Lady Musgrave Island

Lady Musgrave Island is a 14 hectares (35 acres) coral cay on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, with a 1,192 hectares (2,950 acres) surrounding reef. The island is the second southernmost island in the Great Barrier Reef chain of islands, the first (southernmost) being Lady Elliot Island. The Island is named after Lady Lucinda Musgrave, the wife of Sir Anthony Musgrave, a colonial governor of Queensland.

The island is part of the Capricornia Cays Important Bird Area.

Lady Musgrave Island is referred to as Wallaginji by local Australian Aboriginal tribes. The name Wallaginji means 'beautiful reef'.

This was a boat trip out to the Island which sits in the southern great barrier reef. It took roughly 2 hours to get there by boat from Bundaberg harbour.  I was supposed to do the trip yesterday but it was cancelled due to bad weather. I was then booked on for the 30th but that too got cancelled, as there wasn't enough people. It kind of worked out OK though as a girl from my hostel was also doing the trip and she has a car.......

........she was a bit odd, and as I guessed, she told me she was autistic, which made sense. She was nice enough - just needed to explain everything! - she asked me what music I wanted in the car and I said anything, so she put on this weird Asian 'high pitched speed music' is the only way I can describe it.

Her parents had bought her the car. She told me later that they had signed her up to a 'success' program which turned out to be a kind of cult. This program was supposed to ensure you became one of the top 1%........poor girl had been totally traumatised by it to the point of mental illness. She was sea sick on the boat, going out, which was horrible for her. 

We were also with a party of year 10 school kids and their teacher - age 16 - the kids, not the teacher! We were split into groups and my group got to snorkel first which I was glad about as I do find snorkelling slightly stressful. We snorkelled off a pontoon, in the lagoon around the island which was sheltered from the ocean by the coral reef. 

Snorkelling was OK, as I followed some ladies who stuck with me. There was a channel through the reef to get to a spot they call the 'aquarium'. The channel was beautiful, and full of fish and in the aquarium I saw two turtles which shot past, below me, they were really fast! We were told there were sharks too....slightly alarming......but then re-assured that they were only small 'harmless ' ones.....some don't even have any teeth.......

We then had a tour of the Island which is full of nesting White-capped Noddy terns - they were nesting in the trees and swooping over our heads as we walked carrying leaves. Apparently the males collect the leaves and bring them to the female who inspects the leaf and decides if it is good enough to be used for the nest. If it is rejected - which it often is - she tosses onto the floor. It was so funny to watch this!

There were also 'Bridal terns' that nest on the ground, as there are no predators on the island.

The island was beautiful and we walked through the trees and along the beach

As we walked along the shoreline there was a turtle just gently bobbing along, as though he was following us, and raising his head above the water every now and then. I managed to catch him on two - not very good - bits of video. I don't think I'll be getting a wildlife photography job any time soon!!

We went back on the glass bottom boat, to get a closer look at the different types of coral. I saw a few more turtles, but didn't manage to catch them in this video.....

Back at the hostel, lovely Rebel had made us a Thai green curry - it was delicious!

I had to say goodbye to my little family......I don't think the other hostels are going to be the same, sadly.