Hi there,
One of the funniest Australian traits (or annoying, if you ask Tom) is the constant use of abbreviations, which is so widespread that even reading the local newspapers is a challenge. A good example is Magnetic Island, fondly known as 'Maggie' (nevermind all the historic events leading to the naming of the island and which involve Captain Cook's compass breaking somewhere around here). This island off the coast of Townsville (another funny name, as if the locals couldn't decide between speaking English or French) is mostly a natural reserve. More importantly, it is a natural reserve full of those lovely fluffy cuties otherwise known as koalas. I was determined to try and get one here, having figured out that people were less probable to noticing me plucking a koala from a tree in the wild than from an enclosure in a zoo.
The YHA in the island was great: all the accommodation is in little bungalows spread like mushrooms over a big field. The cool thing (beyond the swimming pool with hammocks) is that all the local wildlife treats the YHA grounds as part of the surrounding reserve. We ended up seeing more animals when we were walking to the toilet than when we were trekking around the park.
One of the funniest Australian traits (or annoying, if you ask Tom) is the constant use of abbreviations, which is so widespread that even reading the local newspapers is a challenge. A good example is Magnetic Island, fondly known as 'Maggie' (nevermind all the historic events leading to the naming of the island and which involve Captain Cook's compass breaking somewhere around here). This island off the coast of Townsville (another funny name, as if the locals couldn't decide between speaking English or French) is mostly a natural reserve. More importantly, it is a natural reserve full of those lovely fluffy cuties otherwise known as koalas. I was determined to try and get one here, having figured out that people were less probable to noticing me plucking a koala from a tree in the wild than from an enclosure in a zoo.
The YHA in the island was great: all the accommodation is in little bungalows spread like mushrooms over a big field. The cool thing (beyond the swimming pool with hammocks) is that all the local wildlife treats the YHA grounds as part of the surrounding reserve. We ended up seeing more animals when we were walking to the toilet than when we were trekking around the park.
The craziest ones were the lorikeets: the hostel staff put a big feeding bowl out in the afternoon and the effect was the one on the photo. If you were brave enough you could try to hand feed some but you risked being not only scratched but worse than that, soiled. I escaped with only a few scratch marks on my arm which make me look like someone who’s not very good at juggling knives. The nicest thing about these birds is that they mate for life and after all the frenzy of trying to get some food they would fly to a branch away from the confusion and shared it sweetly with their partners. Oh….
On my way to the kitchen I came across a bird about half a metre tall but with disproportionately big eyes. It looked like a cartoon, a smaller and less colourful version of Roadrunner. I run back to the bungalow, got the camera and rushed to get a photo. It turned out to be an endangered australian species, a bush stone curlew. It didn’t seem to mind posing for photos but as soon as I tried to get too close it started hissing like a cat. I wondered if it also purred like a cat but I did not dare getting any closer.
Then, on the local pub (within the YHA) we found a pair of these unusual customers: the laughing kookaburra kingfishers! You won’t believe it until you hear it but their call sounds exactly like laughing monkeys! We like them so much that we ended up buying a soft toy kookaburra carrying a sound recording of the call, so we can prove to people visiting us that we aren’t mad (or not completely, in any case). Every time we heard them we ended up laughing ourselves!
That evening the pub put on a special ten pin bowling session with coconuts and wine bottles (the idea being that you knocked down the bottles with the coconuts although you could also try it the other way around). In this unappreciated sport we managed to achieve a combined score of zero bottles, given that our coconuts were prone to bounce off the floor over the bottles. At least we provided some entertainment: apparently I was the first Portuguese player on record while Tom endured some the english cricket jokes.
As things quieted down I saw something looking like a cat moving between the tables. Of course it was a possum, cautiously looking for anything edible. To my disbelief it headed straight into the kitchen but was soon scared away by someone inside. The sheer cheekiness! A couple of hours later we witnessed a lovers’ quarrel or a competitors fight just outside our bungalow. We heard this hissing and scuffling and growling and when we went to see what was happening we found two possums facing each other. They also fought like cats: they hissed at each other from a distance for a while then pounced on each other, rolled around a bit and separated in a leap, resuming the facing each other positions and restarting the whole thing again. We took a couple of photos but then realised to two were suddenly facing us, so we just closed the door before we found out they also scratch and bite like cats.
The only annoying thing was the weather. On the first day we still managed to use the pool but from then onwards it just poured it. We bravely ventured in a walk around an abandoned WWII base where supposedly, grey bums greet you from the trees. However the koalas are intelligent creatures and while me and Tom trudged gloomily among the trees in the rain, the koalas were probably somewhere dry and warm having a cup of tea. Humph…
As things quieted down I saw something looking like a cat moving between the tables. Of course it was a possum, cautiously looking for anything edible. To my disbelief it headed straight into the kitchen but was soon scared away by someone inside. The sheer cheekiness! A couple of hours later we witnessed a lovers’ quarrel or a competitors fight just outside our bungalow. We heard this hissing and scuffling and growling and when we went to see what was happening we found two possums facing each other. They also fought like cats: they hissed at each other from a distance for a while then pounced on each other, rolled around a bit and separated in a leap, resuming the facing each other positions and restarting the whole thing again. We took a couple of photos but then realised to two were suddenly facing us, so we just closed the door before we found out they also scratch and bite like cats.The only annoying thing was the weather. On the first day we still managed to use the pool but from then onwards it just poured it. We bravely ventured in a walk around an abandoned WWII base where supposedly, grey bums greet you from the trees. However the koalas are intelligent creatures and while me and Tom trudged gloomily among the trees in the rain, the koalas were probably somewhere dry and warm having a cup of tea. Humph…
The next day we made our way back to the mainland and onto Cairns with no koalas, where the monsoon waited to greet us.
Bye for now,
Vania
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