peregrination :: Townsville [2022]

peregrination :: high school friends get-together – August 2022

Friday, 19 August

Arrival

Flew from Canberra to Townsville and jumped on the ferry across to Magnetic Island.

Selfie on the ferry to Magnetic Island

Literally the only cloud in the sky

Accommodation for the next four days — Accommodation for the next four days
Peppers Blue on Blue Resort

The crew organised a BBQ in the grounds of the resort that night and I caught up with many friends I’d not seen in decades.

Saturday, 20 August

Today’s group activity was to summit the island, taking the bus to the ‘Forts Walk’.

I chose—perhaps unwisely—to walk the Arcadia Walking Trail to the Forts Walk.

The last of the paved road before the Arcadia Walking Trail begins

The start of the Arcadia Walking Trail — The start of the Arcadia Walking Trail.
Note the distance to the start of the Forts climb.

View from the Arcadia Trail towards Horseshoe Bay

View of Horseshoe Bay from the lookout — View of Horseshoe Bay from the Horeshoe Bay Lookout

Trying to illustrate how steep the ridge was — Trying to illustrate how steep the ridge was along which I was walking

View back to Nelly Bay from the end of Arcadia Walking Trail

The Forts Walk

I arrived well after the others and proceeded directly up the Forts Walk to catch them up.

The tourist guide to the Forts Walk

The first lookout on the Forts Walk

The view from the lookout on the Forts Walk

Panorama view from Forts Lookout — Panorama view from Forts Lookout
Manually created panorama

Abandoned gun emplacement base — Abandoned gun emplacement base at one of the old forts

Panorama view from top fort spotting room — Panorama view from top fort spotting room
Google created panorama

View back to Nelly Bay from top fort

View across to Horseshoe Bay from top fort

The information plaque on the forts

Progress selfie: definitely regretting the long walk

I caught up with the crew at the top fort (they were leaving as I arrived).

Returning to the resort involved walking back through Arcadia – a shorter, flatter walk.

The crucial turning point on the trail — The crucial turning point on the trail
Nelly Bay is only a further 1-2km past Arcadia

View across to Nelly Bay from Arcardia

The 'trail' between Arcadia and Nelly Bay — The ‘trail’ between Arcadia and Nelly Bay

View across Geoffrey Bay back to Arcadia from the headland

Picnic Bay Hotel

The organising committee had booked Picnic Bay Hotel for our first night dinner.

Nighttime view of Townsville from Picnic Bay

The crew all enjoying the evening at the Picnic Bay Hotel

Sunday, 21 August

Horseshoe Bay

Today, the activity was a public bus ride across to Horseshoe Bay for the markets there.

The marina beside our accommodation

The markets at Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay

I bought a hat to account for all my time in the sun — I bought a hat to mitigate all my time in the sun

Sunset Cruise

The evening activity was a ‘sunset cruise’ on Horseshoe Bay on a yacht.

The weather wasn’t very cooperative so the sailing was a bit ‘run straight out, turn around, and run straight back’.

It was a fun evening, even allowing for the cold, uncooperative wind, and having my new hat blown into the ocean.

Boarding the lighter to motor out the yacht

The other yacht's passengers zodiacking out to their yacht — The other yacht’s passengers zodiacking out to their yacht

On board and setting off

Panorama view from the deck of the yacht — Panorama view from the deck of the yacht
Google created panorama

Sunset on the Sunset Yacht Cruise

Horseshoe Bay at sunset from the yacht

Spontaneous organising had the crew eating dinner at the Granite Bar and Pizza.

Another lovely social evening with the friendly crew.

Monday, 22 August

Departure

Final day of the ‘official’ get together. Lots of departures, including mine.

Marina adjacent to the Peppers Blue on Blue resort

The reception pavillion of the Blue on Blue resort — The reception pavillion of the Blue on Blue resort from the Ferry Terminal

Townsville from the Magnetic Island ferry