Cruising Magnetic Island - part III

Long time no speak. Reason: Journey back to Finland with a stopover in Vietnam. Homecoming report coming up soon! But first, back to Magnetic Island...

Last stop before heading back to the mainland was a koala sanctuary where we got to see and hold all kinds of Australian creatures; lizards, turtles, birds, crocodiles, wombats, koalas, snakes, butterflies... 

Wombats are so cute! You actually have to hold them like a baby. 

Well worth visiting! One of the few places in Australia where you can hold the animals. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We learned a lot about the animals, too. 

Cruising Magnetic Island - part II

Cruising the beautiful island in our cute little pink car we saw some nice secluded beaches and amazing scenery and wildlife.

We saw wild koalas and heaps of cute little rock wallabies.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Cruising Magnetic Island - part I

From Townsville we took a ferry to Magnetic Island. We left the van in Townsville and stayed at a nice hostel right by the beach. 

Townsville

Magnetic Island

In the evening we went to see toad racing. I hate cane toads, they are so disgusting, but still, I don't think they were treating the ugly creatures very well.

The next day we hired a car. And not just any car, but... a pink pussywagon!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Rainbow power!

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Makes you want to move your dancing feet... 

I can't believe I forgot to write about Nimbin!

We did a day trip from Byron Bay to this alternative capital of Australia. Hiding in the middle of beautiful mountains from the rest of the world, Nimbin is stopped in time and still living in the 60s. Relaxed, peaceful, friendly atmosphere with shiny, happy people.

Walking the main street we ran across many cheerful fellows:

Buying, consumption and selling of cannabis is open and the first thing we heard after jumping out of our van indeed was: 'Would you girls like to buy some marijuana?'. 

Unfortunately, we also saw what this environ-mentally healthy herb may do to you in the long-run in the form of an elderly aboriginal 'lady' who wasn't sure if she was a woman or a man, and kept talking to her imaginary friends.

There was a hemp embassy, hemp bar and cafe, pipe shops and all these colourful, happily decorated shops selling anything to do with hemp. MardiGrass festival, aiming to end the prohibition of cannabis in Australia, is held in Nimbin annually. They have hemp olympics too, including activities such as joint rolling. 

Such a happy place.


Want you to know, I'm a rainbow too!