Wednesday 20th October 2021
Well what a big day we have had today. We were up early and ready for a walk as it is so hot here, I need to be on my way as I overheat a lot! Today’s first walk is the Forts Walk.

“One of the most popular tracks on Magnetic Island National Park, the Forts walk leads to fascinating historic WWII fortifications and infrastructure. The track ascends, sometimes steeply, to follow a ridge behind the bays before arriving at the ruins of the Forts complex operated during World War II. Along the way enjoy the breathtaking views to the Palm Island Group in the north and Bowling Green Bay National Park in the south. Remember to look upwards as well! Dozing koalas are often seen in the trees along the track. The 360 degree views from the top of the fortifications are more than worth the walk! The Australian Coast Artillery Units operated the Forts complex from 1943 until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.”

We got started just after 8.30am and headed up the track, this was quite easy as it was mainly gravel or road base, so the ascent was a lot easier than if it were a bush track. We continued up and David was looking intently for koalas in the trees and my instructions were to keep an eye out for snakes. I was happy with that as I get a very sore neck looking for the koalas. We were lucky to see a few koalas along the way. A mother and a hidden baby up high and another one just at eye height, which was fantastic. David always happy to see them in their natural habitat. We then continued up to the fort, passing the remnants of time gone by. The viewpoints of the bays along the way were beautiful, especially at the top.

We then headed back down and enjoyed some more time looking at the koalas. This time the baby was out on the tree. We were so lucky.

Next stop was lunch a picturesque Alma Bay with beautiful blue water and golden sands.

“Located in Arcadia, Alma Bay is a popular swimming beach with good accessibility for less mobile visitors. The bay is patrolled by Lifeguards year-round with red and yellow flags marking the safest swimming area for beach goers.”

David is still a little apprehensive about swimming as the stinger season is very close and the earliest recorded Irukandji jellyfish sting was mid October in 2003. As you can see, he has way too much information. “The syndrome was named after the Irukandji people, whose country stretches along the coastal strip north of Cairns, Queensland.” The story goes they learnt not to swim in stinger season as when they did people got sick. A very simplistic but educated assessment of the situation.

So after lunch we headed along Radical Bay Rd which was closed to traffic so we had to walk instead. Along the way we took the side track to picturesque Arthur Bay and then on to Florence Bay. It was low-ish tide so we decided to go for a snorkel. We donned our stinger suits and snorkel gear and enjoyed about 45 minutes in the water. We saw many fish including the parrotfish, oval-spot butterflyfish, spiny chromis, scissor tail sergeant, blue strip sea perch and many, many more. I also saw a lovely stingray which I followed at a safe distance. There were also some tiny, tiny electric blue and orange fish. There was some lovely coral – brain coral and some amazing frilled seaweed. Unfortunately the water was a little murky when you went a bit deeper and it was a little spooky. David lasted a fair while considering he isn’t real keen at this time of year. We then walked back via another WWII lookout and back to the car. It was a very hot walk back and I enjoyed a dip in the pool at the caravan park when we got back. I am planning another one just before bedtime to try and help me sleep better tonight.