Adventures in Townsville

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On Thursday, the 20th, we left Charters Towers and headed into Townsville. It was only about 2 hours away and we soon were driving into the main street and down to the Strand. We found our accommodation, Mariners North Apartments, but it was too early to check in. We drove along the Strand and parked and went walking. The Strand runs along the beachfront and has many cafes, playgrounds and places to sit and watch the world go by. It is also used for walking, many people were either exercising, jogging or briskly walking. It was a beautiful day, cloudless and mild and we enjoyed our stroll. Debbbie Strange messaged us and we messaged back telling her we had chosen to have lunch at the Seaview Hotel. She was one of the Strand walkers so she came over to meet us. It was great to see her again. We chatted for a while and then she had athletes to attend to, so she left us to our very tasty lunch.

About 1pm we returned to the apartments and were able to get into our room( or rather, rooms). We have a large 2 bedroom apartment to ourselves, with a fully equipped kitchen and two bathrooms, one of which has a washing machine and dryer. It also has Foxtel and we look out over the tennis court to the sea. Just stunning.We settled in. Later we found a supermarket and stocked up on breakfast foods and snacks, as well as basics such as bread and milk. That night we returned to the Strand and to Longboard, a restaurant overlooking the beach where we had a dinner of seafood pot pie. The mornay filling was delicious, although the pastry was rather tough. Then we had a relaxing night in, watching the footy and early bedtime.

Friday morning we had a couple of visitors. Bob Snow came looking for us and so did Debbie. We sat on our back verandah, looked at the beautiful scenery and enjoyed their company. I made sandwiches for lunch and then at 2pm we headed to the track for the Invitational Meet. This was supposed to start at 3pm but a large school were just finishing their Sports Day so it was about 3-30 before we could start the High Jump. This was a good competition, with the winning jumper, Hamish Kerr from NZ, jumping 2-24. Then after a short break it was over to the Shot Put. We ran two successive competitions, a men's then a women's. By this time it was getting dark and somewhat chilly, and the track had now been invaded by heaps of youngsters having their weekly competition. We finished about 7-30pm and I was very grateful for the delicious BBQ which was provided for us, cooked by the President of OAA, Geoff Gardiner. Catching up with friends from around Oceania is one of the highlights of this trip.



On Saturday I had a complete veg out day! Fletcher went out in the morning to support Debbie in her coaching presentation, but I stayed happily in the apartment and read, played on the computer and watched the footy. We had been on the go for 10 or more days and I needed just to stop for a day. That night, I had booked a table for 3 at the Townsville Yacht Club and Debbie joined us for dinner. It was another beautiful night and we sat outside overlooking the marina. The food here was great. Fletcher and Debbie shared a seafood platter for 2 while I opted for the duck. Soft and pink, the flesh was tender and delicious. We had a lovely night and it was not far from our abode. Later, Nik Hagicostas came round and he and Fletcher chatted all things coaching well into the night!

On Sunday we ventured further. I had been to Townsville before but had not had an opportunity to go out to Magnetic Island, a 20 minute ferry ride from the mainland.We bought our tickets on line and caught the 9-30 ferry across. There is a regular bus service around the island which is coordinated with the arrival and departure times of the ferry. We hopped on this and thanks to a couple of backpackers who were leaving, had their tickets so we saved some money! We had met up with Annette Purvis and her husband at the terminal so they came on the bus too. We first went to Picnic Bay. This is where the original settlement was made here as daytrippers from Townsville ventured over for picnics on the beach. A small cove, flanked by large granite boulders, it was great for a stroll along the sand and a clamber over the rocks. We also had to do the compulsory jetty walk. We stopped for a coffee and excellent apple muffin and then it was back on the bus and a journey to the other side of the island. Horseshoe Bay is the main centre here. It is a much larger inlet with sandy beach and many cafes and shops.A Sunday market was there with many local artists selling their wares. We ambled along, enjoying the views and the warmth of the sun. It was so relaxing and slow paced. We chose Sandi's on Magnetic as a lunch venue and were not disappointed. I chose the seafood chowder, which was packed with yummy prawns, squid and fish while Fletcher had a Basil and Chilli Spaghetti Marinara. He said it was spicy and again had plenty of seafood. A gelati from Adele's Cafe for dessert and then it was back on the bus towards the ferry terminal. We alighted at Arcadia, 2 kms from the terminal and checked out the two beaches there. Alma Bay was small but very pretty, with some people on the beach. We enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the place which, apart from the murmur of voices, was quiet and still.We then walked on to Geoffrey Bay which was much longer. The tide was well out, and only one or two groups of people were there so we walked along the sand, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves. A magic place.

From this beach there is a walkway back to the ferry. It did not take us long to walk this but we enjoyed the different trees and shrubs along the way. We kept stopping to admire the scenery. Back at the Terminal we had to wait about an hour for the next ferry so went across the road to Pepper's hotel and enjoyed a cold Cooper's Pale Ale on the deck. Fletcher was wearing his Guiness Polo shirt and a very pleasant lady, with a broad Irish accent, commented on it. We had a lovely conversation with her and her family. Back on the ferry we sat inside this time. It was packed with many people heading back to the mainland. The sun was getting low in the sky as we made our way back to the apartments. As we had had a large lunch we just had a snack for tea. We could hear the sound of many people over at the BBQ area and when Fletcher checked it out the Oceania family were there so we crashed the party. It was great to catch up with so many people from around the Pacific. A lovely day finished well by conviviality with friends!

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