Magnetic island or (Maggie, as it is known to the locals) is a lovely island, about 8kms from Townsville.  The island was named by Capt Cook who had a problem with his compass as he passed by the island. Luckily we have had no such problems!  This is a pretty unique island in Queensland, in that parts are National Park, but a large area is regular land, with many homes that are privately owned. Its a perfect place to have a holiday house. Great beaches and views, easily accessible by ferry and a few different settlements to choose from. It is great to be on an island with a little civilisation. Horseshoe Bay which is very popular with Backpackers and day-trippers has a grocery store, a few restaurants, a booze shop and a fabulous ice-cream kiosk. 

We spent 8 days on anchor in here, before moving around to the marina on the other side (Nelly Bay)  While at Horseshoe we did a number of good walks through the nature reserve and spotted some more Australian wildlife.

 

      

 

 

     

 

 

Once again we spent time with Jo and John on  Kirra Kirra, and also made some new friends. Mike met up with some local fisherman, who have trawlers that head up to the Gulf of Carpentaria for months on end. They swapped lots of fishing stories and Mike gave them one of his special hand made lures. They were equally generous, giving him packets of fresh bait (Garfish), which they catch commercially.  Unfortunately our fishing has not been great, but we did buy a big box of prawns which we have been enjoying.  We also met Mark, who has a Nordhavn 57 called Myrtle, she is the “splitting image” of Time 2.

 

   

 

 

 

We have now taken Time 2 round to Magnetic Island Marina – where she will stay while we fly down to New Zealand (north island) for a fleeting visit. Our first priority is to do some skiing and then some sightseeing closer to Auckland.  Lets hope the weather plays ball.