Billabong Sanctuary, Magnetic Island and Wallaman Falls

So this last week in Townsville has been fun. Since Andreas and I are both not working we decided to see some of the attractions in the area. The first place we went to was Billabong Sanctuary which is like the local zoo, Aussie style. All the animals in the sanctuary are indigenous to Australia, we saw different reptiles, birds and mammals such as kangaroos, koalas and a cute wombat. It was neat to have the "roos" eat out of our hands (it was Andreas' highlight) and to pet the koalas and a wombat. I really loved the dingos, which are the Australian wild dog. They are quite short but very cute and I loved to pet them. The crocodile feeding were very interesting, and the facts that we learned were fascinating. We also got to hold a baby crocodile, its mouth was taped shut and its belly was surprisingly soft to touch. I also got to have a python draped around my neck, something Andreas would not do at all, he barely even touched the snake while I carried it. The snake was pretty soft too, but cold.

Two days later we drove to a place called Wallaman falls, which is the highest single drop fall in Australia. At 268m high it is an impressive sight and incredibly gorgeous. We wanted to take the hiking path down to the base of the fall but unfortunately it was closed. Instead we did a short trek along a nearby creek through a rain forest area. It was a beautiful area, with lians hanging from the trees, weird looking "birds nest ferns" and cute turtles swimming in the creek, Andreas also took a swim with the turtles in his Adam's suite. We also happened to lose our front hub cap three times on the bumpy pot holed road to the falls, after the third time we just stuck it in the trunk until we got home.

On the weekend we went to Magnetic Island which is only 20 minutes by ferry from Townsville. It is a magnificent island. Beautiful beaches, lush lush vegetation, some WW2 history, some great nature treks. We spent the morning on the beach, climbing over big rocks, swimming and just enjoying the sun. Around noon we went for a trek at a area called the Forts, which is the remains of a WW2 radar and gun site. On the track to the ruins we saw a wild Koala sleeping in a tree. Also a sign at the beginning of the trek recommended wearing sturdy footwear, but I only had thongs on, and didn't have any proper shoes. I was pretty good for the whole hike until the last 10 mins on the way down when I slipped on some loose sand and got a nice gash to my left palm. Oh well, I'm better prepared now.

Then after the church service on Sunday we went out for a lunch with a cool couple, named Ross and Rebecca. They are very nice, around our age, Rebecca is due with their first child in less than 2 weeks. It was just a great opportunity to connect with some local people and make friends. They have also traveled in Canada before, so it was neat to exchange stories.

Well our last week in Townsville will be good I'm sure, then on to Cairns and Kakadu National Park.