Having started as Magnetic Island's own newspaper in 1997 Magnetic Times now welcomes readers from around the world to its new presence on the web.

With hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world travelling to our shores we felt it was time to share our stories with you - wherever you are!

Magnetic Times, the newspaper which Islanders and Townsville residents have been enjoying since 1997, has reported and commented on the many issues which impact on our World Heritage locality. Our aim has been to document the life of the island: telling the stories of individual Islanders as well as keeping abreast of the community's activities and events.

As a paper and now e-magazine, we pride ourselves on our independent reportage and good reading. MT is written as a paper which reflects the true life of Magnetic as a community with wonderful opportunities but not without problems which we freely and sometimes, passionately discuss and debate.

MT is passionate about Magnetic Island's natural values which we have seen suffer at the hands of inappropriate development over many years. As residents of over a decade we, as editors, are vigorous in defending the unique qualities we believe the Island could lose if sustainability is not embraced as the guide to our future. For a locality which relies greatly on its natural beauty to survive, it is to us, only common sense that we treasure what we have for the future. Although our main concern has always been for Magnetic Island, MT has also proved to be a vital source of independent journalism on issues which affect the region.

As we have only just started our on-line presence there is much to add and we look forward to making much of what we have already done in our printed form available to our readers on line. There is so much to tell about this lovely place and its remarkable community that it will take time. Our plan is to build the largest and most informative Magnetic Island website by adding news as it happens as well as putting together the most extensive source of Island information known.

We hope you will find this site as exciting as we do and follow our progress as MT evolves and builds.

The Eds George Hirst & Penelope Sheridan