magneticisland

Arcadia is home to one of the oldest Surf Life Saving Clubs in Australia and has been the location of choice for the past 50+ years for families who regularly visit Magnetic Island. With two beautiful beaches, Geoffrey Bay and Alma Bay, visitors to Arcadia are spoiled for choice when it comes to snorkeling and swimming. Alma Bay is recognized as one of the most photographed bays of Magnetic Island. The beach is patrolled by Life Guards year-round and is marked with red and yellow flags for swimmers. There is a fringing reef that runs along the rocks on either side of the bay with a healthy fish population that can be seen while snorkeling or diving. Source: www.bestofmagnetic.com/magnetic-island-communities/

North Ward is one of the oldest and most popular suburbs of Townsville. Wedged between towering Castle Hill and the deep blue Coral Sea, North Ward overlooks the tourist drawcard of Magnetic Island and the Port of Townsville. The suburb of North Ward also contains fine examples of early Queensland architecture including pre-war hotels and church buildings dating back to the late 1800s. Jezzine Barracks, located at the end of The Strand, is a perfect outing for history buffs with access to the Military Museum and a collection of outdoor sculptures and walkways that provide historical insight into the days of the war and Townsville's development. Head up to Kissing Point Jezzine Barracks for some of Townsville best ocean views. Not far from The Strand and Jezzine Barracks is Queens Gardens, one of three fine botanical gardens in the city. Established in 1870, Queens Gardens includes a formal rose garden, two small hedge mazes, a rainforest walk and a small aviary featuring peacocks, lorikeets and sulfur-crested cockatoos. Source: www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/destination-inform...

With a sweeping beach, tranquil setting, and the iconic jetty, Picnic Bay on Magnetic Island is a spectacular location to enjoy a relaxing swim, beachside dining, or a spot of fishing on the jetty. Snorkel and explore the abundant marine life of Picnic Bay or see what you can spot from above while taking a stroll along the jetty. If you are lucky, you might spot a turtle or a shy dugong. Source: www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b26...

Picnic Bay (formerly Camoomilli) is a town and suburb of Magnetic Island in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Picnic Bay is also the bay on the southernmost corner of Magnetic Island where the town is situated. The first known settlement of Picnic Bay was by Harry Butler and his family who established a small dairy, orchard, and mixed farm in Picnic Bay in 1877 when Magnetic Island has declared a quarantine station family experimented in the cultivation of pineapples in the bay and as part of a tourism venture built a guest house establishing an intermittent ferry service from Townsville. The Butler family cared for the sick who were quarantined on the island prior to the construction of the permanent quarantine station at West Point.[12] Having purchased the Butler family's huts in Picnic Bay in 1898 Robert Hayles, an entrepreneur formerly a pastoral worker in western Queensland, erected a two-story hotel, dance hall, and a temporary jetty at the western end of the bay to establish a larger tourist operation in the bay.[11][13]. In 1900 Hayles applied to build a permanent wooden jetty (6 feet wide and 100 feet long). The jetty was approved by the Queensland Marine Department in March 1900 and the jetty was hurriedly constructed. In 1903 Cyclone Leonta struck Townsville and Magnetic Island and caused serious damage to Hayles' new jetty. Hayles carried out extensive repairs on the structure but by 1910 the structure was in poor condition. In 1909 Hayles was granted a creek-front location in Ross Creek on the mainland and was able to establish a consistent passenger service to Magnetic Island. With Hayles establishing a regular ferry service to Magnetic Island the permanent population of the island began to grow.[11] In June 1910 Hayles was granted another permit to construct a jetty in Picnic Bay. Although it is unclear whether the second jetty was constructed in addition to the one constructed in 1900 or to replace it, a letter dated February 1917 from the Townsville Harbour Board to the Marine Department acknowledges the presence of two privately owned jetties in the bay. In 1911, Hayles' hotel was destroyed by a fire and a new hotel began construction. At around the same time, Hayles further expanded his business on Magnetic Island launching further tourism ventures in Nelly Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Arcadia. In June 1920 the Townsville Harbour Board was vested control of the jetty at Picnic Bay, as well as those established in other bays.[11] In 1957 a permit was issued for the construction of a new jetty in picnic bay by the Department of Harbours and Marine. Successfully completed in October 1959, the Picnic Bay Jetty was completed by John Holland using £43,000 financed by The Commonwealth Aid Marine Works Trust Fund. In 1977 a shelter was erected for passengers waiting for ferries at the end of the Picnic Bay jetty by the Townsville City Council. In 1985 the Townsville Harbour board gained approval to build a larger shelter shed on the Jetty. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picnic_Bay,_Queensland