Steffi & Gerry: Trip around the World
Travel Blog of our Honeymoon around the World
We got two full-suspension mountain bikes (Giant) with adjustable saddle pole (bikers know why this is a good thing). We avoided the crowd at the bike park along Queenstown Hill and pedaled a few kilometers outside of town to the “7 Mile Riding Area”. It was definitely worth the ride. 26 tracks, 20 km trails (some with a great flow), scenic points and not many bikers. No lifts, no restaurants, just pure biking. Wonderful. But we have to admit feeling completely exhausted in the evening.
Captain Cook thought an island would disturb his compass. He was proven wrong later on, but the name remained: Magnetic Island, probably the main reason to stay for a while in Townsville. After a bumpy ferry ride we rented two rusty bikes and pedaled over some hills until we reached the trail head of the Forts Walk, which is famous for spotting koalas in their natural environment, as it is home of the largest free-roaming colony in the world. We saw four of those cute furry animals, which sleep around 14 hours per day. They also need 5 hours to relax… from their search to feed eucalyptus (gum tree) leaves.
Our pre-booked tour to Rottnest Island started at a bay in Perth; a really fast boat sent us to “Rotto”, home of the quokkas, cute little animals of the kangaroo family. We could explore the 11 x 4 km island by bike on our own pace. Almost obviously, the first 30 minutes were disappointing to us, as we couldn’t detect a single quokka at any of the quokka “hot spots”. But then – hopping out of the shadow – cuteness alert!
After this encounter they seemed to be everywhere – almost annoying… but still cute!
After lunch we explored the other side of the island for good snorkeling spots, which we also found and tried. Nice idea: they have installed underwater information signs about the reef’s flora and fauna. Another plus point for snorkeling: you could avoid the strong winds.
