Magnetic Island Photo Diary

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A trip to Townsville isn’t complete without making your way over to Magnetic Island. Magnetic Island is right on Townsville’s doorstep and is a short boat ride away – so convenient! A return trip on the ferry is around $30 and there are trips to and from the island almost hourly. Once you arrive you can explore the island by bus ($7 for an all day ticket) or hire a car if you’d prefer to go at your own pace. There’s also the option to take your own car over on the barge but you have to book early to secure a spot. There are so many coves and walking tracks to explore that you really need a whole weekend or more to explore Magnetic Island thoroughly. I only ended up visiting Horseshoe Bay which is the main tourist/business strip, and Alma Bay in Arcadia which was a nice semi-secluded spot for an afternoon dip. I also got to finally test out my Lifeproof iPhone case, and after briefly losing my phone in the waters of Horseshoe Bay (oops) I can 100% confirm that they are in fact waterproof and protect your phone.




^ From where I float.

^ Because sometimes you’ve just got to interrupt a relaxing afternoon with some high-speed silliness.



^ How cute are these cars? They remind me of Barbie cars.

Townsville Photo Diary

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This past weekend I visited friends in Townsville in north Queensland. This was my first trip to Townsville and I was pleasantly surprised by the place. It probably helped that I had locals to guide me but it’s not too hard to find the main attractions around town. Now, we’re pretty spoilt here in south east Queensland with our mild winters so when you head further up north it’s like walking into the best bits of summer – the nights were cool but the days were sunny and clear without being too hot and humid. One of the best things about visiting Townsville in winter is that you don’t have to worry about the stingers that are usually present during the summer months, so you can swim to your heart’s content. While I was mainly there to visit friends I still managed to pack a lot into two days. The following is just an example of what I got up to.


How I Spent My Weekend In Townsville
– Started the day by grabbing a green smoothie and pretzel-shaped doughnut from Otto’s Fresh Food Market (inside the complex next to the ice skating rink and cinema pictured below – of course the very first photo I take isn’t of palm trees or beaches but the back of a dilapidated ice skating rink.)
– Had lunch at The Courtyard in City Lane. Nothing grabs the youth market quite like a laneway establishment.
– Caught the last weekend of The Strand Ephemera which saw different artworks and sculptures scattered along the length of Townsville’s famous esplanade. The shiny lifeguard stand was probably my favourite. Even without the artworks, it’s a relaxing walk and I’d recommend taking the steps up to Kissing Point for uninterrupted views out to Magnetic Island.
– Went out for drinks at Rambutan which is one of the nicest rooftop bars/backpackers hostels I’ve ever been to.
– Headed over to Magnetic Island, which I did on the second day of my trip and will post about very soon.











^ That up there is Castle Hill which dominates the skyline. If you’re feeling fit you can hike up to the top, which I would have liked to have done but just didn’t have the time. You can also drive up but when we tried the road was closed for an event.