Ah, Townsville, possibly not the sexiest destination in Australia, but enjoyable enough and with all the services you need and some great foodie outlets thrown in. Only about 70klm south of Big Crystal Creek, just down the road, really! Before leaving Crystal Creek we chatted to our neighbours, a young family from Western Australia whose ute advertised “Mobile Caravan Weighing Service”, so after 7 years on the road we had our rig officially weighed….all good, well almost! We recommend that everyone should do this at some time, quite an eyeopener.
For the record we booked into Coral Coast Tourist Park which held a surprise, especially for an older park. The sites are set in a herringbone fashion meaning that they are entered at a 45º angle instead of 90º and this makes for easier parking and more space in front of your awning, bargin! All parks should be developed like this!
Two nights in not so sexy Townsville as we wish to catch-up with a couple we had worked with in Austria (not Australia) back in the early 1980’s, Robbie and Viv, which we did firstly with a visit to their house followed by dinner at a pretty cool pub, the Seaview Hotel, on the shorefront Esplanade. Over dinner we said we may visit Magnetic island, an idea that our friends wholeheartedly supported and suggested that we not take our vehicle but rent a small car on the island.
Magnetic Island is about a 50 minute quick ferry cruise from Townsville harbour, the day was hot with clear skies and a light breeze. Arriving at Nelly Bay docks we disembarked and walked about 200 metres to the car rental and were soon on the road…the one and only sealed road that skirts the bottom sides of this triangular paradise. We soon loved Magnetic as it reminded us of the Thai and Cambodian islands of the Bay of Thailand. The roads are potholed and footpaths rare. Gravel verges are well travelled, and the buildings, well there are new AirBnB style appartments and house with shanty neighbours and shops seemingly scattered like dice. Much of the island is National Park and inaccessible to us as, sadly, the hire company tracks our vehicle in case we were to venture off the 20klm of sealed surface.
First we ventured south to Cockle Bay and stopped to admire the view toward Townsville as we climbed up a spur of the hills, checked out a couple of beaches, looked at each-other and said “been here done that”. Turning northerly we drove straight past Nelly Bay as we had decided to leave that till last, a drink or two perhaps before the cruise home. Arcadia came next after a kilometre or so, a long stretch of beach, park, road and a line of houses. Over the next hill is Alma Bay, a truly pretty small bay with a beautiful park running down to a white sandy beach and a crystal bay held by rock cliffs to the north and south…. our spot for a afternoon swim, later.
Our destination is determined…Horseshoe Bay, the premium town of Magnetic, a north facing wide bay of smooth and clear blue water with the main shopping and dining precinct of the island. We have hit TripAdvisor and chosen a seafood restaurant, Sandi’s, and we can already feel the oysters sliding down, gulping the saltiness and ocean treat that awaits us! It’s closed, bloody CoVid! The shops, restaurants, cafes, takeaways and pub are all lined up along the beachfront road, all offering an ocean view and tasty temptations (except Sandi’s). In this mishmash of eclectic, modern and shantytown there is only one option….the pub, looks great, has cider on tap and a good menu with acceptable seafood dishes, great atmosphere and a table along the front windows so we can watch the passing parade of bikini girls, overweight tourists and kids with ice-cream dripping down their arms! Horseshoe is a tropical paradise with a little “paradise lost’ thrown in. An easy place to lose or find yourself, barefoot without a care to crease the brow.he
On the road back south we climb to a pass with a carpark and a track called “The Forts Walk”, about a two hour trek that features koala sightings (we found one), a major fortification from World War II that supported a lookout and radar facility that is really interesting as well as stunning views of Florence Bay, Balding Bay and the Palm Islands as well as back to Townsville once you reach the heights. The trail is mainly a gravel road, though it does meander and climb, but the tour of the fortifications could be considered quite rough and tiring.
Returning to the car Evi has a bright idea, let’s walk “down” the other track to Florence Bay, “it’s only a few hundred metres” says she”! An hour and a quarter and several hills, 36º and no water later we arrive at the very beautiful Florence Bay. We strip off and find a good pool at the southern corner for a very cool and refreshing swim, feeling really good until we contemplate the mainly uphill trek back! Bright idea? Well the Bay was beautiful and for a few moments the “wet” upon us was not sweat!
As promised we stopped once more at Alma Bay and did enjoy another refreshing swim and laid in the sun for a time until thirst of a different kind crept upon us….drinks time at the Boardwalk Bar overlooking the Nelly Bay Marina. Firstly we dropped off the hire car after logging all of 38klm, then a brief walk to the bar and some unexpected live music to while away an hour or so before sailing into the sunset. Was Magnetic worth it…yes, definitely. We even promised ourselves that in the coming years we’ll rent a beach-shack here for a week or more. The place is an eclectic, vibrantly green tropical paradise catering to all levels of wealth or poverty. Pack your thongs. Put it on the to do list!
Australia. Dust, Fire, Flood & Pandemic 