As we entered the water, we realised there was no escaping home as Nay bumped into a work colleage from a school in Ringwood as he had just finished snorkelling!  As the afternoon slipped away from us we just lazed in the sun after being mesmerized by the tropical fish we’d seen and took the opportunity to continue the hard work on Brook.

We freshened up back at camp and went for a leisurely stroll with some travellers to watch the sunset over Horshoe Bay.  With our mat set up, we watched the world pass as small boats came in and out from their yachts and drunken locals provided entertainment.  One pretended to be a pirate and walked around yelling “Arrrrggghh!” to everyone and in doing so a classy elderly lady calmly replied “Are.”

The next day we thought some exercise was in order and went to have a look at The Forts which had a major role in World War 2 for this area.  A 4.2km walk took us through the camps where signs were scattered along the path with detailed descriptions on each building.  Arriving at the actual Forts section, these buildings were very much intact and great to walk around.  The Command Centre and Telecomms Post were at the highest points which had plenty of information and all very accessible with fantastic 300 degree views of the ocean.  Just down the hill from these buildings were the gun emplacements.  These guns, each weighing over 10 tonnes, were hauled up the mountain by a tractor from Horseshoe Bay back in 1942.  The fascinating fact is that these two giant guns somehow disappeared without a trace once the war was over.

The rest of our time here we spent repeating several of our favourite past activities.  We went snorkelling again at Arthur Bay and this time, to our luck, we saw a sea turtle who calming went swimming around us!  Travelling over to the west side of the island we discovered another beautiful beach to watch the sunset over the ocean.  This lead to our final day of clearing out of the Koala Village and having a browse at the local market at Horseshoe Bay.  With a why not attitude, we took the walk over to Balding Bay (a nude beach) for some giggles and spent the arvo here being very free!  The inevitable moment had arrived and the ferry back to townsville was sadly calling us.

Overall, we had one of the best few days on Maggie and felt very rejuvinated after the busy loop.  It had places for everyone, great beaches for snorkelling, peaceful beaches for swimming and even a couple for the keen fisherman.  The next week was going to be a different chapter again as the ocean disappeared and fresh waterholes and falls were on the horizon…