Welcome to T O W N S V I L L E

Magnetic Island is well known for its distinctive environment and picturesque landscape featuring large granite boulders, hoop pines, sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs. The story of Magnetic Island began 275 million years ago when molten granite was pushed to the earth’s surface with volcanic force.

There are so many things to do on Magnetic Island, but nothing beats actually getting out on the glistening blue water that surrounds it. Sailing is the island’s ultimate mode of water transport.

With such a stable climate and pleasant day and night temperatures, Magnetic Island is enjoyable to visit at any time of year. While January to March will have an increased likelihood of some tropical rain, it comes with warm days and beautiful balmy tropical evenings.

Magnetic Island National Park

Billabong Sanctuary

01.

GET TO KNOW

The Billabong Sanctuary is an 11-hectare wildlife sanctuary by Townsville. Bob and Del built Billabong Sanctuary literally from the ground up, and developed the park into an award-winning eco-tourism attraction.

02.

FUN FACTS

It’s 27-acres and opened to the public in March of 1985. There are wombats, koalas, kangaroos, crocodiles, dingoes, and more. We were able to feed the friendly kangaroos and wallabies, and take photos with koalas.

Welcome to A I R L I E B E A C H

We went on a fun outing on banana boats to arrive at WhitSunday Island quickly. Ari and I sat front row on the way to the island, and hid in the back of the ocean raft when we were driving back. I loved that our drivers kept up with the speed of the ocean’s waves, they did some donuts in the water, and there were lots of splashing in the making of this trip.

PS if you’re someone who doesn’t do well with the motion of the boat/ raft, make sure you’re prepared with motion sickness pills or something that may help. Someone in our trip suffered from it, but for as much as we tried to comfort him, the pills would have worked better. But the $135 AUD outing was definitely worth it!

Enjoy some of our WhitSunday Island and more snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef photos…

Also might have held a non-stinging jelly fish in the making of one of these photos. *We learned about it with the marine biologist excursion in Cairns.* If the jellyfish do not have tentacles, they are safe to hold/ touch/ all things. The water was extremely clear. So that was helpful in spotting these fish.

Airlie Beach is well-known as a sailing destination, and for good reason. The WhitSundays area is home to some of the best sailing conditions in Australia, with gentle breezes and crystal clear waters. There are many different operators that offer guided sailing tours and private sailing charters in Airlie Beach.

Great Barrier Reef

Here’s Ben’s group!!!

All the names of our group were (left down to right down): Ben, Lauren, Maya, Emma, Quinn, Sam, Liv, Carly, Greg, Melanie, Tori, Shubert, Ashley, Ashley, Daniel, Kiera, Meg, Brandon, Elizabeth, Vera, David, Rianne, me, Dylan, Ari.

We had a blast with all the water activities!! Definitely enjoyed my salty hair waves too.

Let’s head to Sydney now… how exciting!!!

PS We stayed at Hotel Grand Chancellor Townsville |  334 Flinders St, Townsville QLD 4810, Australia

PSS We also stayed at Mantra Club Croc Airlie Beach | 240 Shute Harbour Rd, Cannonvale QLD 4802, Australia

*EF is a travel group that plans trips all over the world. I’ve gone on a few trips with their groups in my lifetime because it’s a fun way of traveling with likeminded people around your age group, meeting travelers nationwide, and you don’t have to plan anything! I got to know so many tour directors and have made so many memories, that they gave me the opportunity to become an EF Ambassador. I even get to give you a special link as a first time traveler to get $100 per traveler you and your buddies go on! Just tap away here and find a trip that’s right for you. And if you have any questions, as always, let me know!