Large marine animals that may be seen around the island include sea turtles and dugongs. They feed in the extensive seagrass meadows surrounding the island. Sea turtles also nest on the island's beaches during the summer months. Over species of birds can be seen on Magnetic Island. Some birds live permanently on the island while others are migratory visitors.
Seabirds include gulls, terns, sandpipers, dotterels and oystercatchers. Ospreys, white-bellied sea-eagles and kites patrol the island, soaring overhead in the thermal currents. Near fresh water see purple swamphens, Australasian grebes and Pacific black ducks. Peaceful doves, pied currawongs, olive-backed sunbirds and a variety of honeyeaters frequent woodland areas.
Once common along the eastern coastline, the bush stone-curlew is still found in large numbers on the island. Shell middens, stone tools and art sites are some of the physical reminders of their strong connection with the island. The Wulgurukaba people have stories, such as the Big Carpet Snake story linking Magnetic and Palm Islands and the mainland, which tell of the creation of this landscape during the Dreamtime.
The Wulgurukaba people were able to maintain their traditional lifestyle until the mid s when the Townsville port was established. As more European people moved into the area, the Wulgurukaba people were forced to move off their traditional lands, and confrontations with settlers, loss of traditional food sources and disease took their toll.
They remained on the island until the s and 30s but were eventually forced to live in missions on the mainland. A small group of Wulgurukaba people remain on, or have returned to the island.
Magnetic Island was named by Lt James Cook in when he believed the magnetic compass on his ship the Endeavour was affected by the island. During the s Magnetic Island became a popular picnic area and by the late s the first resort was established in Picnic Bay. Tourism prospered during the early s as Townsville grew to be a major city in North Queensland.
The settlement of European people on the mainland brought industry to the island. The landscape of coral reefs, granite boulders and thick forests that today attracts tourists was viewed differently during the late s. Nelly Bay has the island's main shopping centre, a primary school, a church and a swimming pool. Picnic Bay to the south has a golf course, a surf life-saving club, a swimming enclosure and a church.
Its ferry terminal was transferred to Nelly Bay in but the jetty remains there. Arcadia, in the opposite direction, has a bowling club and two churches. Its surf life-saving club is on Alma Bay. The Magnetic Island car and passenger ferry runs daily services from Townsville and Sunferries run commuter and tour services during day and evening hours.
The island has a local bus service. In the Nelly Bay harbour works were completed and opened, coinciding with a surge in waterfront property prices. Classified as a 'suburb of Townsville' by some commentators Magnetic Island also gained the status of a get-away resort.
Magnetic International Resort, m from the Nelly Bay harbour, was opened in Yunbenun, as Magnetic Island was known by the island's traditional inhabitants, had a transient population well before Europeans explored the area. They were known to have seasonal camps at a number of bays and traveled between the island and mainland using canoes. Shell middens, stone tools and art sites are some of the physical reminders of their strong connection with the island.
The Wulgurukaba people have stories, such as the Big Carpet Snake story linking Magnetic and Palm Islands and the mainland, which tell of the creation of this landscape during the Dreamtime.
The Wulgurukaba people were able to maintain their traditional lifestyle until the mid s when the Townsville port was established. As more European people moved into the area the Wulgurukaba people were forced to move off their traditional lands, and confrontations with settlers, loss of traditional food sources and disease took their toll.
They remained on the island until the s and 30s but were eventually forced to live in missions on the mainland. A small group of Wulgurukaba people remain on or have returned to the island. In Cpt James Cook was navigating the Australian coast line when he believed the island's granite boulders possessed a magnetic force that interfered with the compass on his ship the "Endeavour".
Cook named this island Magnetical Isle. Many have tried but no-one has proven Cook's theory on the magnetic interference although many of us who live here do believe there is a magnetic attraction. Stories also exist about how it was possible to walk across from the mainland to Hinchinbrook and Palm Islands.
Figure 1 shows how shallow the waters around Palm and Hinchinbrook Island are. For the Yidinj people around Cairns there is a common theme in their stories of the coastline being where the barrier reef now stands. Gribble writes that for the Googanji the Barrier Reef was the original coast line and a river entered the sea near Fitzroy Island. There are many more stories from all around Australia with a similar theme.
Within this area, there are approximately 3, coral reefs, continental Islands with reefs , and reef islands. But 10, years ago most of it was all the Australian mainland. Learn more and experience her beauty for yourself by booking a tour today.
With respect and gratitude, we acknowledge the original Aboriginal owners of the stories we cite, even though their identities are largely lost.
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