Australia - Monday May 9 - Magnetic Island

Monday we took the ferry to Magnetic Island, a resort island dotted with little beaches, tourist attractions and assorted fun stuff, connected by a web of narrow paved roads. After a 35-minute ferry ride, we landed at Picnic Bay and rented a mini-moke. A mini-moke looks like a jeep but is small like an ATV. It seats four, and was just big enough for us to all pile in and take off to see the sights.

Our first stop was Koala Park, an Australian petting zoo. Gordon, Laura and even Karren took turns touching the koala (but only on its back--they are not as cuddly as they look) and the kangaroo. They were utterly enthralled by a large white cockatoo that said, "Hello Darling!"

Then off to Radical Beach to play in the surf. Since Magnetic Island lies between the Australian coast and the Great Barrier Reef, the waves hardly deserve the name--they ripple quietly onto the shore, just the right size for small children. We installed earplugs in Gordon & Karren, and then led all three of them out to where the water could lick their toes. Gordon and Laura quickly took to the warm tropical beach and played happily. Karren, however, was very suspicious, and I finally settled her in the sand so the last ripplings of the surf could wash over her legs. She didn't care much for that, and grumbled at me for making her endure all that nasty sand and unpredictable water. But a good time was still had by (mostly) all.


When we were done, we scrambled into the mini-moke and putt-putted back to Picnic Bay, where we had lunch--fish & chips, meat pies, and fruit punch. Lunch was always very casual; I don't know if it was because Australia is very casual and everyone eats fast food for lunch, or if it's because we had small children and it was easier that way, or if we were reliving The Best of Australia by a Former Missionary. In any case, it didn't take long for the kids to have favorite lunch items. Gordon preferred meat pies, Laura was a fish & chips girl, and Karren favored dim sims. But if one item or other was not available, they ate whatever they got and were content.

After lunch we took the ferry back to the mainland and made a quick stop at Flinders Mall for cash, and then David took the kids for ice cream while I ran into David Jones for a baby hairbrush. And back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.

We treated the Elders to dinner at the Reef, and had a nice long chat. David found out how the mission was doing, which he found satisfying, and I kept the kids under control until they conked out at the table, exhausted from a very exciting day.