TOWNSVILLE
NORTH QUEENSLAND
Townsville is only three nautical miles away from Magnetic Island and well visible with Castle Hill as its landmark.
Nearby mountain ranges invite for a walk through rainforest and a swim in a waterfall. Just a stroll down the waterfront along The Strand is a pleasure.
Flinders Street is lined with bars, pubs and restaurants. Townsville is a worth visiting tropical city.
MAGNETIC ISLAND
QUEENSLAND
Magnetic Island was named by Captain Cook back in 1770. The settlement of the island started in 1864 and now it has a residential population using fast ferry service to Townsville over the 3 nautical miles that that separates the island from the city. The trip takes only 20 minutes.
Magnetic Island is part of the World Heritage Marine Park and it attracts yachts and tour boats to explore the underwater beauty of reefs and fish. It has walking tracks that take those eager to exercise from Horseshoe Bay to Florence and Nelly Bays. Hiking offers fabulous contact with nature and wildlife. Snorkeling and diving are amazing and swimming in warm, clear waters pure pleasure. There are net enclosures for swimmers to protect them from jelly fish. It is not uncommon to sight turtles or swim with curious trewally fish or smaller gar fish.
Magnetic Island has a scenic coastline of colorful rocks and vegetation. It is a popular weekend destination for boaters from Townsville and it attracts many yachts.
Magnetic Island is a fabulous natural treasure of North Queensland.
THE WHITSUNDAYS
GREAT BARRIER REEF
CORAL SEA
The group of islands stretching from Mackay in the South to Bowen in the North are called the Cumberland Islands. They are also called the Whitsundays, the name much preferred by visitors from around the world, sort of easier to pronounce. The islands are mostly National Parks with dense bush, rainforest, wildlife, amazing rock formations and sandy beaches. Most of the area is also a Marine Park with amazing reefs and plentiful fish.
Quite a few islands are also resort islands. Daydream Island, Hamilton Island, South Mole Island, Lindeman and Hayman Island are just a few with popular resorts.
Airlie Beach is a mainland visitor paradise with bars, restaurants and discos.
The Whitsundays are popular cruising grounds and there is always a number of yachts and boats here. Sailing regattas bring yachts to the Whitsundays from all over the world.
CAIRNS
a
TROPICAL PARADISE
of
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
Cairns, established in 1876 as a port for goldfields to its west, is now a cosmopolitan, second biggest city in Queensland. The area was populated by Yidinji Indigenous people and Yie-Nie, the Peace-maker was their King. Eventually a treaty between Yidinji tribe and European settlers has been signed to help Cairns develop and built a railway.
Cairns was named after a State Governor at the time Sir William Cairns.
Cairns was built on a swamp that provided indigenous people with food and floral medicine. One of the main streets is called Lake Street. Although it is named after Captain Lake the Skipper of one of the first ships arriving in Cairns, the name seems appropriate since the city was built on the wetlands.
During the WWII Cairns was a base for operations in the Pacific. Now Cairns is a gateway to Great Barrier Reef, the National Heritage Reef and many nearby islands and hosts many international visitors. The climate is tropical and the sunsets impressive.
FITZROY ISLAND
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
Fitzroy Island a short hop from Cairns, merely 15 sea miles away, is a perfect weekender. It can be reached by quick and frequent ferry service and offers excellent snorkeling, rainforest walks and Foxy's Bar and Restaurant.
The island has many walking tracks leading to remote beaches or a lighthouse.
The views are spectacular and wildlife plentiful.
Hiking all the way to the Summit can be exhausting but the view enjoyed by Captain Cook back in 1770 is stunning.
Fitzroy Island is a great spot to relax, enjoy the beaches on day trip or stay at the resort or camping ground.
LIZARD ISLAND
NORTH QUEENSLAND
Lizard Island was visited by Captain Cook in 1770. He found it a great spot for navigation purpose and climbed the 350 meter hill to see the reefs that need to be avoided sailing the area for the safety of his ship.
A climb to Cook's Lookout is not easy. It is a steep approach with many boulders on the way. Today the area is dry, vegetation is olive in color rather than spring green. The view is spectacular though and the effort of climbing is well rewarded by magnificent views and there is a strong possibility of sighting a lizard. Captain Cook has a close encounter with Endeavour Reef, called so after the name of his ship and the climb to the top of Lizard Island gave him a clear picture of the reefs now called Great Barrier Reef.
The history of Lizard Island is rich. The Watsons settled on Lizard Island in 1880s to run a beche-de-mer, sea slug business. Mary left alone has been attacked by local indigenous people that treated the area as a sacred site and escaped in a sea slug boiling tub to a nearby island only to die from lack of water.
Now the tragic history is almost forgotten and Lizard is a well protected anchorage. It has a popular and upmarket resort and holds fishing competitions. Lizard creates a spectacular diving and snorkeling ground in its lagoon created between Palfry and South Islands.
THURSDAY ISLAND
TORRES STRAIT
QUEENSLAND
Torres Strait stretches from the tip of Cape York to Papua New Guinea. Many islands are scattered through its waterways and Thursday Island is the center of the area. These waters have been first navigated in 1606 by Louis Vaes De Torres. The development of the islands started in 1864 and the pearl trade helped the development.
Prince of Wales Island is the biggest island in the Torres Strait group. There is a multitude of smaller islands, Horn Island is a close neighbour of TI with Friday, Sunday, Goods islands close by. The color of the water is turquoise and inviting for a swim but the presence of crocodiles limits swimming to swimming pools.
Thursday Island, fondly called TI, is an amazing tropical island worth visiting.
