Passionfruit Gelato Must be Sent by the Gods

Last Friday my friend and I decided that enough was enough of O Week, and headed down the the beach rather than attend the scheduled event, which, like everything else, revolved around drinking. The Strand is the stretch of Townsville that lies tangent (not a strict definition of tangent, I simply like the flavor of the word) to the ocean, and is a long pathway that connects several beaches and restaurants. Sadly, the swimming areas are limited until April due to stinger season (stingers being deadly jellyfish), but there are areas in which people are allowed to swim that are netted to keep the jellyfish out.



The Strand itself:








In the background is Magnetic Island, a popular destination for visitors of both the tourist and non-tourist strain.


Wild cockatoos!


If you look really closely, there are crabs all over the big grey rock near the bottom:


This was one of the netted enclosures where it was safe to swim.


Just as we were about to settle at one of the nets, my friend and I spotted something that I can only describe as an oasis. Just ahead of us on the strand was a rock enclosure. Rocks closed off the whole area and sea water was filtered in, giving one more peace of mind than flimsy nets. Needless to say, we headed over to this tiny paradise despite the seagull that kept dive-bombing us.






















And then there was this little guy. I don't know what he is, but he was adorable!


Also, I got passionfruit gelato from one of the ice cream places along the way. It was ridiculously delicious.