By morning, we rounded the corner into Horseshoe Bay to find about fifty other boats. The anchorage is big, but since we try to row ashore, we picked our way to the front and found a carefully measured spot between some other catamarans.
After a short nap, I was out on deck in the afternoon tweaking our rig when David rowed over from the boat next door to ask about our Loos tension gauge. Next thing I knew, Maryanne and I had an invitation to come over for drinks with his wife, Lyn. As we were showing up, Jane from the trimaran behind us also dinghied over to join in.
We found out that most of the boats in our immediate group have been here for months. Many have jobs here or in Townsville, at the other end of the ferry line. The others just got stuck here Hotel California-style. It is one of our favorite stops, so we get that. David and Lyn have spent a couple of decades cruising the eight hundred mile stretch of east coast between Hervey Bay and Lizard Island, so they had lots of good info about where to go and when.
We were last in Magnetic Island in June of 2020. The next morning after our arrival this time, we went ashore to do the one thing we didn't get to do the last time we were here the year before. Maryanne does not abide uncompleted lists, so we took the bus to Arcadia to see and feed the allied rock-wallabies that live there. There weren't too many of them around when we arrived, but it didn't take them long to figure out that we had a bag of carrots and celery to pass out. Soon, Maryanne had one feeding from each hand, plus more waiting. They are so tame that you can give them a little scratch while they are munching away.
Once they had had their fill, we fortified ourselves with a big pub lunch and then headed uphill to the Fort Trail in search of some koalas. Along the way, I got really lucky and spotted a couple of owls resting under a ledge. Further up on the Fort Trail, we came across a few koalas resting. It was still the hot part of the day, so they were sleeping it off.
We walked from Arcadia to the start of the Fort Trail, and were lucky enought to spot a pair of boobook owls (among other wildlife) along the way.
The Scenery and the WWII fortifications are also worth the hike
By the time we were on the way back down from the various viewpoints at the top the sun was going behind the hills and the heat was beginning to break. All of the koalas we saw on the way up were now much more animated. They were foraging for dinner now.
One little guy even left his tree to switch to another. Koalas are most vulnerable on the ground, so he practically trotted past us to the next tree, where he bounded to just above head height for us. Then he realized he was in a kapok tree, not the delicious eucalyptus adjacent, so he spent the next few minutes trying to figure out how to get over there without going all of the way back to the ground again. Eventually, he got down to just above the forest floor and then made a leap to something more edible.
The fort trail is practically guaranteed to spot Koala - but we got extra lucky this time around and saw several, including a mom and baby very close to the trail
Farther down, we came upon a group of people clustered around a leafy tree. Inside, right at eye level, were a mother and baby, foraging away. I don't understand exactly how this happens, since koalas are adorable, little fluffy things to begin with, but the littler baby ones are soooo much cuter still. Oh, that little furry face! Like Dolly the Wombat, this little guy is treading dangerously close to being TOO cute. Maryanne was in heaven filling up the memories on all of her photographic devices while mom and cub practically crawled into her arms. I had to drag her away by the elbow, reminding her that sunset was not far off and it was still a long way down the hill back to Begonia.
We had a few more days on Magnetic Island tramping the trails as well as the Arcadia-Horseshoe Bay track with friends. When my back got too sore, Maryanne acted as tour guide without me. She even squeezed in a lunch with some of the members of the WWSA Facebook group (WWSA=Women who Sail Australia).
We Love Magnetic Island and it never seems to disappoint. Wildlife and views from Horseshoe, Radical, and Florence Bays
Horseshoe bay seems to regularly give stunning sunsets!
We took Caitlin off with us for our 2nd visit to see the Wallabies, etc
I did manage to make it ashore for the wild bird feeding at Bungalow Bay Resort. Every day, they prepare a meal for the local Rainbow Lorikeets and leave it to the patrons to hand it out. It was mayhem, but the fun kind. The birds started showing up fifteen minutes before the appointed time and mobbed us all as the food came out, landing on our hands, shoulders and hats to get to the meal.
I was especially pleased with the food they were given. A common misconception people have about birds is that they are supposed to eat seed. Parrots love seeds, but it's like feeding humans a diet of only cookies. They need a balanced diet of fruits, grains and vegetables, just like we do. Lorikeets are primarily nectar eaters, so their diet leans toward the runny, sticky side. Rather than cater to their guests, Bungalow Bay made up a goopy concoction of fruits and oat flour for the health of the birds. Us humans would just have to put up with having sticky stuff dripping through our fingers. The birds really loved it, though.
Organized Bird feeding coincides with happy hour at Bungalow Bay Koala Village
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