Moana Kuewa

|Home Page |Back to stories |

		2010.06.07 - 2010.05.27 AUSTRALIA Magnetic Island & Marina Location: AUSTRALIA Magnetic Island Magnetic Island lies off the city of Townsville and forms the western side of Cleveland Bay. More than half is National Park. It is a suburb of Townsville as much as it is a tourist island. Two ferry companies service the island along with a vehicular ferry and water taxis. There are many bays on the island. NELLY BAY is a pristine developed marina, resort area (Blue on Blue), and commercial boat harbor. It has the best Mexican Food Restaurant we have found in Australia, called MAN FRIDAY. Not only does it have excellent food , but there is a family of Australian possums (very cute) that come down for tortilla chips and screaming Curlew birds that hiss at you if you approach. HORSESHOE BAY is the island’s best refuge during developed trade winds. It is a quaint town with a couple of hotels, nice restaurants, and shops. It has a long beach that has shark/jellyfish nets. Boats are anchored throughout the northeast part of the bay. PICNIC BAY is being developed as a marina and commercial boat harbor (although we did not see any evidence of it). It would appeal to anyone who likes a remote location with a “local bar.” The Curlew birds are plentiful, so any visitor may or may not be able to sleep. Their piercing cry can be heard for miles. Both Jeff and Chris got hissed at by a few Curlews when they got too close. Fascinating bird. MOANA KUEWA was definitely a novelty. Many boat owners that shared a dock with MOANA KUEWA came by for a chat and a tour. Lucky for Jeff and Chris, we were also able to see their vessels and were invited for dinner by John & Julie McCartney; & Peter & Lesley Olive on board their lovely boat. In honor of our good friend Ray , who told us many stories about his adventures as a young man in his Moke , we rented the same type or vehicle. His original Moke is preserved in his parent’s garage in Metung. Many, many, Australians have a “love affair” with this little vehicle. It was definitely not designed for a “fella” Jeff’s size (6’3” tall) but it made us remember all the wonderful stories told by Ray. Traveling Individuals Names: Jeffrey Cheske & Christine Bauman * Some of the descriptions & picture are taken from the Cruising the Coral Coast by Alan Lucas