Magnetic Island
Magnetic island is a suburb of Townsville and unlike most of the other Queensland islands. It has been a fantastic family holiday destination for decades and many people maintain holiday houses close to the beach. Magnetic Island is a large island, and has a permanent population approaching 2600 people and you will find everything here that you would normally find in a town of this size. There are supermarkets, banks and general shopping facilities and as you would expect, being a holiday destination, there are lots of restaurants and cafes located around the beachfront areas and other places where tourists congregate.
There are many holiday attractions around Magnetic Island. There are many quiet bays with beautiful beaches. The busier ones are equipped with stinger nets so you are protected from stinging jellyfish. The most popular beaches like Horseshoe Bay and Nellie Bay both have a commercial esplanade along the beachfront where you can go shopping or find a cosy place for lunch. There is a great golf course consisting of 9 very challenging holes. The course is well kept and some of the holes are quite spectacular. For nature lovers, the island is the largest koala colony in Australia and many other native species call Magnetic Island home. Many of the headlands and bays have coral reefs so snorkeling, diving and spearfishing are also popular and charter fishing boats also operate in the region.
The island is very close to Townsville and is accessed by a regular ferry service. There is a fast passenger ferry as well as a car ferry that both operate on regular schedules. Most tourists hire a car on the island and the topless mini moke is a favorite here among the hire and rental companies. There is a new boat harbour located on the southern side of the island that has excellent modern ferry terminals and car parks. Right alongside the marina are two superb holiday resorts. They are Mantra One Bright Point resort and Peppers Blue on Blue resort. Both have apartment style accommodation, restaurants and superb waterfront locations with ocean views. Magnetic island itself is quit spectacular with plenty of hills and valleys. Giant granite boulders and pine tree clad ridges dominate the landscape and the ever present ocean provides wonderful coastal scenery.
If you are looking for a perfect place to spend a week or so on your next holiday, come and experience the holiday atmosphere that exists on Magnetic Island.
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