Magnetic Island Community News

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

09 January 2026 — 12:00pm | Tropical Low

Magnetic Island Ferries has cancelled the final two services scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 10 January, to assist with preparations ahead of the tropical low forecast to impact the region late Saturday into Sunday, as a Category 1 Tropical Cyclone.

Updated services for Saturday 10 January:
Depart Townsville:
7:00am, 9:00am, 11:00am
Depart Magnetic Island:
8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm

This decision has been made in line with advice from official disaster management and meteorological authorities. We are continuing to closely monitor conditions and will provide further updates via our social channels, if required.

For local preparation advice and official updates, please refer to:
👉 https://disaster.townsville.qld.gov.au/

Your safety — and our crew’s safety — remains our priority. 💙⚓

08/01/2026

BE PREPARED THIS WET SEASON 🌧 👇

08/01/2026

https://www.sealink.com.au/magnetic-island/ferry-status/?fbclid=IwY2xjawPMMP5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeVzrSg-8rz185jXzH1Mj-bWwwyNuaB3iOZQ4aXiopSwG1LryuyfNf60hO1v4_aem_kDcmK1tdw7_6Dy-4_F9R_Q

View the current status of our ferry service

08/01/2026

08/01/2026

Want to see your art hanging on the walls of Perc Tucker Regional Gallery? 🖼
Apply now for The Percivals 2026!

🎨 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄
Major Acquisitive Prize: $40,000

📷 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄
Major Acquisitive Prize: $10,000

🐰 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐄
Non-acquisitive Prize: $1,000

Hurry! Applications close at 10:00 AM AEST, Tuesday 20 January 2026.
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://bit.ly/4i6M4Rr

07/01/2026

06/01/2026

New Lamb Ad and Townsville gets a mention 😍

Australia officially fell off the Top 10 Happiest Countries list in March last year. Obviously the judges have never seen our backyards, BBQs and Big Banana....

06/01/2026

05/01/2026

UPDATE 8 January 2026: The gates have now closed. The Ross River has now reopened to recreational use.

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Council continues to monitor Ross River Dam water levels and will begin a low volume operational release today to return the dam levels to 100%.

The Ross River Dam’s centre radial gates will open 0.25m from midday today (TUESDAY) and will remain open for 24 hours when the dam reaches 100%.

Once the release of water is complete, Council will be able to stand down its Emergency Action Plan and its 24-hour operational roster and return to regular dam operations.

The release is a standard operation done under controlled conditions.

Recreational use of the Ross River will be closed during this time.

01/01/2026

☔️⛈️ Heavy Rain Fall Continues to Batter Townsville

Over night, Townsville received heavy rainfall with a severe weather warning still in place for heavy rainfall today, with over 100mm recorded across most of the city. There is the possibility of rain to continue into the weekend.

The high tide of 3.9 metres was at 7:42 AM and has contributed to stormwater flooding in parts of the city. Temporary road closures are in place at known flood-prone locations. These are expected to be short-term, and the Disaster Dashboard is being updated regularly.

There have been a number of Swiftwater rescues due to motorists driving into flood waters.

Emergency Services responded to an incident where a tree has come down onto a property in Hermit Park, there were no injuries.

SES are responding to over 40 jobs across Townsville, non-life-threatening emergencies call SES on 132 500 any life-threatening emergencies call 000.

Council will replenish sand and sandbags today at Lou Litter Park, Mount Low and the Ross Dam. These are expected to be in place by this afternoon as we are calling in staff to assist with this task.

The Ross River Dam is at 80% and rising slowly, with the dam catchment receiving 40-90 mm of rain in the 12 hours to 8:30 AM. All major rivers and creeks remain below minor flood levels, and there is no immediate threat from riverine flooding.

The Townsville Local Disaster Management Group (TLDMG) remains at Alert.
The Local Disaster Coordination Centre (LDCC) is actively monitoring the situation.
If it's flooded forget it.

Stay up to date and monitor conditions via the Disaster Dashboard and the Townsville Disaster Information Facebook Information Page.

Nick Dametto.

01/01/2026

https://www.magneticcommunitynews.com/post/the-wet-season

Gustav Creek - Sooning St Bridge - currently under construction Photo Magnetic DronesHeavy rain continues fall across the island, over night parts of Nelly Bay recorded over 270mls.Here is a birds of view of Gustav Creek and the construction site for the new 2 span bridge on Sooning St. Thanks for t...