koalas – IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY………..

It is winter here – although you wouldn’t know it. The sun shines every day and because we haven’t had as much rain as normal, the bougainvillea and other flowering shrubs are all magnificent.

Next week we will feel differently I know – we are off to South Australia for ten days of food and wine plus exploring the Murray River but first we are off to Port Lincoln to visit the tuna farms and the wonderful Coffin Bay oysters. It will be very cold down there, so we made the most of this glorious weather at the weekend.

A friend came over for the day on Sunday – to give his boat a bit of a run but also to have a walk with us and lunch at Picnic Bay before we all returned to town on the boat.

The walk to Picnic Bay is beautiful, especially at this cooler time of year. It starts along the beach and finishes on this cliffside boardwalk with stunning views of the rocks and hoop pines before winding through a bush track into the little settlement.

At the top of the boardwalk, nestled in the rocks is an unusual painting – we call it “Scotch on the Rocks” and it was done at least thirty years ago by some creative person who had a vivid imagination. The colours are somewhat faded but you can still make out the tam ‘o shanter and the eyes and mouth.

Beautiful views of Rocky Bay are always breathtaking and this time it was low tide. There is a craggy path down to the beach and it is often deserted as it can only be reached on foot or by boat.

Then down along the bush track there are glimpses of the city of Townsville and the port.

Occasionally you can see a koala in the wild – you have to really look hard as they make the eucalypts their home and in places the leaves and branches are very dense.

After a beautiful lunch at the Picnic Bay Hotel and a leisurely wander back, we gathered our things, hopped on the boat and cruised back home.

This is Castle Hill and the Strand beach with the marina rock wall in the foreground. We are back after a relaxing weekend. Now to prepare for the ten days of birthday celebration. I ask you – who celebrates for ten days straight?

Situated just 8km off the coast of Townsville, North Queensland is my “island home”. The place where we escape on weekends, spend holidays and enjoy the company of friends and family. Where we indulge in the luxury of reading, hiking, swimming, cooking unusual dishes and where time really means not much. We can do what we like, when we like.

This beautiful island has 23 bays and beaches and much of it is National Park surrounded by Marine Parks with some beautiful fringing coral and sea life. In winter we watch whales on their migration north from Antarctica and dolphins and turtles abound.

Huge granite boulders, hoop pines, eucalypt forest and patches of rainforest are found and of course, the resident wildlife is always there …… Rosellas flock at dawn and sunset and greedily gobble up seeds thrown by residents. The curlew looks on haughtily but doesn’t dare intercede.One morning a young kookaburra hopped onto our verandah and expected his breakfast – which he got – pieces of bacon which he slapped against the railings attempting to “kill it” before devouring.

There are some beautiful walks through the National Park, including one to the “Forts” – a series of structures which were lookout forts during the Second World War. This is where you will often see koalas in the wild. Textures and colours of trees and leaves never fail to amaze me.

And finally the sunsets – always magnificent and there is nothing better than to enjoy a sundowner at the end of the day watching the sun sink into the horizon declaring the day is over and a new start awaits in the morning.

Welcome to my Island Home !