Australian journal- Magnetic Island 2

For the second part of my trip I wanted to try out something new, after weeks of flying and driving I was pretty exhausted and therefore decided to travel Australia by train. So after checking all viable train travel options I grabbed one of the fantastic offers AustraliaRail had launched and got an bought an AUS-RailPass for 3 months. Looking closer on the map Magnetic Island was a perfect destination heading south of Cairns.
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How to get to Magnetic Island
The best wasy to travel to Magnetic Island is to catch the ferry from Townsville. The service rides every 30 minutes. Once you reach the island a public bus takes you from the ferry terminal through the island stopping at several resorts and main places. I had booked my accommodation on Magnetic Island close to Horseshoe Bay in the northest part of the island.  Unless you have your own vehicle, you must use either the bus which rides every hour or hire a mini moke car, one of those funny topless car or if you prefer a scooter, which is really good fun!
Michela
 (to be continued)

Australian journal 7- Magnetic Island

For now I am giving you a recap of what I have been doing during  my solo travel experience in Australia: I love travelling alone. The picture above shows you where I travelled by train across Australia.

From the North to the South Queensland along its coastline

The first leg of my train travel in Australia covered the whole of the coastline from Cairns to Brisbane.  The first stop was Magnetic Island where I stayed 3 days. A little island in the dry tropics of Queensland with beautiful little beaches and secluded bays, over 10 walking tracks and plenty of sports activities.

Travelling to Magnetic Island off coast of Townsville 

 After 4 weeks of extensive travelling Cairns in North Tropical Queensland signed the last destination of the first part of my trip. I really needed a break, a peaceful place where I could relax, fully unwind and finally keep travelling  across Australia for more weeks.

Michela 

 (to be continued)

Australian journal 6 train travel

Australia is a huge country with endless travel distances; as a solo traveler you are bound to be on the road for a long time and of course completely alone!  I find driving in Australia pretty tiresome, unless you have a travel companion with whom you can swap the drive and have a chat I would not welcome driving solo long distances on the australian roads.

So, how can you travel in Australia if not driving or flying?

There are ways, bus and train. I am a huge fan of train travel. In Europe I travel on train by 90% of my time. This time I was keen to experience train travel in Australia too. And this exactly how I travelled for the rest of my time in OZ. It has been an awesome experience, a rather different experience from the type of train travel I am used to in Europe. I will tell you more about my train travel experience in Australia on the next posts.

(to be continued)