Magnetic Island - Horse Riding On The Beach

Our fourth day on Magnetic Island brought the much anticipated horse riding adventure.

We walked up to the ranch about 1km from our beach house where the kids and Jeni and Gerry were fitted out with helmets and horses relevant to their experience. I decided to keep my feet on the ground and photograph the event.

Caitie got Cougar, a well ridden Palomino who likes his own space sometimes snapping when another horse invade it. 

After a long ride through the bush, the group rode along the beach and through the lagoon.

James, Caitie and Gerry

Patrick's turn

Patrick looks very comfortable!

Patrick looked so comfortable on Cookie you would think he had been riding him for years. Apparently he didn't much like following the other horses on the trail, wandering off from time to time to eat grass and other tasty treats!

Jeni, Caitie and Gerry heading bareback to the beach

Caitie looks like a true horse girl...

The kids were SO enthralled with their adventure that they wanted to do it again the next day!

Magnetic Island - Day Three Brings Wildlife!

Around 4km in and out on The Fort walk afforded us many a sight! Vistas, wildlife and ruins abound.

  

Magnetic Island - Perfection Day Two

Another Day much the same. Walking and collecting shells. A well earned Aussie lunch on the beach. Followed by some tubing...but this time with a little more excitement!

 The boat skipper knew the kids had been the previous day and that they were confident enough to go a little more crazy...which they did...to the point of losing one of them!

After dinner, we played three rounds of "The Band Aid Game"...

Magnetic Island - One Perfect Day!

After some intense beach combing (Caitie has quite the collection of shells and Coral now), we enjoyed a lovely cooked breakfast whilst watching the moored yachts reflect the warm suns glow as it rose over the horizon.


Whilst the kids played beach cricket with a baseball bat (whatever, we're on holidays), Gerry, Kevin and I walked the length of the beach and back (about 8km) chatting, collecting unusual coral pieces and watching the horses take a dip in the sea.


The Coral Sea, that is. Loads of coral washes up on to the sand then crushes beneath the feet of frolicking beach visitors so that the crunchy sand tickles and massages your feet as you walk.

With the "NO electronics whilst the sun is up" rule, the kids were raring to go so Gerry and I took them tubing. What a blast!

Back at the beach house, a kookaburra came to visit and snack on some chicken cut-offs whilst Caitie took a dip in the pool. The boys got out the card games and the adults took a nap!

End to a perfect day!