February 14, 2026
Just off the coast of Townsville, Australia is a special little island (that used to be part of mainland, hundreds of thousands years ago). The island was formed by molten granite that was pushed to the earth's surface with volcanic force.Over time the volcanic overlay weathered away leaving an extraordinary landscape of rounded domes and boulders, many as big as a house and spectcularly perched. Over Seventy Percent of the center of the Island is a National Park. There is lots of wildlife here too - koalas, rock wallabies, snakes & birds.
I had originally rented the below Barbie car to tool around the island in, but getting in and out of the car ( no doors) is for a younger demographic. Plus it was stinking hot, so when we checked in we opted for a brand new, bright yellow mini cooper convertible with AC!
For the last 51 years on Wednesday night the Arcadia Holiday Resort has hosted Toad Races for the benefit of the Arcadia Junior Surf Life Saving Club and our Shipmates showed up in a big way to support the cause and play along, helping them raise over $800 AUD. It was a fun & different local experience we were privlidged and grateful to be able to part take. We even got the crowd coordinated to do a Wave!
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I am generally a cautious traveler. I don't want an accident or fall to take me out of this adventure, I am enjoying so much! On the Island of Siantan , motorbikes are primarily the mode of transport, it is rare to see a car or truck. All ages, males and females motor around the roads at such a civilized pace, I decided if ever a place was safe to try, it was here! My buddy Terri agreed and we decided to start simple and hire rides for each of us, to go up the hilltop, to a restaurant called Bayview . We saw others get drivers at end of dock and we found a local merchant who spoke english, and she went across the street to a group of men playing dominoes and found 2 who agreed to drive us, after they finished their game. The merchant helped us explain where we wanted to go and we agreed on 50,000 IDR each for the rides, or $2.78 USD !
Today was just pure relaxation! We arranged with Tourism lady from yesterday, to have Penyali Resort send a boat to Tarempa port to pick 10 of us up and take us to the Resort, for the day. The speed boat ride took about an hour. Some of us just floated about with cocktails, others snorkled but all had a great time. They prepared a yummy lunch for us, with a fresh grouper fish, we literally picked up, on our way there.
Today we arranged to see Siantan Island by hiring a local Captain & boat owner to take us, along with 2 lovely young ladies, we met at the Tourism office, who spoke great English. The ladies found the Captain and we negotiated a price of 1,200,000 IDR or $67 USD to take four of us out and about, for 2 hours. Since the forestry on the island and the soil is gigantic hard boulders, almost all the villages are on the water on stilts or the edge of the coast. Excavation cost would be a huge premium and best done with equipment, they don't possess.