Maggie

The trip started with a ferry ride late in the afternoon which we enjoyed with Melanie and Sophie (our newly found friends from France). The ferry ride was quite choppy and Tim was happily snapping away with the camera all throughout the 20mins - no surpises there hey??? Once we docked at Nelly Bay ferry terminal we had to board a bus which would take us to our accommodation for the next two nights - YHA Bungalow Bay Koala Village. Upon arrival I knew immediately that it was going to be a good stay. It looked like a little village of bungalows had sprung up out of the jungle. Out little dorm was just lovely - a wooden A-framed bungalow with slatted walls at the top that let light in all thoughout the day.

The grounds were just beautiful with plenty of space to roam around. A view shared by the local possum community who loved to party in the camp kitchen at night! The first time this happened it scared the hell out of me, as a little tail scampered across the floor!!!

We didn't have long on the Island so decided to split up to enjoy it. I went horse riding in the afternoon through the bush and along the beach on a brown and white filly named Bonnie. She was a little tempermental and more interested in eating grass than going for a ride but after a while she seemed to calm down.

Towards the end of the ride whilst on the beach, we desaddled and swam bareback in the sea. Some riders were able to do tricks with their horse; horse surfing, back flipping into the sea and 'around the world', where you swing yourself on your bum right around the horse's back. Mine wasn't too happy about any of those...



What a fantastic experience though and one I'll never forget!

Tim fancied a walk with the girls!!! Cough cough... but Sophie and Melanie were also keen to do the Forts Walk, one of Maggie Island's famous walks that took in the derelict and ruined buildings that formed part of the WW2 defences of Townsville. The walk took several hours and he managed to see a sleeping koala, one of 200 wild koalas living on the Island.








A quiz night took place in the evening where Tim managed to win a jug of beer for the team name, "Save A Tree, Eat A Koala". Oh dear, not what you should say in a Koala Village!!


Our final morning took in the Koala Village next door and started with a gourmet breakfast; lamb cutlets, locally caught whiting, beef sausages, bacon, fire cooked toast, cereals, yoghurts, fruit juices, you name it it was there. This was all washed down with guava champagne...yummy!! (Gem - wish you'd been here to share it with us :) x)







What made this so special was that animals were displayed in front of you. So whilst we were tucking in, a baby saltwater crocodile would be staring at you!!!



Once we'd finished, the main tour started where we could hold the various animals they had in the park. We both held a Red Tailed Black Cockatoo named Shadow,




baby Saltwater Crocodiles,



various species of lizard,



pythons (I was a bit reluctant but Tim forced me too!!!)




and I also held a koala named Dexter.



There's a rule in Queensland where they can 'work' for 30mins three days a week but it does cost $14 that goes back into the conservation of the species.



On our tour was Lara and her family, Gypsy (mum) and Orlando (little brother), who had been on the horseriding. We had breakfast with them and managed to have a good natter all the way round, so much so that we got lost in the butterfly wood!!! It was lovely to spend time with them and hope to see them again on our trip.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave and head back to the mainland on the ferry for another choppy journey where Tim was happy snapping away...again. Hopefully we'll be back before we head back to England.

Crocs Rule!

The famous saying by the late Steve Irwin has educated Australia about crocodile safety and remains as strong as ever. I hadn’t appreciated before our trip how revered Steve Irwin and his family are in Australia but speaking to the locals it seems as though his death struck a similar chord to that of Princess Diana in the UK.

To see first hand how the Irwin family have involved themselves in Australian conservation, the only place to go is Beerwah’s Steve Irwin Way – the home of Australia Zoo, and owned by them. It was the first major tourist destination we had visited and was the first time it had really sunk in about being so far from home – this was AUSTRALIA Zoo!!!

Everyone speaks of him as though they know him as a ‘mate’ and his family, Terri, Bindi and Robert are also everyone’s long lost relatives. It really is amazing to hear.

The Crocoseum, the designed enclosure to show the public native birds and animals as well as the famous crocodile demonstration, was brilliant.

Parrots and doves flew around the mini-stadium whilst Mossman, the largest saltwater crocodile was exhibited. His slow, calculated movements around the clear waters was easily seen by everyone with it culminating in the lunge from the water to devour some food.

The enclosure also contained examples of the following animals:

Alligators,

saltwater crocodiles (the mean ones!),

koalas (our favourite so there’s a few photos!!!)

kangaroos and wallabies,

dingos,

cassowaries,

all manner of snakes,

elephants

and tigers

were on show split into many different zones that had a shuttle running all day between them. With some it was possible to engage with them whilst others it obviously wasn’t.

The layout was amazing. Wonderfully professional keepers were informative, engaging and courteous and if ever you wanted a real life example of customer service and attention to detail this was your place. Enclosures were immaculately clean, spacious and real due to the location in Queensland’s dense bushland.

Steve Irwin was everywhere and the commercialisation of his name, face and quotes was almost tacky.

View Full Album

If it hadn’t been for the family’s incredibly strong passion for conservation and understanding that profits from the zoo go directly towards helping animals in the wild, the experience would have been awful. As a result, we were both very impressed and came away feeling as though we’d seen and experienced that was helping a wider conservation project.

Top marks or as Mr Irwin would have said, “What a beaut”!