How to spend a day on Magnetic Island
Just a short ferry ride away from Townsville, is Magnetic Island, buzzling with palm trees, hidden bays and fascinating wildlife. Try and fit it into itinerary as you move down the Australian coast, you won’t regret it!
How to get there
Getting to the island couldn’t be simpler. It’s just a 20-minute ferry-ride away from Townsville, and there are 18 departures throughout the day, from morning well into the evening (so even if you arrive late, you’ll be good). The ferry cost 34 AUD for a return-ticket.
Getting around on the island
The best way to get around is by renting your own car. Magnetic Island is known for their “Barbie cars” which are tiny pink cars that you can rent, and use to drive all around the island exploring all the different bays. This is the most efficient way to ensure you get to see everything in just one day. The price is between 70-80 AUD for a day.
If you’re not comfortable with driving, don’t worry. The public transportation on the island is pretty good, with buses leaving around every 40 minutes. The buses are organized so that they take you to the most popular spots on the island, and ensure you get to see everything that is worth seeing. This is also a very cheap option. You can buy day-tickets, and hop-on hop-off wherever you need to.
Lastly you can rent bikes, and even walk. The island isn’t too big, reaching maybe 10 km from the one end to the other. So you can pretty much bike around the island if you want to.
Where to stay
Budget:
As far as hostels go, you should check out both Base and YHA. They are pretty equally priced. Base is located on the beach, which means you get some stunning views waking up. It’s also a pretty cheap place to eat. It’s located on Nelly Bay.
YHA located on the other side of the island, and is pretty close to Horseshoe Bay. The great thing about this hostel is the animal life. The koala park is located within the hostel, and they have a number of birds on the hostel grounds. I would highly recommend you taking a visit to the hostel even if you’re not staying there. Both of the hostels have campgrounds
Mid range:
A good mid-range option would be Amaroo on Mandalay hotel.
Luxury:
If you want a good luxury option, check out Peppers Blue on Blue.
What to do
Snorkeling
Magnetic Island has some good swimming spots that are within the great barrier reef. For novice-snorkelers try out Nelly Bay, and for those that like a bit of a challenge try out Geoffrey bay.
Horseshoe Bay
The buzzling bay is a great way to chill back, have some lunch and go swimming. It is the most busy bay, but they have plenty of cafes and toilets which is quite practical. You can easily spend a day just chilling here, or you can make it a stop for lunch and a quick swim. The choice is yours.
Feed the wallabies
At dusk, about 4:30 the rock wallabies hang around the rocks near Arcadia by the pier. They are looking for food… This is one of the few places where you can actually feed them yourself, as they have gotten so used to the people around bringing them food. Take some fruit or carrots with you, and enjoy this special wildlife-moment.
Drive around the island and visit all the bays
If you look at a map of the island, you can see all these small bays around the entire island. Go explore, find your own, and chill out, enjoy the views, the sand and the sun on the island.
The forts walk
This walk is an absolute must if you are visiting Magnetic Island. It’s a merging-pot of nature, animals and history. Did you know that Magnetic Island has the largest population of koalas in Australia? It’s estimated that the island is populated with about 950 of the grey furry creatures. And the forts walk is your best bet of seeing them in the wild. Be sure to look up in the trees, as they won’t make a sound and won’t move. People may leave out sticks shaped into an arrow to point others to a direction where they have seen any koalas, so also be on the lookout for arrows.
The walk leads you to a lookout of the entire island, which is absolutely gorgeous. It will also give you a lot of information on the island’s role in the World War II.
