Magnetic Island has definitely made it onto the list of places to return to before we're too old and senile to appreciate it...

We got an absolutely glorious day to enjoy the island too. It was one of those classic tropical Queensland days, you know, the ones they're always advertising and promising, but rarely deliver on? The sun was out again, and strong too, but that's not the best bit... The sky was blue also, with no clouds to create any impression other than 'it's the middle of summer', but that's not the best bit... The best bit is that there was absolutely no wind to speak of, and the water was perfectly calm, and crystal clear, all the way across to the island, all the way around the island, and all the way back from the island. With palm trees lining the beaches, and soft sand down to the incredible water, it's the tropical paradise you've always dreamed about.

We caught the 9am Fantasea Car Ferry from Townsville City Wharf across the 12km stretch of water to the jetty on Magnetic Island. The trip was calm and smooth, and was relatively short at 30 minutes. Unlike other car ferrys we've been on though, they prefer you to get out of the car, and lock it up during the trip, and go upstairs to the passenger lounge for the voyage. They have inside and outside deck areas, and a licensed bar / kiosk for refreshments on the way, but the day was so nice, with views in both directions, that we didn't even go inside. We offloaded at Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island, which would have to be the working hub of the island. It's the main port area, with all the official bases, like police, fire, coast guard etc, and lots of housing and apartment type buildings surrounding the port. It's not as picturesque as the other parts of the island, due to all the development, so we didn't waste any time hanging around, we just headed south west to a little place called Picnic Bay. As you would expect, the island is mostly inhabited around the coastal fringe, with the middle ground being mountainous, hilly and a national park. The little bays and inlets that occur around the coast all have various stages of development, depending on their accessibility and the degree of 'mains utilities' provided. Picnic Bay is only 4km from Nelly Bay, and as such, is fairly well developed, with a large resident population, tourist accommodation, shopping village, pub, cafe and restaurant. Stunningly beautiful beach though, and the first spot chosen for a swim by the boys. We continued along the west coast of the island, and 8km further along, we found West Point. This little, undeveloped hamlet is the closest point to the mainland, but because it's accessible only along a dirt road, through thick mangroves, and with no power or sewer, it's no where near as populated as the other villages. As a matter of fact, we just about had the entire long length of beach completely to ourselves, and we would have stayed here and settled in, except that the beach and scenery just wasn't as nice as elsewhere on the island. It was more mangrove than palms, and the water was murky, so we had a look around, and returned the way we'd come. (You couldn't go any further than West Point, the road stops). We then drove the 12km back to Nelly Bay, and another 6km north of Nelly Bay, along the east coast of the island, we found Horseshoe Bay. If Nelly Bay is the working hub of the island, then Horseshoe Bay is it's heart and soul. It's the village where everything happens, and where everyone goes. It's the main residential township, and has the majority of the tourist accommodation as well. As a result, it also has the best beachfront shopping area, dining area and entertainment area. All the watersport activities take place along the beachfront, with Jetski Hire, speed boat rides, biscuit rides and parasailing all available. It's a gorgeous beachfront too. Coconut palms line the beach, and curve out over the water. The sand becomes lush green grass, with bench seats and picnic tables scattered around. There are fig trees and sheoaks that provide ample shade, or you can sit out on the sand in the sun. Little convertible island hire cars cruise up and down the main street, and hire step through motorbikes are everywhere. It's just a fun, happy, pretty place, and nearly everyone looks like they're on holidays. This is where we set up camp for the day, where the boys did the majority of their swimming, and where we had fish and chips for lunch on the beach. The weather was superb, and it made for a glorious day. We didn't get to visit the other smaller villages around that side though, because before we knew it, our time was up, and we had to go and catch our return ferry back to the mainland. We didn't get to do any of the inland walking tracks or lookouts, and left probably half of the coast unexplored, which is why we'll have to come back. It's a beautiful spot, and there's more here for us to see...

The ferry landed us back in Townsville at 2, and we'd organised to meet Jo's friend at 3, so we ducked into Woolies to do a bit of essential shopping, before driving to the designated meeting spot. We'd elected to catch up with them along the main waterfront area known as The Strand. Mainly, because we knew how to get there, and it gave the boys a means of entertaining themselves so we could just sit and chat. Which is exactly what we did. They arrived just after we did, and the four of us sat there all afternoon chatting and catching up. The boys ran around and wrestled and argued, but generally left us alone enough that we were able to catch up and have a really nice time together. We didn't realise how much time had passed, until the sun was going down, and it began to get cool. That's when we had to say our goodbyes, and organise dinner, and begin packing up for our departure tomorrow...

It's not even 8 o'clock yet, and both the boys are sound asleep in bed. It's been one of those days that are really satisfying, because you're tired, but it's in a good way. We've had a cracker of a day, both weather wise and experience wise, and we know there's more here to come back to at another time. We don't know when, but we definitely will. Townsville has been quite the surprise package...