The Pettifer's Down Under: Beth Down Under 2008

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Beth Down Under 2008 - Magnetic Island

Our very first glimpse of Magnetic Island

As you know, Andrew left the UK in advance of me and the children, and we were joined on the journey home with our niece Beth. She had just turned 18 (as you will also know if you have been following!), and her gift from her mum was a trip to Australia to stay with us. We were very pleased to have her, and decided that our gift to her would be a trip to the Barrier Reef, staying on Magnetic Island. This was genius for a number of reasons - it would be a really great experience, I would have to go with her (hurrah, a holiday in the sun!) and a precedent has been set that I take nieces and nephews on holidays to sunny places!

So after a couple of days recuperating from the long flight, Beth and I took off again for a flight to Townsville in tropical Far North Queensland. From there we took a ferry to Magnetic. And boy, was it beautiful! The temperature was around 24 degrees, which apparently was unseasonably cold for the area - there were people wearing woolly hats! - but given that it was deep mid winter, we thought that was pretty good, and a lot warmer than it had been in Sydney. We stayed at a cute little hotel called the Tropical Palms Inn and hired the most ridiculous open top car you've ever seen. It was as old as the hills and had gears, which I'm no longer used to, so there was a lot of amusement as I tried to negotiate the hills around the island!

Highlights would probably be hand feeding rock wallabies, holding a koala, snorkelling on the Barrier Reef and Toad Racing. We also did an 18 kilometre bike ride, which was tiring but very enjoyable. However, in the afternoon after this, my legs ached so much I had to take Nurofen! At least I wasn't like Beth, who had had a very hard bike saddle (look - I'm nearly 40 - I deserved the cushioned gel saddle on my bike!), and could barely sit down for the next few days.

I should clarify about the snorkelling....at great expense we bought two snorkelling sets, and decided to go to what was known to be the best beach for the activity. It wasn't accessible by road, so we set off on foot for a pleasant walk to the Arthur Bay. When we got there, it was beautiful, and we got kitted out. There were a couple of other people out there but I felt a bit apprehensive - in order to see the reef you have to go out quite far, and once there, there is nothing to catch hold of if you need a rest, and no chance of standing up. But we thought - having come all this way to see the reef, we should get on with it. So off we went, walking awkwardly in our flippers at first and then starting to swim. Suddenly the reef was in view, and what was the very first thing I should see? A bloody jelly fish! Now let me explain about jellyfish, and Australian fish generally. Far North Queensland is famous for box jellyfish which can kill you. July is not supposed to be the season for them, but there are also any number of other creatures on the reef that can kill you, and some of them are jelly like. The very last thing I wanted to see whilst swimming was a jelly fish. The moment I clapped eyes on it, I panicked and started to do comedy swimming in my attempts to get away (just for info - breast stroke does not work well with flippers it would seem). Apparently, in doing so, I kicked up a lot of sand which blinded Bethany. Before we knew it we were stumbling out of the water again. And that was it - we didn't go in again. Too scared! Initially I thought I had got away with it with the jellyfish, as it clearly hadn't stung me. However, we chatted to the couple on the beach who had been snorkelling and they told me that there are some types of jellyfish which you don't know have stung you for about half an hour, then you start to feel really ill. I spent the next half hour checking my watch and having a panic attack.

Dear Reader - you will be relieved to know I survived....