Trip to Magnetic Island

Picnic bay Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island rocks

Well as this is my first Blog I thought that I would start at home, just a bit about the "Traveling Photographers".
http://www.photography-village.com/

There are four of us, my partner Jackie and our friends Niagre and Graeme and of course me, we all have different interests but the common denominator is we are all avid Photographers. This trip came about when Graeme's sister Jackie and her husband David who were on a visit from N.Z. were looking around North Queensland and Niagre and Graeme suggested that the family go over to Magnetic Island, and as it so happened we were going over as well with my Jackie's brother Mike who was visiting from Babinda further up north to get a break from the weather, for those who don't know Babinda is often the wettest town in Australia and Mike is often looking for a dry bit of land.

We decided to take our vehicles over so that we had a bit more freedom, and let me tell you that this is an expensive exercise, I can fly to Brisbane (that's over a thousand  klms away) for about the same price as the 8klm ferry ride to Magnetic isle.
It has been a while since my last real visit to this beautiful part of Australia and I don't know why we don't do this more often. There is a lot of history about this island James Cook sailed close and named the Island because he thought that the rocks on the island were effecting his compass, I dont think this was the case but there are plenty of rocks on this island.
 The boat used to land at Picnic Bay which is now a very quiet part of the Island, unfortunately for those that have not been there before or have seen Picnic bay as it used to be there is a lot of vacant commercial property a feeling of an area in need of a boost, I suppose that this is the price that a place like Magnetic Island has to pay when Developers get their hands on it.
Don't get me wrong Picnic Bay is I think one of the most beautiful parts of the Island and I have some very good memories of this place when it was the main stopping off point when the Hayles ferries docked there, I don't know why something cannot be done with the old jetty I am sure there is potential there, every time I look down the length of this fabulous land mark I am taken back to days sitting outside the Picnic Bay Hotel on a clear and calm day watching the old Hayles ferry coming across the clear blue waters of the bay with the locals coming down to greet friends of visitors or pick up freight.
What a change over at the new terminal there is a new Marina with a new drab Grey painted steel and concrete ferry terminal surrounded by some of the most ugly buildings that have absolutely nothing in common with a tropical paradise.
But if you can avoid this for the rest of your stay then you get to see a great destination,  where there are some great places to stay and some of the restaurants are excellent. We stayed at picnic bay and Graeme and the family stayed a Alma Bay, on Saturday we did the usual drive around which does not take all that long as the road from Picnic at one end to Horseshoe bay at the other is only about 11klms.
Horseshoe Bay has changed as well with a fair splattering of modern accommodation and it seems that there has been at least some effort put in to keeping with the atmosphere of the island, but a few pluses with an art gallery with some quality work and a couple of cafes.
We dawdled around for a while and went out to West Point, this is at the end of a dirt road which can get a bit rough at times and if you rent a vehicle on the island most wont let you take them over this road. We stayed at the Tropical Palms Inn, http://www.tropicalpalmsinn.com.au/ and David has small 4x4 vehicles for hire and if you want a comfortable afordable place to stay then this is a good start.
Any way we went to West point for the sunset and it was average but got a couple of good pics, then back to the Motel for a couple of drinks in the nice quiet BBQ area and then off to the Picnic Bay Hotel for Dinner and a couple more drinkys.  Good tucker (meal) at the hotel right on the water loking over the bay with the jetty lit up, it does not get much better.
Graeme and his family dined over near Arcadia and by all accounts the meal was very good and the visitors got to share the experience with some of the Island wild life and when we caught up with them on Sunday were wrapped.
 Well Sunday started with a barbque breakfast at Tropic Palms and then on to a bit of sight seeing around the many fantastic bays that are available, lunch at a park on the waterfront and then on to the barge bound for home.
I think that we will be back on the Island again soon

<><><>Young bay West point<>

<>

<><><><>

Jetty at night