TOWNSVILLE - Gateway to MAGNETIC ISLAND

At Travel Wheels our campervans allow you to stop just about anywhere you want to in Australia and part of the magic of a campervan is finding places that normally do not sound that interesting, but in fact are a hidden gem, a real find! This is one way to describe Townsville, the gateway to Magnetic Island, and this is one place you will not find the crowds of tourists that are in Cairns!

It's easy to understand why people bypass Townsville and Magnetic Island as lots of people are attracted to Cairns, the heart of the Great Barrier Reef and its reputation for a fantastic place for Adventure Sports, and it is known for being a great place for fun in the sun! However Townsville is a special place and it's the gateway to the island known locally as "Maggie", Magnetic Island, home to one of the Australia's largest koala colonies!

Below is a travel story from Doreen and Martin from Germany on a four day adventure in Townsville and Magnetic Island, so when you are travelling up the coast, don't forget to stop here before heading to Cairns! Doreen and Martin spent 4 days getting to know Australia's sunniest spot (over 320 days of sunshine a year!) Townsville and Magnetic Island.

	Known as the capital of North Queensland, Townsville combines an easy going lifestyle of the tropics with the attractions of a major city. Here you can discover the magic of two of Australia's most spectacular natural attractions - Great Barrier Reef and the rainforests. Don't miss Townsville's wonderful beachfront "The Strand" and a trip up Castle Hill from where you will have amazing views of Magnetic Island and the surrounding areas. We also stopped to have a lovely picnic in one of the magnificent and well-kept shady gardens throughout the city. After a beautiful sunny day in Townsville it was time for us to jump on the ferry to Magnetic Island, just 8 km off the coast from Townsville, to get started on our exciting "hold a koala, croc and snake" experience in Bungalow Bay Koala Village. Thirty minutes later we arrived in Paradise. More than 22 secluded bays and beaches, fringing coral reefs, heaps of beautiful nature walks amongst the island's diverse flora and fauna and a huge variety of wildlife can be seen in this National Park. There are many possibilities to get around on the Island, you can rent a car, a mini-moke (an open top mini car), a scooter or bicycles or just be lazy and take the bus! Our accommodation had many nice features such as a big swimming pool, a very comfy outdoor bar and restaurant and even a wildlife sanctuary with daily tours. The next 3 days were filled with long beach walks, some hiking tours through tropical rainforests and eucalypts woodlands, rewarding us with wonderful panoramic views over the Island and Coral Sea. We were overwhelmed from the great variety of wildlife we encountered, many different kinds of birds, possums, wallabies and northern Australia's largest colony of wild Koalas. We refreshed ourselves with swims in the sea at several secluded and sheltered beaches. The highlight of our stay was the hands-on-experience we got with Australia's native animals in a guided tour through the wildlife sanctuary. It really was a romantic getaway and finally we got our koala-in-arm picture we were longing for. Doreen and Martin from Germany - having fun on Magnetic Island, 8kms offshore from Townsville.

Remember if you need any more help or advice on places to stay, fun things to do, please do email or call us for FREE at Travel Wheels, we love to share our love of travel with you and can't wait to hear your stories of your adventures in a Travel Wheels campervan!

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