Unique Sailing Destinations

Magnetic Island is a beautiful island, 8 kilometres (5.0 miles) offshore from Townsville, Queensland.

This 5184 hectare,mountainous island is located in Cleveland Bay and is easily accessible via ferry from

the mainland to Nelly Bay Harbour on Magnetic Island OR you can sail across from Townsville to Magnetic

Island on board Big Mama, Ragamuffin 111 or Samurai.

The permanent population of Magnetic Island is approximately 2500 friendly & relaxed people living a

lifestyle away from the 'hustle & bustle' of the city life, which reflects the overall atmosphere once on the island-

welcoming and genuine.

*Phone service is limited in some parts of the island, especially if you do not have Telstra*

70% of the island is World Heritage National Park with 24km of bushwalking tracks to allow you to explore

the many stunning bays (23 bays in total many only accessible by boat) and unspoilt forests with a huge chance

of seeing Koala, Rock Wallaby, Echidnas, possums and around 187 bird species.

There is also plenty of amazing history with WWII artefacts, command posts and gun emplacements still in

tact on the island on the Forts Walk which koalas can be seen in the wild and there is around 20 shipwrecks

around the island, some can be seen while snorkelling and others only diving.

*The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world.

*It is found in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

*The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure.

*It is made up of around 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands.

*The Great Barrier Reef is around 2600 kilometres (1616 miles) in length.

*Astronauts can see the Great Barrier Reef from space.

*Marine animals called coral play an important role in the formation of the Great Barrier Reef.

*Coral create calcium carbonate which forms a hard, shell-like skeleton.

*The Great Barrier Reef is home to a wide range of life, including fish, sea turtles, giant clam, seahorse, sea

snakes, nudibranch, sea turtles, stingray, sharks and many more.

*Over 1500 different species of fish live in the Great Barrier Reef, including clownfish, star of the animated

film Finding Nemo.

*Whales, dolphins and dugong can also be seen in the Great Barrier Reef.

*Climate change is perhaps the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

*Warmer ocean temperatures put stress on coral and lead to coral bleaching.

*The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination with around 2 million visitors every year.

Palm Island is 65 kilometres north-west of Townsville, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. It is the

biggest of the Greater Palm group of islands. It has small bays and sandy beaches.

The island was named by James Cook in 1770 as he sailed up the eastern coast of Australia on his first voyage.

The approximate population of the island when Captain Cook visited was about 200 Manbarra people.

The population of Palm Island today is around 5000 people.

Palm Island is one of 16 Islands.