18 June 2014

Ok so much for the rubbish weather pattern that was "supposed" to be holding over the north east, well that is as long as today wasn't an anomaly! It was completely different to yesterday that everything looked much better too, funny how grey days seem to suck the life out of a place. Anyway as I say today was completely different so I went out early to get some pictures to make up for the grey skied ones yesterday, hopefully I managed to get some different ones and not all too similar.

 Townsville across the river from South Townsville

 City streets, old buildings

 Public swimming pool

 Magnetic Island from The Strand

 The Strand foreshore looking towards Kissing Point in the distance

Looking along The Strand walking path

As I didn't want to go back and take a whole bunch of the same pictures but in the sun (I know I should have) I decided to go have a look at REEF HQ, the Townsville Aquarium. Now I don't know what any other aquariums are like around the country, heck I haven't even been to the Melbourne one, but this one seemed pretty good . I reckon it is impressive even from the fact I had trouble keeping  a small tank clean at home, let along a whole bunch of them and on on such a scale. Lots to see in there and I tried to take pictures as well but some I just couldn't get. The bio-luminescent little ones were hard enough to see in the tank let alone photograph.

 Stone fish

 Dinner, oops no not dinner

 Turtle was in for rehab

 Mini Ray

Right after the REEF HQ, I was wandering about down at the harbour, as one does and this was just floating about, ok well it was all moored up, but it was there. You can actually do joy flights in this machine, which would have been amazing fun, but at $400 a go was off the list. If anyone has seen and cares to even try to recall the movie The Phantom with Billy Zane and Catherine Zeta Jones, then you will have seen this plane before it was used in the movie.

Next off to Magnetic Island for a visit, I didn't think of it at the time and should have taken the Count across on the car ferry, that would have confused anyone watching the satellite tracker! Over all it is much like any other Queensland island I have been too, sleepy little place with lots of holiday makers and holiday apartments, signs and hire cars. I did notice though that there were quite a few blocks of land and even lots of houses for sale and that was just in the two areas I went to, Nelly Bay (where the ferry comes in) and Arcadia, I almost walked all the way to Picnic Bay, but had to get back for the return ferry to Townsville. Quite a nice little place for a very slow paced holiday I expect, probably really popular with local families.

 Townsville ferry terminal, ready to go!

 Nelly Bay looking towards the ferry terminal

 Townsville in the distance

Just how do these trees grow in rocks

Cairns tomorrow...