Day Trip to Magnetic Island

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"Maggie" is not magnetic

The name is from James Cook's expedition, when his compass was messing up, he assumed it was the island. It wasn't, and no one is sure what really happened there. Still, Magnetic Island stuck and locals still refer to it as "Maggie" today.

Maggie is a small island off the coast of Townsville, which hosts several interesting terrestrial and marine species. The climate is drier, and some how felt hotter, than that of the main land so you find species on the island that you don't see in Townsville as often. For example, koala's, rock wallabies, and death adders are commonly seen on the island.

I started my day early with a brisk, and surprisingly hot, cycle downtown to the ferry terminal. Once there I met up with a couple of friends, and enjoyed a short, scenic, ride to Maggie. We walked towards Geoffrey bay, feeding wild rock wallabies some apples we had brought along to entice them. I managed to feed a couple individuals from my hands.

After the stroll, we enjoyed a short rest on the beach, me wetting my hair down to keep cool, before catching a bus to the fort. The fort was a steep, difficult climb where the path had been eroded from cyclone Yasi. We were also a bit dense, taking the path at noon. So by the time we reached the top, I was ready for ample shade and water. Lunch on the fort was enjoyable, and the breeze kept the tower cool. After resting and refueling, we meandered back down (a much easier trek now that it was cooling off) and took a bus to the other side of the island. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming (within jellyfish nets) and lounging under the palm trees. Dinner was at a small pub, where we enjoyed the sun setting over the ocean while we waited for darkness to fall.

One pub on Maggie has an interesting tradition, of auctioning toads off for races every Wednesday. If the toad you bet on wins, you get $50 and a T-shirt, and the rest of the money in the pot goes towards a local club (i.e. the life savers club who patrol the beaches). It's a fun way to chat with locals, be entertained by the "toad breeder", and enjoy a couple of drinks after a day hiking.

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Photos

Rock Wallabies
I was able to hand feed these wallabies evolved for hopping on rocks instead of the ground.

Florence Bay
Overlooking Florence Bay from the hike to the old WWII fort.