Magnetic Island
After a delightful early morning walk along the Townsville foreshore, I reached the marina in time to catch the ferry to Magnetic Island which owes its name to Captain James Cook who, when passing by in 1770, believed the island had a “magnetic effect” that affected his compass. People have since explored Magnetic Island with various instruments to discover what might have caused the effect that Cook reported, but nothing has been discovered. Today it is known for its palm-fringed beaches, koalas, hiking trails and snorkelling adventures - a wonderful place to relax and unwind.
I bought a return ferry ticket and unlimited travel on the buses around the island for the day – which was very good value. The 20-minute passenger ferry or 35-minute car ferry to Magnetic Island departs from Townsville regularly throughout the day. Route 250 bus service connects Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay at either end of the island, with the Magnetic Island Ferry Terminal at Nelly Bay. After a short crossing, I arrived back at this delightful island, I hadn’t seen for several decades. Described as a jewel of North Queensland, Magnetic Island is located within the Great Barrier Reef, and only 8 kilometres from Townsville – look out for the annual Magnetic Island Swim, in open water from the island to Townsville. It has a population of less than 3000 people and with a year-round pleasant tropical climate, the Island offers an abundance of natural beauty and activities to make a perfect day trip or holiday. As well as offering many varied activities, I think its greatest asset is being able to relax on one of the island’s 23 secluded beaches - formed by rocky granite headlands, some of which can only be reached on foot or by boat.
The Island has many excellent dive sites (including one of the best shipwreck dive sites in Australia – the SS Yongala), and the warm, shallow waters are ideal for beginners. Also, you can snorkel right from the beach at Alma, Arthur and Florence bays or follow one of the fascinating Snorkel Trails at Nelly Bay and Geoffrey Bay. Magnetic Island is famous for its big game fishing, and you can easily join a fishing charter or just hire some gear and drop a line in the ocean. The waters here are a stunning turquoise blue, it has a fringing coral reef, turtles’ nest on its sandy beaches and dugongs make use of the surrounding seagrass beds.
Sounds like paradise! The western part of the Island is dominated by Magnetic Island National Park which covers over half of the island’s land area, and the highest Point is Mt Cook. The Aboriginal Wulgurukaba people, ‘canoe people’, have lived here for thousands of years, naming the island ‘Yunbenun’. They had seasonal camps at several bays and travelled between the island and mainland using canoes - cave drawings can still be found in some of the bays. Folklore of the local tribe tells of a long association with the island and annual migrations to the mainland to avoid expeditions of head-hunters from the northern isles and Papua New Guinea!
The Park contains extensive and varied forests, eucalyptus woodlands and is home to rock-wallabies, koalas, and many species of birdlife. Bungalow Bay Koala Village is a koala sanctuary, a carefully designed complex, located adjacent to the National Park, close to the beach and the village of Horseshoe Bay. Guests and day visitors can experience its interactive wildlife sanctuary, which is home to crocodiles, koalas, and snakes - or take a guided walk in the surrounding forest.
There are 25 km of bushwalking trails on the island - including the 1.5-hour Forts Walk which takes in World War II forts, with incredible views enroute. Magnetic Island became an important defensive position during World War II, because of its proximity to Townsville (an important military base) and was a significant anchorage and assembly point for large convoys operating in the south Pacific. As such, the Magnetic Battery, (AKA The Forts) an artillery battery and observation post, were built in Florence, Horseshoe and Arthur Bays.
My ferry pulled up at the jetty which looked the same as it had done all those years ago, it was wonderful to think it had retained its charismatic character; even though it is the main residential area of the island.
The ferry terminal is served by the Island Bus and local taxis, with car hire and bicycle rental being located nearby. I caught the bus to Horseshoe Bay on the north side of the island — the furthest bay along the road (there is only one road around only half of the island — to get to the rest you have to walk and climb).
It wasn't difficult to find a secluded place by some ginormous, smooth boulders at one end of the long beach, where I enjoyed spending some time sunbathing and paddling in the mirror-like ocean. Horseshoe Bay is the largest bay on the island – and is popular for a variety of water sports.
Tour boats leave from the eastern end of the bay to go out to the outer Great Barrier Reef; and you can also sign up for kayaking, parasailing, and horseback swimming. There is a beachfront esplanade with cafes and bars, a safe swimming enclosure, and a children’s playground. After a light lunch I hopped back on the bus and went to Alma Bay — a wonderful small sandy cove with more boulders; it was just the most perfect beach.
I spent quite a while in the clear turquoise sea with no thought of jellyfish or of sharks. All along Townsville’s foreshore I had seen bottles of vinegar to put on jelly fish stings and plaques telling you what to do if you were stung — and how to give artificial respiration! You need to be cautious of box jellyfish and stingers during the summer month’s (November to May) along the Northern Australian coastline; a sting from these jellyfish can be very serious - there is even a Poison hotline number to ring if anyone gets stung. I was very glad it wasn’t the time of year for jellyfish, the water was so clear, and I just couldn't keep out of it, as the sun was burning hot. It was just perfect, and I decided that there couldn’t be an island more like paradise than this one.
I walked from Alma Bay, past Arcadia Bay and over the hill back to Nelly Bay, taking in the amazing views – before heading back to the ferry. It had been such a great day on Magnetic Island, that a few days later, I packed a picnic and headed off to catch the ferry back there.
I walked along the old rickety wooden jetty (a real icon in its day – which I am sure will now have been replaced) and made my way to Picnic Bay on the south side of the island this time - with some great views back towards Townsville.
Picnic Bay was named after its popularity as a picnic spot for tourists from the mainland during the 19th century. At this time the island also became a popular location for the collection of stone and coral needed for development on the mainland – even gold was mined there for several years. In 1898 Robert Hayles Senior was so impressed by the potential of Magnetic Island, that he built a resort on the island and was responsible for much of its development; starting a regular ferry service from Townsville.
The island slowly expanded after the Second World War; although in late December 1971, Cyclone Althea hit the North Queensland coast directly crossing Magnetic Island. The island, along with much of the mainland, was devastated - with 90% of the island's houses damaged or destroyed, some simply lifted off their foundations and tossed into nearby trees. Luckily, everything was soon rebuilt, and the island gradually recovered. Picnic Bays’ open-air mall has a collection of shops and restaurants; shaded places to sit and children’s play areas; and a golf course at the nearby Country Club. You can find varying accommodation here and different types of transport to get around the island. The beach has a netted swimming enclosure with lifesavers patrolling it in the summer months. Cockle Bay is off to the west, and to the east lies Rocky Bay, one of the island’s top locations for swimming and snorkelling.
I decided on the "easy walk" up to Hawking’s Point and Lookout (only 600 metres). It was the hardest 600 metres I have ever walked, through dense bush, really difficult underfoot, but I felt really close to nature. I heard lots of rustling, saw lizards, different coloured butterflies, finches, wrens, swarms of parrots and cockatoos — squawking so loudly it was deafening. It also smelt like Koalas - I knew that smell! Apparently, there were several families living in the area.
After scrambling down a difficult hill, I reached Rocky Bay and found a wonderful deserted sandy cove with only boulders for company. Or so I thought! There, I enjoyed a delightful few hours’ swimming in the sea – with no sharks, jellyfish or crocs! It was had a hard job scrambling back up the hill though, to get back to the ferry — and this was my easy, restful day! The tide was the lowest I had seen at Magnetic Island; and when we arrived back at Townsville, there wasn't enough water for the ferry to get up the creek, so we had to disembark at the Breakwater.
At the end of my 2-week holiday, I couldn’t resist spending my last day by going to Magnetic Island —just one last time. This time I caught the bus to Horseshoe Bay and although the sea looked choppy at all the bays I had passed; Horseshoe Bay was lovely and calm. I had a delightful time relaxing on the beach, listening to wildlife (so close by that you could be scared), and looking for shells that had been washed up from the coral reef.
There was no
better way to spend my last day in Queensland. For me “pocket-sized” Magnetic
Island, measuring only 7km by 5km, with some of the best secluded beaches I had
ever seen - was my own little paradise. Its villages, in Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay,
Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay; with backpacker hostels, luxury resorts and quaint
bed and breakfasts; have all the amenities (including weekly open-air markets)
you could need, for a day visit or longer – if you are very lucky. I had worked
out how to get there and how to get around easily (the ferry and bus ticket was
brilliant value) – here are a few links that give all the information you
require to have magical day out……………..and you won’t get lost like Captain Cook
did all those years ago.
https://www.sealinkqld.com.au/ferry/timetables/magnetic-island
https://magneticislandferries.com.au/magnetic-island/information/
Lynne
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