Townsville and Magnetic Island

Thursday - 30/08/2012

 

Today is clean day we gathered the dirty washing and Nancy headed for the marina laundry and I got ready to give the boat a good scrub down and fill the water tanks, whilst the washing was in the machines Nancy came back and started to clean cabins and heads. We had contact with Virginia on 'Overproof' and we did some movies exchanging  and also Jan and Trevor on 'Nefetiti' who had sailed alongside us from Gloucester Passage and we went over to 'Nefetiti' for sundowners at 1700 hours. We had not seen Jan and Trevor since we left Brisbane. So basically the day was spent doing chores which ended in a nice sundowners catching up with good friends.

Friday - 31/08/2012

 

Another day of running around armed with empty back packs and Nancy's granny trolley we head on foot into town about a 25 minute walk, did the shopping posted letters and headed back on board to unload. Then off again another 20 minute walk to the grog shop to stock up on beer and a few wines then back to the boat and before settling down go and get the gas bottle filled and fuel containers for dinghy and generator, by the time all this was done another day had gone. We had a quiet night with a nice dinner and a nice red wine.

Saturday - 01/09/2012

 

We had breakfast and waited for the change of tide time before heading out so that we would not be sailing against tide, did the usual last minute things like top up the water tank that we had used, roll the covers and we were off. Virginia was waving us goodbye as we left the marina. We followed another yacht out then we got the sails up after we left the leads. The winds were light but just enough to sail on at slow speeds of 3.5 to 4.5 knots. As we sailed past Nelly Bay the yachts that are participating in the Magnetic Island Yacht Race started to come out of the marina and then the wind dropped away to nothing so we had to start an engine and motor the rest of the way to Horseshoe Bay at Magnetic Island.

As we rounded the top end of Magnetic Island and headed for the bay a whale surfaced they are so great to watch so huge and so graceful. After the whale had gone we motored to the anchorage and dropped the pick. We then went ashore to our favourite restaurant 'Noodies on the Beach', it is a Mexican Restaurant and they serve great food at a reasonable price. After lunch we took a short walk along the beach before returning aboard. We had a quiet night aboard nice meal and it was good to be sitting at the cockpit table for dinner as the nights have warmed again.

(The whale takes a dive as it goes south)

Sunday - 02/09/2012

 

Up early as usual and watched the sun rise, did the radio sched at 0700 hours and talked to 'Moon Glade' anchored in the same bay, they invited us to join them for a walk ashore to the lagoon and then back along the beach. We met them ashore at just after 0900 hours and set off.

The lagoon is more like wetlands and is very pretty, there is a number of birdlife about, magpie geese, royal spoonbills, purple swamp hens, plus ducks and others that we heard but did not see. The walk is a short distance on the road south from the waterfront and then on the right you go in about 200 metres, after the wetlands or lagoon as it's known we continued along the track through a housing estate and across a boardwalk and down a track to the beach and then walked along the beach back to the dinghy.

(The wetlands or lagoon as it is known, I call these two photos confused reflections)

 

(Another reflection)

 

(Ithink he is saying "what are you looking at?")

(Magpie Geese)

(Purple swamp hen)

(Royal Spoonbills)

(Pacific Ducks)

(Small reflections)

(Water Lilly)

(Magpie geese)

(Wetlands)

(Some of the wild flowers)

 

This island has a lot to offer in the way of beaches and walks along with many water sports, they also have other areas on the island with restaurants and shops and for us yachties it is easy to get from one place to another through the regular bus service that runs from one end of the island to the other every 30 minutes with the exception of an hour break at lunch time. The last bus runs at 2230 hours at night so you can travel to one of the restaurants and get back.

Another walk well worth doing is the Fort Walk, the fort is the gun placements and ruins of the military structures from the second world war, naturally the guns are not there now but the concrete structures and bunkers and control room buildings are still there. We have done this walk twice before but we do not have time to do it this visit.

We had sundowners on board our boat today with a few SICYC friends, they treated it as our farewell sundowners as we may not see them for a couple of years with us heading around the whole coast. For some this is the end of the line before they turn south again, others may go on to Cairns or Lizard Island. We had an enjoyable sundowners and said farewells as they left, we sail north tomorrow for Orpheus Island then on through the Hinchinbrook Channel and make our way to Cairns.

Cheers.