Friday, April 5th 2019
My main reason for coming to Australia was for diving. So even though I had already spent 3 days diving, the plan was to dive in Townsville. Originally I had booked a 2nd liveaboard that was set to disembark Friday night. Unfortunately, due to weather and poor visibility, the liveaboard was canceled. Having already booked and paid for a bus to Townsville, I figured why not go check it out.
Bus to Townsville
I booked with Greyhound Australia, they had the best rate as well as more buses within a day. I booked the 8 am bus out of Cairns. The bus terminal in Cairns is down by the docks. There are no real signs or anyone to point you in the right direction. Make sure you know which bus “terminal” you need to be at, greyhound uses terminals 16 and 17. I was pretty confused. It took a bit of wandering around for me to find terminals 10-20 so give yourself some extra time.
The bus from Cairns to Townsville is 6 hours, a fact that I had somehow misread/misunderstood. I had thought it was 4. The bus does stop around noon in Cardwell. There’s a little diner type restaurant as well as a little bakery down the street. As a vegan, there was 1 option a Veggie Wrap. It wasn’t that bad and I was very happy to have an option at all.
None of the snack foods that I could find were vegan though. Every kind of chip was somehow flavored with milk or chicken. Why are chicken flavored chips a thing??
Across the street is a little beach walk. It offers some really pretty views of the ocean and the mountains in the distance. But be careful venturing down to the beach there are Crocodile Warning signs everywhere.
Townsville Arrival
We got into Townsville around 2:30 pm, still plenty of time to see the city. I had booked a bed at The Avenue Guesthouse. They conveniently had a free shuttle service so they were waiting for me when I got off the bus. The woman who picked me up even gave me a little tour of Townsville.
The Guesthouse is REALLY nice, easily the nicest place I stayed in all of Australia. They have several large community areas. Including a large living room with Netflix, a beautiful kitchen and even an in-ground pool. The rooms were really clean as were the bathrooms. The female dorm even had a clawfoot tub in it.
The weather was much better in Townsville than in Cairns so I decided to sit outside near the pool and catch up on my journal. There was a night market starting around 7 and I was considering checking out the local bar scene after that. It was friday night afterall.
Around 5 I went to my room to start getting ready. Instead I laid down for 5 minutes and that was the end of that. I was out, and I’m a terrible napper. Once I fall asleep it’s pretty much over for me.
I ended up sleeping most of the night, I didn’t go out or see anything. I felt pretty guilty about it the next morning. Between the liveaboard and the time difference I needed the extra sleep.
Saturday
I woke up bright and early, very well rested. I was determined to make the most of the day as I was planning on heading over to Magnetic Island on Sunday. Saturday my only real chance to see the town. After doing a bit of research it seemed The Strand was the place to be.
Day at The Strand
After asking the front desk I was able to hop on a 10 am shuttle into town. There is a public bus, the sunbus, at the end of the street hat takes you into town as well. Bus number 200 or 201 will take you from The Avenue to Flinders Street for about 3 AUD each way. From Flinders street, it’s about a 15-minute walk down to the Strand.
I was expecting more from the Strand, it’s more of a park than a boardwalk. It is right down by the water but there are no shops just a handful of restaurants and cafes. Finding a restaurant that had anything for me to eat turned out to be more difficult than I was hoping.
Taking it Personal
Eventually, decided on Raw Energy that did have a couple of vegan options. I was a little frustrated by the man I ordered from though. I was standing near the counter trying to figure out which options were vegan. For some reason both the vegan and vegetarian are labeled with a green v. The vegan v is slightly darker but it’s pretty hard to distinguish on the menu over the counter. When the man asked me if I was all set I said I just needed a few more minutes. I was trying to figure out what I could eat and explained that I was vegan. He then proceeded to tell me that I was in Australia, a place known for it’s beef and that I should just eat a burger.
I replied by saying I don’t want to have this conversation to which he said come on you’re on vacation! Just do it. I followed by saying my morals don’t change depending on where I am in the world. I should have walked out and left. He said it in a joking way but I was so mad and offended. It’s a personal life choice that doesn’t affect him at all. Why did he think it was ok to comment on it?
I did end up ordering with someone else but looking back I wish I had just walked out. Stupidly, I was worried that I was taking it too personally and that I shouldn’t let it bother me. I was also worried that I wouldn’t be able to find food anywhere else. His comments ruin my day but I was pretty frustrated. I decided to walk the path along the water to clear my mind.
It was warm and pretty sunny that day. As I was already a little burnt from the liveaboard I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. The sun down there is no joke definitely make sure you’re applying sunscreen regularly.
The Strand does have a little beach area that is roped off for swimming. If you wanted to take a dip to cool off you certainly . There are changing areas and public restrooms so you don’t have to worry about walking around in your wet bathing suit. There are plenty of benches and picnic tables to sit and people watch at or read a book if you came prepared.
I spent a good couple hours at The Strand just enjoying the beautiful day. It was so peacful watching the waves crash along the shore. I grabbed some ice cream at Juliette’s Gelateria Before heading back. They have a good variety of dairy-free flavors including my favorite, raspberry and lemon.
I took the bus back to the hostel, making a quick stop at the grocery store, Woolworths. Since I hadn’t done any cooking since arriving in Australia so I was craving some vegetables. I ended up just making a simple pasta salad packed with fresh veggies.
Bar hopping in Townsville
It was Saturday night and since I had slept the night away on Friday I was determined to go out. Flinders Street was lined with bars and night clubs. So I figured I would just bar hop my way down the street and hopefully run into some fun people.
I started at Molly Malones since it was the first bar after the bus stop. The bartender was friendly so we chatted a bit. Then she introduced me to another traveler that she had gotten to know at the bar. He was from Canada but living in Australia on a working holiday visa.
The Mansplainer
He immediately started with the mansplaining. How I should meet new people as a solo traveler after I had mentioned that so far I wasn’t having good luck in the hostels. Every time I tried to talk he would cut me off in the middle of a sentence. So I just stopped responding to see how long it would take him to notice. It took a solid 15 minutes before he asked me a question.
I mentioned I was going to head to another bar and of course, he invited himself to join me. A fatal flaw of mine is being too nice, I don’t like to hurt other peoples feelings. I’m either overly honest or not honest enough. In this instance, I ended up being not honest enough and allowed him to come with me to the next bar.
The next place was Flynn’s Irish Bar right across the street. The bar was packed, there was even a live band playing. We headed outside because there was no place to sit or really stand inside without being in the way. I found out that he was only 20, which made me more understanding of where his know it all attitude came from.
We went inside to grab another drink. A guy started talking to me and the Canadian had the audacity to get mad. Excuse me, I don’t think so. We didn’t even come out together and I sure as hell don’t belong to anyone. This may have been where I got a little overly honest. Oops! I just hate when men act like that, I can talk to anyone I want to thank you very much.
My Australian Dream Man
I stayed inside after that. Sortly after I met a group of guys that seemed to be having a great time dancing and goofing around. Daniel invited me to dance with the group but I hadn’t had nearly enough to drink for that. I was kind of just standing there watching the band when Jason a guy from the group came over to me. His exact line was “You’re way too cute to be standing there by yourself” then he took me by the hand and lead me outside.
I was confused by what was happening but the street was crowded I knew I would be fine. Once outside I asked him where we were going he said it was too loud inside to talk, that he wanted to get to know me. Cheesy and so corny but with his adorable Australian accent I was on cloud 9.
We ended up walking around and talking for a bit before we headed back inside. He was in school to be a helicopter pilot as were all the guys he was out with. He grew up in the Northern Territory and was definitely a country guy. I’m really good at reading people, probably from traveling by myself, I could tell he was a sweet guy.
We went back inside and dance for the next hour or so. We didn’t even close the bar down, by 2 am we had both had enough. He invited me back to his place, an offer I was not about to refuse. As is my standard more details on that can be found at the end of this post!
Sunday
We woke up after 3ish hours of sleep, he asked me if I wanted to go to breakfast. I was shocked, this is not how my one-night stands usually went, hell I usually don’t even spend the night. I had to check out of my hostel by 10 am so I didn’t really have time for breakfast. Even sobut he insisted on driving me back to my hostel. What a gentleman.
I got his facebook info before I left. I asked if I could see him again to which he responded what are you doing for lunch? Was this my Australian Prince Charming?! He was just so nice! Silly I know but after years in the dating world trust me nice is hard to come by.
He picked me back up around 1 pm and took me to lunch on the strand. He didn’t even judge me when I ordered pizza without cheese. I had a ferry booked to head over to Magnetic Island for a couple of days. He, of course, offered to bring me and gave me the best goodbye kiss I’ve ever had.
I was smitten. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I changed my bus to give myself one extra day in Townsville with him. I figured what could it hurt?
Magnetic Island
From Townsville, there are 2 ferries that go to the Island. The Sealink is the passenger ferry, the Magnetic Island Ferry transports cars and passengers. The car ferry is actually cheaper, it’s only 14 AUD each way if booked online, the Sealink is 17 AUD. The Magnetic Island Ferry leaves Townsville from a different location than the Sealink. It’s on the other side of the harbor so make sure you end up where you need to be.
The ferry is only about a half hour ride. They do sell alcohol and food on both ships if you just can’t wait. Now you may be wondering what’s the draw of Magnetic Island? Well Magnetic Island is home to Australias largest wild Koala colony. Yup that’s right there’s a chance you could see wild Koalas!
Hostels are pretty expensive and tend to sell out quickly so I would recommend booking in advance if you can. I stayed at X base Backpackers. It’s definitely a party hostel. They are apparently known for their full moon parties so maybe try to plan around that if it interests you. They have something going on at the bar every night. Considering there’s not much else to do on the island at night the place is kind of a blessing.
I was feeling kind of hungover and very tired from the activities the night before so my first night there I skipped the party and went right to bed.
Monday
I woke up pretty early, around 6. When I walked outside it was shortly after sunrise, the view was gorgeous. I decided to quickly get ready and head out to look for Koalas. From my research, it sounded like The Forts hike was the one to do if I wanted to see Koalas. Conveniently there is a bus stop right at the start of the hike. For 7 AUD you can buy a day pass and take the bus all around the island.
The Forts
I made it to The Forts by 8 am. The Forts were an old military training facility during world war 2. A couple of the buildings are still there along with a few lookout points.
It’s a decent hike it took me a couple of hours but, I explored all the little side trails and stopped often to look for Koalas. Finally about three-quarters of the way I spotted a sleepy Koala!
I had only stopped because to get to the next little lookout point you had to squeeze through some boulders and I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to do that. If I hadn’t stopped I definitely would have missed this little guy. Since they spend roughly 16 hours a day sleeping they’re pretty easy to miss.
I was thrilled to get to see this cuddly looking little fella in its natural habitat. So many people had asked me if I was going to hold a koala but I just couldn’t help but feel like that was wrong. And I was shocked that so many sancuaries around Australia allowed this. I understand that the Koalas have bonded with humans and will never be released but I just don’t think we should be touching them unless you’re a trained animal handler. For me, it only counts if I get to see the animal in the wild.
Horseshoe Bay
That afternoon I went to Horseshoe Bay, as it turns out nearly everything on the island is closed on Mondays for some reason. I was able to get a couple of postcards and some more dairy free Gelato. They even had chocolate dairy free gelato!!
The beach was pretty to walk around on and there was plenty of shade to keep me from getting sunburnt. I spent the afternoon reading on the beach.
That night the hostel was having a bingo night, I didn’t even realize the hostel could accommodate all the people that showed up for bingo. I was still feeling a little under the weather and had lost my voice so I only stayed for one round. The drinks were decently priced for a hostel and it was really nice that they organized something every night.
Tuesday
I woke up fairly early again and decided to take the opportunity to work on my journal for a bit. Thankfully X Base Backpackers also has a kitchen, it doesn’t really have any vegan options but they do have wedges and I consider potatoes in any form to be breakfast.
My ferry back to Townsville was at 1:30 pm so I just hung out at the hostel all morning. There really wasn’t much to see on Magnetic Island beside the Koalas.
I ended up missing my ferry and having to buy a Sealink ticket to get back, there was no way I was missing my final day in Townsville with my Australian Dream Man.
Back to Townsville
I booked a bed with The Avenue Guesthouse again, it was 5 minutes away from where my Australian Dream Man lived and I had a great stay there before.
Jason wasn’t able to meet until after school finished up around 7 so I went into town with another girl from the hostel to wander around. She was also from the United States but she was there on a working holiday visa. We got along pretty well and had a fun afternoon wandering around together.
Around 6 Jason gave me a call and offered to pick me up at the hostel in an hour. Perfect! We spent the night together again, and he brought me to the bus stop in the morning. I was hopeful that we would keep in touch when I got back home, he seemed interested as well but that doesn’t seem to be the case nearly a month later. I can’t say I’m surprised I knew the chances were slim of it turning into anything but sometimes it’s nice to dream. Either way, it was a fantastic way to end my trip to Australia.
My Australian Dream Man
After a night of drinking and dancing together neither of us could keep our hands to ourselves when we got back to his place. We both were stripped within a few minutes. If I could design a man he would probably look pretty similar to Jason. He’s over 6 ft with dirty blonde hair and kind eyes. Jason didn’t have the body of a man who spends countless hours in the gym, rather he had the body of a man who works with his hands which is so sexy to me.
He wasn’t perfectly sculpted with 0% body fat which I find impractical but there was no denying that he was powerful. Jason lifted me as easily as if I were a child and lowered us both onto the bed.
I was unsure if we had both had too much to drink to make the night enjoyable but he quickly proved me wrong. He was so attentive to my needs and my body it was a nice change. Especially in the hookup world, it can be challenging to find a man who focuses on my pleasure but he knew exactly what he was doing and made my satisfaction a priority.
He was much more well endowed than I was used to which made sex a little uncomfortable at first. He was also the first man I had been with in months that was able to go multiple rounds. The sex alone made my decision to stay an extra night in Townsville easy. It’s not every day that you have mind-blowing sex.
It wasn’t just for the sex that I stayed an extra day he was incredibly sweet and thoughtful in and out of the bedroom. He was funny and ambitious, so handsome and just all around a nice guy, I was more than willing to give a chance if I hadn’t had a job counting on me back home I probably wouldn’t have come back.
