Zooming around Magnetic Island

4 August 2017

Obviously this is not about a cycling trip - but am including it into my blog, because I am sure you are interested in the beautiful Magnetic Island.

we packed our bathing togs and towels and headed off to the barge for a restful day, cruising around this jewel in the Coral Sea...

Firstly, we headed over to Picnic Bay asap and went for a leisurely stroll along the old jetty, remembering the times we rushed along it to catch the ferry to town.  Thankfully its been allowed to remain with a few renovations.  Poor old Picnic Bay - so abandoned!  but it makes for a really nice quiet place to visit on the island - one that the locals probably enjoy!

Looking back to Townsville from Picnic Bay

Picnic Bay Jetty

Then out to West Point.  The road from Goldmine Hill is well maintained, maybe it would be a bit different in the wet season, but its hard to see why the moke company still prohibits their mokes going out there...  There's even a parking bay at the Point!!

We walked along the wide sandy beach, looking for those tiny shells that the kids used to collect.  Maybe my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be!  There's nothing left of the oyster lease, apart from an occasional stump sticking up out of the mud.  Still plenty of starving oysters on the rocks around the inlet, though it was sad to see that the big old terminalias have gone and the straggly new ones don't look like they will grow into anything shady.  The tamarind tree is still holding its own tho!

Young Bay - at West Point

wild oysters

maybe a left over log from the oyster lease

We headed back to civilisation  and continued up over the ridges to Horseshoe Bay.  As usual, there were more than enough people hanging around the place, but by then it was lunch time, so we bought burgers and went and sat under the very shady fig trees and gazed out at the peaceful scene of boats of all descriptions, bobbing in the calm bay.

Low tide at Alma Bay

Superwoman

strong woman

It was a really low tide, which also carried the scent of a recent algal bloom, so we decided to just visit Alma Bay and not go for a swim.  The breeze was still a little cool!!!  We had to check on the wallabies out at the old barge terminal before going for a general tour around the island.  This included a tour past 21 Kelly St - looking exactly as we left it in 1985 - still empty blocks on either side!!!  Around the back on the route to the school and generally checking out Nelly Bay in general.

granite rocks and hoop pines = Magnetic Island

wallabies at Arcadia rocks

making the most of some free tucker

By the time we had to catch the barge back to Townsville we felt that we had satisfied our Island longings and were ready to face the pace of busy Townsville again!

Castle Hill