Picnic Bay, Queensland
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Picnic Bay Magnetic Island, Queensland |
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Picnic Bay, Magnetic Island
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 Picnic Bay
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| Coordinates | 19°10′S 146°50′E / 19.167°S 146.833°ECoordinates: 19°10′S 146°50′E / 19.167°S 146.833°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 360 (2006 census) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4819 | ||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Townsville | ||||||||||||
| County | Elphinstone | ||||||||||||
| Parish | Magnetic | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Townsville | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Herbert | ||||||||||||
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Picnic Bay refers to both a bay on the south-east corner of Magnetic Island (offshore from Townsville in Queensland, Australia) and the island's main town. At the 2006 census, Picnic Bay had a population of 360.
Until recently, the bay was the landing site for ferry services from the mainland, but ferries now arrive at a new terminal at nearby Nelly Bay. The town of Picnic Bay features an open-air shopping complex, The Picnic Bay Mall, and a patrolled beach along the waterfront. The town also hosts the Magnetic Island Golf Course and the Magnetic Island Police Station. Off the coast the wreck of the George Rennie is visible at low tide.
Picnic Bay is connected to the other bays of Magnetic Island by road. It is connected to the island's eastern towns by Nelly Bay Road, which climbs Hawkings Point from the northeastern corner of the bay, east over the point where it follows the coastline down into Nelly Bay. It is also connected to the western towns, Cockle Bay and West Point, by partially sealed West Point Road, which starts at the end of Yule Street in the northwestern corner of the bay.
The town is serviced by Magnetic Island Bus Service, which runs regular services to coincide with Ferry arrivals and departures at the Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal. The foreshore bus stop, which is located at the base of the Picnic Bay Jetty is the terminus for bus services which run from Horseshoe Bay, via Arcadia and Nelly Bay. Picnic Bay is also serviced by Magnetic Island Taxi Service and a number of vehicle hire companies operate in Picnic Bay and Nelly Bay which allow tourists to hire vehicles for use on the Island's road network. Use of hire vehicles on West Point Road is discouraged by vehicle hire companies due to a large portion of the road being unsealed and impassible in most vehicles.
The first known settlement of Picnic Bay was by Harry Butler and his family who established a small dairy, orchard and mixed farm in Picnic Bay in 1877 when Magnetic Island was declared a quarantine station. The family experimented in the cultivation of pineapples in the bay and as part of a tourism venture built a guest house establishing an intermittent ferry service from Townsville. The Butler family cared for the sick who were quarantined on the island prior to the construction of the permanent quarantine station at West Point.
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Wikipedia