 The guest house is situated behind the main house. It sleeps comfortably a family of 3. 2 adults and one child over the age of 15years. The tidal creek needs to be crossed by a tinny when the tide is up. This is the self contained kitchen. |
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We offer limited cooking facilities.The BBQ has a hood and a gas side burner.The kitchenette has an electric frypan and an electric skillet. It also has 1 portable electric hotplate. |
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The swimming pool is accessed from the back TV area. It has a deck which overlooks the beach with BBQ facilities and outdoor settings. |
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Wonderful secluded hideaway. |
 This area overlooks the beach and has direct access to the pool. |
 These Lorikeets are fed every morning from the pool deck area. |
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TV Room This room also has , *Ensuite. *Austar and DVD *Airconditioned |
 Another view of theTV Area.This opens onto a deck area. |
 Bedroom 1 has access onto the balcony. *Queensize bed *Ensuite *Airconditioned |
 Bedroom 2 *Queensize bed *Ensuite *Airconditioned |
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The guest house also has it's own washing machine. Below is some interesting photos and information on Maggie for the first timers. |
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These are the friendliest birds you will ever meet and one of the most photogenic. |
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Look at those beautiful colours. |
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Our resident Echidna. |
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I caught a little trespasser on the 26th October 2005 at 6 am walking along our fence. I had to lighten up the picture. |
This is a Satellite photo of Tropical Island Hideaway. |
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The guset house is behind the main house. |
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24th October 2005. ~Our Beach~ |
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The Island The locals call this place PARADISE.
Just a quick twenty minute ferry trip
from Townsville, Magnetic Island is indeed a unique blend of the unspoiled
and the best in tourist facilities and experiences. There is only one main
road on the island and close to two-thirds of the island is National Park.
What better way to keep the best nature can offer right here where you can
visit it in comfort!
Temperatures are rarely below 15oC (even at
night during winter) and range between 25oC and 32oC during the day
depending upon the time of year.
Explore the island by map. There are too many
beaches, walking trails and beauty spots to visit in a day but even if you
are visiting for just a day you can take in a complete sample of what the
island has to offer just by spending a few minutes on a bus.
Picnic Bay ... is still developing and at
present is a wonderful sleeping princess Further north along the road, nestled between Hawkings Point and Bright Point, is the settlement of Nelly Bay.
Nelly Bay ... is a friendly village with a
welcoming atmosphere, great accommodation and facilities and splendid
access to Nelly Bay beach and the new Ferry Harbour Facilities.
Driving north or taking the National Parks
walk leads you to Arcadia on Geoffrey Bay.
Geoffrey Bay & Arcadia ... combine to produce
something special. Situated between Bright Point and Bremner Point,
Geoffrey Bay and its Fringing Reef is one of 5 Magnetic Island bays
gazetted as Marine National Parks. Just over the hill to the north of Arcadia is the splendid little spot called Alma Bay. Alma Bay ... is a lovely, sheltered beach and bay within easy walking distance of Arcadia and a favourite spot to spend a lazy day. Snuggled between rocky headlands, Alma Bay is the spot to discover why the locals want to keep Magnetic Island a secret!
But wait, there's more! North of Alma Bay the
road branches. The eastern fork takes you deep into National Park where
the first stop is Arthur Bay.
Arthur Bay ... is an unbelievably beautiful
spot. Here is the place where you can take a photograph and your friends
will think you bought it, every angle is just like a picture from a
postcard.
On the same track north is Florence Bay.
Florence Bay ... is a stunning place. The deep
embayment within the rocky island has produced a fabulous home for
fringing corals and other marine life and provides visitors with
unsurpassed visual splendor.
Radical Bay is the end of the road but not the
end of the track. Radical Bay ... is also another beautiful beach but with a northern aspect looking out into the wide blue yonder of the Coral Sea. Here the beach is steeper giving quick access to pleasant deep ocean waters in a pleasant sheltered position.
Balding Bay is accessible from both Radical Bay and Horseshoe Bay by walking track.
Balding Bay ... is so good, it is worth the short walk. It faces north from between rocky headlands and is a great spot to get away from it all. The quiet splendour of this beach will have you wondering if you have been shipwrecked on an uninhabited tropical island called Paradise.
Just around the headland from Balding Bay is
the settlement of Horseshoe Bay. Horseshoe Bay is on the main road and is
easy to get to from the other settlements. Horseshoe Bay ... is a great place to spend the whole day or to base your whole Magnetic Island experience from. The small settlement on the beach services the needs of tourists and the local community. There are a variety of hire companies offering everything from fishing rods to Jet Skis for those keen on watersports. Horse rides are available for those with an urge to move about on land at a faster pace while Koala watching is at hand for those with a slower pace in mind. The Horseshoe Bay Lagoon Environmental Park is also here for those keen on bird watching and observing tropical wetlands.
After telling a young guest that I had never seen a Koala on our beach, this little chappie comes sauntering across our front lawn and makes himself comfortable on our palm tree, for the long photo session.We were able to snap this pic before he got too far up the palm.
This is another spectacular sunset on Horseshoe Bay.
Other Bays on the north and western coast ...
have no easy access by road or foot. You can view them from the sea by
boat or Jet Ski. Five Beach Bay is just around the headland to the west of
Horseshoe Bay. It is also a declared Marine National Park, zone B. Other
northern bays look out across the Coral Sea and make a pretty backdrop to
any marine adventure you take around the island.
West Point and Young Bay ... can be seen by
taking the bush track from Picnic Bay to the west, passing along the
south-west facing coastline. Great views of the mainland coastline can be
had from West Point. Bolger Bay and Cockle Bay ... can be approached by taking the bush track from Picnic Bay, passing along the south-west facing coastline, to West Point. This part of the coastline shows yet another side to the tropics; a beautiful tidal wetland and mangrove forest. Lining the tidal foreshore, mangroves provide homes to an array of marine life not seen elsewhere in the tropical environment, including mudskippers: amazing little fish with flippers that allow them to "walk" over the exposed flats at low tide.
Because the island is a National Park and has
strict controls on vehicle movement and developments it is a haven for
wildlife of all kinds. Whether you walk along the National Park walks,
along the beaches, or around the residential areas you are bound to see a
dazzling variety of birds and catch sight of kangaroos, koalas, rock
wallabies, possums and small lizards, geckos and other unique Australian
animals.
More than 20km of National Park walking tracks are available for your enjoyment. From a pleasant stroll to many hours walking, all walks offer the sights and sounds of the Australian landscape in a unique setting. Many walks take you to elevated vantage points that lookout over the splendours of the island coastline and the seascape beyond.
Walks, distances and estimated times (one
way):
Picnic Bay to West Point (8km, 2.5 hours)
Nelly Bay to Arcadia (5km, 2.5 hours)
Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay (~700
metres, 15 minutes), (1.8km, 30 minutes), (3km, 1 hour)
The Forts - WWII Observation and Gun
Emplacements (2km, 30 minutes)
Horseshoe Bay to Horseshoe Bay Lagoon
(~750metres)
Florence Bay views (~550 metres, 15 minutes)
Other walks in paradise! Arcadia: A great spot to explore on foot, you can take in the waterfront, climb the lookout just behind the houses or walk around to Alma Bay and enjoy the beauty of this remarkable place and never be more than a few minutes from your accommodation.
Captian Cook sailed past this part of the
world in 1770 in Endeavour. Cook, having compass trouble at this point,
wrongly assumed the island was magnetic and called the place "Magnetical
Isle". The name stuck even though the island does not upset
compasses.Magnetic or not, the island is a major attraction and even
though Cook sailed past many, many more have stopped to enjoy it. Some
have never left! The island quickly became a favourite picnic spot and was also developed for wood, quarry materials and agriculture. People with a love of nature and the quiet life soon made the island their home. Commerce developed from the early days with a leaning towards providing for the needs of the visitor and holiday maker, a tradition that continues today.
The true beauty of the island was offically
recognised by the Queensland government when a significant proportion of
the island was declared a National Park. Now including specially zoned
Marine National Parks, Magnetic Island is a nature lovers paradise as well
as the perfect place for the fun and sun loving holiday maker. The favourite picnic spot of the settlers has developed into a modern suburb of Townsville with a unique character, unlike any other suburb you're likely to find. Several thousand residents call Magnetic Island home. Some commute to the mainland for work via the ferry while others either work on the island or enjoy splendid retirement. The island boasts its own primary school, police station and shopping mall and all shopping, banking and business needs can easily be met. ~Magnetic Island is truly an amazing place!~
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