And for your next lesson in Australian tongue please read on:

• iffy - questionable, doubtful or risky
• solid - excessive or unfair: ‘That’s a bit solid!’
• whinge – To complain constantly and irritatingly. A whinge is the act of doing this, and a whinger is a person who does so too often i.e. a Englishman is often referred to as a Whinging Pom…incorrectly of course!

Famous Australians today too:

• Lionel Rose (1948- ) – became the first Aboriginal world champion boxer in 1968 when he defeated the ‘Unbeatable One’, Masahiko ‘Fighting’ Harada. He was the first Aborigine to be named Australian of the Year
• Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) – made the first charts of the country’s coast. An intrepid naval explorer, he suggested that the land be named Australia, a proposal later adopted by Lachlan Macquarie
• Ned Kelly (1855-1880) – remains Australia’s best known crook, renowned for his inventive armour and anti-establishment attitude. He was hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol on November 11th 1880

Location: Hinchinbrook Island
Weather: Another flippin great day, hot, blue skies and sunshine. 30°c

Time to go back to my roots…enough of this opulent five-star living Southall – the world of backpacking, socialising and hands on experiences is beckoning once more. Pretend you haven’t got that business-like pull along suitcase and instead throw a backpack on your shoulders again. It’s time to go and visit Magnetic Island and the world of backpacking!

Probably best to drop the film-star like arrival in a helicopter then…oh ok just one more! It’s an incredible way to move around somewhere as large as the reef and the view from the window is something I’ll never tire of.

Flying over the estuaries around North Queensland is one of the safest ways to do it as well….what with all of those salties (Saltwater crocodiles) down there! Hilton from Nautilus Aviation dropped me perfectly on the 18th hole of Magnetic Island golf course ready to start the next adventure on a new island….much to the amusement/bewilderment of the two ladies playing the hole at the time!

Bob and Del from Bungalow Bay YHA, my accommodation for the next few nights, met me from the chopper and handed me the keys to my new ride for the next couple of days, a Suzuki Jeep with 4WD…what more do I need and definitely a step up from my usual golf buggy. How good it is to have the freedom of driving back again?

My little 4x4

I made my way around the island and after 9kms pulled into the grounds of Bungalow Bay to be greeted by a very welcoming sight…tents and little wooden bungalows; a veritable village! There’s 100 beds available with loads of spots for campervans, trailers and tents with the unique thing about it is the Koala Village situated within the camp confines….and there’s plenty more than koalas there I can tell you! Tony the Ranger showed me around introducing me to all manner of Australia’s finest and more deadly inhabitants. Crocodiles whose mouths I had to tape shut, snakes which crawled through the arm on my tshirt and around my back and then a huge spider – all in front of a crowd of people as I had my first day training to be a ranger. I feel much better about these scary creatures now….well a little anyway!

As I checked into my room the sound of birds filled the air – screaming, squarking birds! Feeding time had just commenced with nearly 200 Purple Crowned Lorikeets descending to feast on bread and water from right out of you hand. I do wish I hadn’t just changed my shirt though….bird poo isn’t the best look.

After a few days camping on the beach at Hinchinbrook this was relative luxury having my own double bed and air con too! Hunger pangs were starting to run through my body after a few days hard kayaking so dinner couldn’t come early enough and with a range of curries on the menu you can’t go wrong.

I try and stay away from this planet-damaging luxury as much as possible and it’s a bit like a Wonderbra anyway. You know the theory – it’s a bit of a false environment and all very well until you step out of the room and into the heat, much like removing a Wonderbra (I imagine!)

Now backpacker resorts try and keep their residents amused as much as they can and the game of coconut bowling is a particular speciality of Bungalow Bay. Yes an interesting sport and one which requires no skill…only a huge amount of luck. Can you imagine trying to bowl and fully husked coconut five metres down a track at a some pins? The thing goes in the opposite direction to where you aim it. Suffice to say I missed on both attempts.

Adrenalin Dive boat

This 14-day trip I’m in the middle of involves a good amount of diving and there’s a pretty famous reef called Wheeler around 2.5hrs due east of Maggie Island – I headed out with the team from Adrenaline Dive to investigate the underwater paradise that’s beautifully protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park meaning a wealth of marine life and some of the most established, undamaged coral I’ve seen so far. This little clip should give you an idea of what’s under the surface:

Magnetic Island is a real gem and somewhere I could easily of stayed for another week exploring the many tracks, bushwalks and beaches on offer. The laid back holiday-island lifestyle is perfect for daytrippers and backpackers alike, if you drive around the island there’s young people everywhere either in the island’s main form of transport – the mini moke or waiting at the bus stop for the ever reliable bus service.

When I drive around the rest of Australia next year it’s one of the places I’ll definitely aim for again but then I’ll take my time to explore the rest of what’s on offer here.

End of day location: Magnetic Island

Distance travelled: 110kms