Magnetic Island

My last weekend before the start of classes was spent on Magnetic Island. It lies just off the coast of Townsville. Down at the marina my friends and I hopped onto the ferry that took us to the island in about half an hour.



After departing the ferry we took a bus to the hostel we had booked for that night called Base X. As we walked up the porch steps and past the check-in counter we were greeted by a large outdoor deck framed by tall palms that looked out onto the azure waters of the bay. We all looked at each other and said sarcastically, "Well, I guess this will have to do."

Top: Pete, Stephen; Bottom: Me, Dan, Cortni, Steph

Strangler Fig

That same day we walked to Geoffrey Bay. It was low tide which is my favorite part of the day. There is so much to see! Many little crabs scuttled to avoid my shadow before disappearing almost instantaneously into the sand. There was evidence of polychaetes and other soft-sediment dwelling organisms there.

Crabs!

Me, Pete, Stephen and Trevor

We decided this might be a good place for a snorkel. It's still marine stinger season here so we all wiggled into our wetsuits with considerable difficulty. We waded out into the sporadic seagrass in the shallows until we could flop down and swim.

Bottom: Stephen and Pete, Top: Trevor

Beyond the grasses we were greeted by small mounds of coral and fish of all shapes and colours. When you ask the locals about Geoffrey Bay they may say there's 'not much to see', but everything I saw I thought was fascinating. We saw a lobster and an eel. Occasionally we came across a patch of soft sediment that had just been kicked up and we knew a resting stingray had detected us before we detected him. A ways out my snorkel buddy, Pete, indicated to me he had seen a jellyfish nearyby and we figured it was time to head back.

Roofus! He's a dog that came to join us on the beach. Eventually Pete found his owner :)

You're never too old for sandcastles (left: Trevor, right: Travis)

That evening we ate dinner at a restaurant across the way from Geoffrey Bay. I had a delicious Barramundi sandwich. We saw a Barramundi fish at the aquarium in Townsville. They are quite large game fish.

This is a picture I took of a Barramundi at the aquarium

As we ate, kookaburras sat above our heads, surveying the picnic tables for any vulnerable scraps and having an occasional laugh.

If you listen closely you can hear "Down Under" by Men At Work playing in the background!

I was able to get incredibly close to one and tossed him a chip! (I should probably let him stick to lizards for food though).

The view from the beach just outside our hostel

The next day the plan was to hike down to Florence Bay, one of the more remote and pristine bays on the island. We had been hiking along a path for about half an hour before we realized we were gaining elevation, and not dropping down into the bay. We had taken the wrong path but kept to our course to instead go to the lookout at the top of a very large hill.

Back: Me, Stephen, Steph, Trevor, Pete
Front: Cortni, Dan

This is where what's left of the military fort still stands. Magnetic Island was used as a military outpost during World War II. It was an important defensive position for Townsville during that time. Oddly enough, I heard from our guide on the ferry that the only shots ever fired from the fort were on an American ship, by accident! The view from the top of these buildings was stunning.

Close-up of a rail running around a bunker

After our long, unexpected journey some members of our group elected to head home but my friend Steph and I headed down to Arthur Bay. It proved difficult to get to because a dense thicket of mangroves impeded our path. A local woman with her two kids in toe told us the water is still much higher than usual. After poking around we decided to cross a small stream in the mangroves that was about thigh-deep in the middle. About halfway across Steph said cautiously, "Didn't the lady at the aquarium say this is the type of habitat crocodiles live in?" I realized with a pang of panic that she was right. However we hadn't seen any signs of crocs about. Phew. (don't get me wrong, I would love to see one, I just don't want to be in the water with it!).

Snorkeling at Arthur Bay

The beach, once we got there, was quiet, secluded and picturesque. Eventually we headed back up to the bus stop where we chatted with a young globe-trotting couple from Chile.


All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. If you're ever in the area I think Magnetic Island is definitely worth checking out. I know I'll be gong back for another adventure soon!