Leaving Mission Beach and catching the bus south, we arrived in the city of Townsville, the main port for the journey to our next destination, Magnetic Island.
We had bought brand new camping equipment for this trip and we were excited about staying in a sanctuary for koalas. The koala sanctuary was on the opposite side of the island to the port near a beach called Horseshoe Bay. It was a nice place and there was lots of local wildlife where we had set up camp.
On the second day of our trip we went for a champagne breakfast with the koalas, which was an extra excursion that you could book through the sanctuary. It was an all you can eat buffet and whilst we were eating we were able to get up close to some of Australia’s strangest, cuddliest and deadliest, including creatures such as a blue tongued lizard, a saltwater crocodile called Barbie, and, of course, a koala.
The island was small and intimate. There weren’t many people around which meant you could find your own section of beach where you could listen to the waves and watch the sunset. The beach side barbeque was also a big bonus where we could cook up a couple of sausages for our evening meal. It was such a relaxing and peaceful time before the start of our road trip.
Sophie and Tom's Travels 