Magnetic Island

Our time in Townsville has been very relaxing.  We've managed to catch some movies, hit the shops and spend time with the family.  We have a perfect campsite on our daughter's nature strip with power and water provided.  They have added to their family while we've been here with 2 new puppies arriving a couple of weeks ago.

Last week we decided to take advantage of some sunny weather to catch the ferry to Magnetic Island.  We all piled into our car which comfortably seats 7 and  headed for the car ferry at the port.  FantaSea gave us a very comfortable crossing, just under an hour, and we drove off at Nellie Bay, on the southern side of Magnetic Island.

The island is quite small and is a popular tourist destination.  There are a few resorts and a good mix of accommodation with car hire available if needed.  We had packed our car with a picnic for lunch.  We drove the few kms to the appropriately named Picnic Bay where we sat on the grass under the coconut palms and had lunch.

Then we drove to Horseshoe Bay, about 12kms away on the north of the island.  From here we drove to nearby Radical Bay.  This road put Robert's driving skills to the test as it's very narrow, winding and has many large potholes.  Some hire car companies do not allow their cars to be driven on this road.  However the end point was well worth the drive to the very picturesque bay.  There are stinger nets at the patrolled beaches at Horseshoe Bay and Geoffrey Bay so there's safe swimming at this time of year.  

Mid-afternoon saw us all back at the ferry for our return to Townsville after our outing across the water.

We'll be packing up and heading south in the next few days.  The monsoon and cyclone season is upon us and we'll be moving to a drier climate.  So far the weather has been great, with minimal rain but heavy rain is forecast to hit Townsville in the next few days.

Update on the Dinosaur Stampede

Some new research has just been published on the dinosaur stampede at Larks Quarry near Winton.  Read about it here:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/scientists-put-brakes-on-dinosaur-stampede-20130109-2cgu4.html

Townsville

Townsville (pop. 200,000) is the "big smoke" of North Queensland. We've left the dry Outback behind and now we're in the lush tropics.  Townsville itself is quite dry - most rainfall is in the 3 months from mid-December to mid-March and temperatures range from 26C to 35C every day.

We're here to spend Christmas with family who moved from Sydney a few months ago.  We were in Townsville about a year ago for a few days and did the tourist bit then so we'll be having a nice relaxing time.

Merry Christmas

We drove to Ayr, about 1 hour away for a picnic lunch at Plantation Park, where there's a large sculpture of a python.  Ayr also has a lovely fountain and sculpture depicting many animals of the area.









A trip to Reef HQ and the Turtle Hospital  took up about 4 hours.  The large aquariums are filled with colourful fish.  It's relaxing just to sit and watch them.

The Townsville skyline is dominated by Castle Hill with it's graffiti of The Saint which was painted on the cliff face about 50 years ago.  There are great views over the Coral Sea to Magnetic Island.

A relaxing stroll along The Strand beachfront is perfect in the cool of the evening and is very popular.  Dogs, pedestrians, roller skaters, skate boarders, cyclists, scooters etc all share the wide path.  There are fitness stops and playgrounds along the way.  There are a couple of swimming areas which have been netted to keep out stingers (jellyfish).  Care still needs to be taken as this is crocodile country too.

East to the Coast

From the Outback we set the compass eastwards towards the coast for a few days in Charters Towers on our way to Townsville for Christmas.

Charters Towers is a  pioneer gold mining town.  There are still many mineshafts in the area and much evidence of the old mining industry.  The town itself has many old buildings which have been well maintained.  We called into the information centre and picked up the CD and map ($5 + $10 refundable deposit) to do the self-drive tour around the town and environs.  The tour took about 90 minutes and took us past all the sites.

Charters Towers is overlooked by Tower Hill which provides great views of the town and hinterland.  Rock wallabies live on the hill and we saw them hopping around on the rocks near the top of the hill.  At the top is an amphitheatre and interpretive panels about the history of the town. 
Charters Towers was host to a large defence base in World War II and there are a number of munitions bunkers on Tower Hill.

 

We stayed in the Charters Towers Tourist Park which was next to a big sports field which was hosting the State Schoolboys Cricket Tournament.  One thing we have noticed is that the cabin accommodation in the caravan parks is generally full with only van and tent sites available.  Not a problem for us with our van but anyone relying on cabins would need to book.


It's only 140km from Townsville so is a good place for a day trip as there's plenty to see.