Reef HQ

Leaving Snoopy in living mode, we decided to set out early and get a ferry to Magnetic Island.

But this is Queensland and it's the wet season, and we. got. WET.

On the plus side, this meant that Magnetic Island (so named because it's magnetic...) was empty! We got a bus over to Horseshow Bay, where we had a coffee and muffin overlooking the beach and bay as the clouds parted, and the heat got turned on...

In the mid-morning sun, we decided to go for a walk through the rainforest on the island to a WWII gun emplacement. We were also told there would Koalas all over the place, and a very low chance of seeing a snake.

By the end of the walk we'd seen the gun emplacement with stunning views over the island, we didn't see a single Koala, but we did see/nearly tread on a rather large and as yet unidentified big green snake with a bright yellow stripe down the side.

I don't do snakes.

Snake and man moved in harmony

I bravely leapt out of the way of the serpent, and threw my self manfully between Sophie and the snakes foul venom dripping fangs. I raised my camera, ready to strike if it came for me and steadied my feet ready to pounce.

The snake recognising a superior foe decided to run away with its tail between its legs ... well, you know what i mean.

... That's how I remember it anyway.

Back at Horseshoe bay, we had a drink in a bar, and ended up chatting to a local who spent the best part of 20 minutes trying to sell me his car!

Without a car, there wasn't much else to do on the island, so we headed back to the mainland and went to Reef HQ - they have a massive reef section which they have grown in the aquarium and had all sorts of exotic sharks other types of colourful fish to look at (including this little chap (pictured)... or is it a chapette... I can never tell).

The best part of the place was a turtle hospital attached to the side. Sophie being a vet was really interested in how they treat them, and after some subtle probing we found out that they x-ray every new patient, give it a massive dose of laxatives, stand back and cross their fingers!