Being in Queensland, there are several boxes that as a traveller you are expected to tick. One of them being a day visit to the great barrier reef which is accessible pretty much anywhere north of Brisbane. Me being the non-conformist that I am, decided that this was a must do activity and hence Adam and I took a boat trip out to sea the supposed wonders of the sea. Unsure of what really to expect, the day turned out to be awesome, with one of my most predominant memories involving diving for 25 mins (note this 
was the first time I have even dived before) or so, on the ocean floor amongst the coral of the barrier, and swimming along a turtle. Absolutely Stunning!! Elegantly and gracefully gliding through the water with ease, and that was just me, let alone the turtle. I'm sure retrospectively the turtle had a different opinion of my swimming, no doubt looking like a complete idiot with no rhythm or swimming ability. When not diving snorkeling was the aim of the day, seeming rather lame when compared. It turned out to be a well worth while experience, but looking back on it I couldn't really see myself rushing to do it again. I think its one of those things you have to do once in your life time, to tick the box as it were, but once completed that's it. Afterwards there was no personal burning desire to get back in a wet suit asap.
Later that same week we left for Townsville at 7:30 in the morning. Premier Coach service being our chariot from Cairns to Sydney, a cheaper alternative the nationally acclaimed Greyhound service. Unfortunately our first leg of the east coast nearly turned out to be a near disaster, with a close shave in missing the coach. 2 mins later and we would have been well and screwed. Was this an omen of the trip to come, some would say looking in hindsight yes! We made it to Townsville where we hauled our heavy luggage to the transfer terminal for Magnetic Island a short walk away. It was the first time we used the backpack straps of our bags and judging by the amount of effort and pain involved, probably the last. Arriving on Magnetic, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but then there's a shock. The place was quiet, a little too quiet, if you know what I mean. Somewhere that the locals of Townsville use to escape the hustle and bustle of the small city, its desolate with probably a population just about large enough to fill a London bus. Staying a Maggies, literally on the beach of Horseshoe Bay, the place was instantly cast its spell of relaxation and tranquility. An ideal place to read, as there is little else that can be done during the day, this was the scene where I starting reading. I never really read books. Magazines, the occasional paper and the Internet yes, but siting down and indulging in a novel has never really taken place. Now with days of quite literally nothing to do but it on the beach and soak up the sun, I have found a new found interest with the like of Brown, Mcnab and Cornwell. With the constant background sound of gently breaking waves, i
t was easy to lose yourself for the whole day in a good book. It was good that reading had become a predominant part of my day, as without it there was little to do on Magnetic. A few sighting exercises of the once again amazing beaches, with there rich blue sea's and framed with the perfectly clear sky, it was all typically Australian. I'd never thought I'd here myself say this, but beaches are becoming repetitive, very repetitive.To escape them, we also embarked on the Fort Walk, a small climbing surprising enough to a old Fort post originating from the second world war. It also provided the opportunity to seem some of the native wild life.
Home at the time to 3 gun emplacements protecting Aus from the overwhelming threat of invasion from the Jap's, its no surprise depending on how good your history is to find they were only fired once. It was also no surprise to find that the ship fired upon was American, forgetting to inform the Australian coast of their arrival. Stupid Americans!We finished our top in this area with a quick look round Townsville. With a sun burnt head it was about time I purchased a hat, and seeming the cricket was upon us soon, well suprise surprise a cricket hat it was. With more books aswell, we took a quick look around the town and up to Anzac Memorial Park. Although staying in Townsville for a matter of hours, this felt like ample time as the city appeared to have very little to offer.
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