Magnetic Island
Dec 4th, 2009 by admin
Magnetic Island, just offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia, in Cleveland Bay is a 52 km square mountainous island which has effectively become a suburb of Townsville having approximately 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville to Nelly Bay by ferry. There is a large national park and bird sanctuary and excellent walking tracks can be taken between the populated bays and to a number of tourist destinations such as the World War II forts.
The island has long become established as a holiday destination with many hotels and several resorts in operation to cater for all levels of service. The public facilities and infrastructure on the island are managed by the Townsville City Council.
The name of the island came about because of the apparent “magnetic” effect it had on the ship’s compass of Captain Cook as he passed the island when sailing up the east coast of Australia in 1770. People have since explored the general area of Magnetic Island with various instruments to discover what might have caused the effect that Cook reported, but nothing has been discovered.
The island is a haven for wildlife. 54% of the island is Magnetic Island National Park, which is mostly located on the steep hilly interior and rugged north-western side. The highest point on the island is Mount Cook reaching 497 m (1,630 ft) above sea level.
Koalas are relatively common on the island and can easily be found on the famous Forts Walk. Magnetic Island is also famous for its angling opportunities: fish around the island include Blue and Black Marlin, Sailfish, Mackerel, Wahoo, Giant Trevally, Dogtooth Tuna, Coral Trout, Mahi Mahi, Tuna, Red Emperor and Sea Perch.
The pressure of coastal development has, in recent years begun to make a significant impact on the island, which lies in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. At present many millions of dollars in development are planned for the island and the impact of these has led to considerable opposition from some residents who fear the effects this development will have on the environmental values of Magnetic’s lowlands which are not protected by the national park; these areas represent only 20% of the whole island, and of this 20% most is freehold land and is already developed
The island slowly expanded following the end of the Second World War. In late December 1971 Cyclone Althea hit the North Queensland coast directly crossing Magnetic Island. The island, along with much of the mainland, was devastated with 90% of the island’s houses damaged or destroyed, with some simply lifted off their foundations and tossed into trees. The island, along with the mainland, soon recovered.