As luck would have it!

Oh, Townsville, you sly mistress. You tease and you promise yet you leave me out in the cold. Literally. You don't hear much about Townsville outside of Australia. And even within, people look at me twice when I say that its at the top of my to-see list here. Its one of the largest cities in Queensland but not really a destination. But what they don't know is that there is one of the best diving sites in Australia a mere 4-hour boat ride from its coast. I had been dreaming about scuba diving around the Yongala, a ship that went down in the early 1910's. Its stayed pretty much intact and has attracted immense marine life, both in abundance and in size. Its apparently the one place you are guaranteed to see fish bigger than you are. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

After my parents left for Sydney, I decided to move to Magnetic Island where I could go scuba dive around the Yongala and also chill out with the beaches and the koalas. I was really in the area just for the dive but what the hell, I would slip in some beach time as well. I called around to the different dive shops but because of the freakishly bad weather they had the week before, the currents were too strong though they were optimistic that they would be running the trips "tomorrow". So being optimistic about the imminent scuba dive, I headed to Magnetic Island to waste away my time on the beach and wait out the bad weather.

At least the weather on the surface was great. We had nothing but sunshine and little wind so it was perfect for some beach relaxation. And to add to the relaxation vibe, I picked this hostel called Bungalow Bay, which was situated a few minutes walk from Horseshoe Bay and on a nature preserve. It definitely had a great outdoorsy feel to it with wooded areas for camping and log cabins for dorm rooms. It was really the perfect place to chill out. With only a week (yikes!!) left in my trip, I wasn't really looking for a really social, high energy environment.

The beaches were really nice and I was even able to walk out to a couple of secluded bays, which in Australia is a beacon call for naked people. When most people (ahem, generally young men) think of nude beaches, images of frolicking, beautiful women cross their mind but let me tell you the reality is so much better! For some reason lots and lots and lots of old people like to frequent nude beaches. But the beach was nice regardless and made for a refreshing dip.

But the absolute best part of staying on Magnetic Island were the koalas! Magnetic Island is home to one of the largest population of wild koalas in Australia and you can see them chilling out in the trees on some of the hikes. I also visited the wildlife sanctuary where I got to hold all types of creepy reptiles, including alligators, lizards and even a snake. I know this stuff isn't too scary but you should have heard my heart RACE when I was holding the python. I seriously thought I was going to pass out. I got some pictures with my puny disposable camera (again, don't want to talk about it) so hopefully I can get some on the site to show you guys. But the grand finale of the wildlife visit was far and away my picture with the koala! They placed this 10lb creature in my arms and it was so cute. It was the size and weight of a baby and it just sat there, hanging onto me for dear life. That picture was definitely worth every penny. Though afterwards, I found out that koalas are actually pretty vicious creatures and will claw and bite like crazy. But they must have drugged that koala or something because it was the calmest thing. Thank god I got out unscathed!

Oh yeah, about that dive. After months of waiting to scuba the Yongala, it wasn't meant to be. The currents finally died down on Monday but that was the day of my flight to Sydney, which I couldn't change without paying something totally ridiculous. At least I saved myself quite a little bundle of cash. You wouldn't believe what these people will charge for a scuba dive. I say its better to wait until you get to SE Asia where a single dive will cost you around $20. Seriously!

Anyway, I'm now on my way to Sydney, my last port of call. I can't believe after all of this, I only have a few DAYS left. I can't even begin to contemplate what that means. I don't want to go back!