With 23 white sand beaches, untouched national parks and an incredible variety of wildlife, “Maggie” as the locals call it is one of Australia’s best kept hidden gems.
Located at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, Maggie is the perfect destination for diving and snorkelling. The island is also home to 800 Northern Koalas so if you’re keen to see Australian wildlife in their natural habitat, this is the place to go! Being only a short 20minute ferry ride with Sealink passenger and car ferries from Townsville, I’m excited to share with you all that Magnetic Island has to offer!
Getting Around the Island
Although the island is small the easiest way to get around is by car. Originally we only had a car hired for one day however once on the island we realised we would need it for all three days if we wanted to experience all that the island has to offer! We hired from Topless Car Rentals where you can rent out a topless Barbie car as well as MI Rentals where you can rent a topless Jeep or Mini Cooper. If driving around the island isn’t for you, theres also the option to catch buses which run frequently all around the island. For timetables and information visit the Sunbus website.
Where to Stay & Things to Consider:
There is some stand out accomodation options at magnetic which provide great value for money.
We stayed at Pure Magnetic Villas which provided a secluded balinese vibe while still being in the heart of Nelly Bay and only a short walk from restaurant, bars, cafes and shops. The villas spacious and perfect for a group or family. The Villas were around $250 a night which I thought was well worth the money for location and overall experience. We loved our stay and would defiantly stay here again!
Other places I would recommend:
Peppers Blue on Blue Resort
Beachside Magnetic Appartments
Grand Mercure Apartments Magnetic Island
Wifi Signal? Honestly, I had no signal, meanwhile the people I was travelling with had full signal. If you’re with a good phone provider you should get some wifi signal however don’t rely on it.
Grocery Store & Bottle Shop? We picked up groceries before coming to the island, thinking that there wouldn’t be much available on the island. This was definitely not the case, there was so many bottle shops all around the island as well as an IGA store directly across from the ferry terminal with everything you could possibly need.
What is the best time of year to visit? With 320 days of sunshine, this island is great to visit all year round however keep in mind stinger season is during the summer months (November – April) so if swimming is on the agenda, I would advise to visit Maggie between May and October.
What to Do?
Forts walk
You can’t come to Magnetic Island without doing the WWII Forts walk. This walk is a great opportunity to see some of the native wildlife, get some fresh air and learn about some of the islands history, especially during WWII. Before going on this walk we were told we might see some wild koalas which I thought was a bit of a bold suggestion however sure enough we saw a total of five wild Koalas while on the hike up to the forts. Not only is this walk a great opportunity to see Northern Koalas in their natural habitat but the view of the island from the top is spectacular. Most people recommend 2 – 3 hours to do the hike. We spent 3 hours, especially because we were on the lookout for koalas and stopping to take photos of the sights along the way.
Hot Tip: Try to do this in the morning before it gets too hot.
Bungalow Bay Koala Village
If you miss out on seeing a Koala while on the forts walk, the Bungalow Bay Koala Village provides up close and personal experiences with Australian Wildlife including getting to hold some of the resident koalas and feeding the native birds.
Butterfly garden – Not far from the Koala Bay Village is a butterfly garden. While we were exploring the island we stumbled across this hidden oasis for butterflies. There isn’t any signage however you can find it’s location on google maps. If you wonder off some of the marked paths you should be able to see heaps of butterflies, it’s a magical experience and one I would definitely recommend if you have the time.
Rock wallabies
If you’ve done the Forts walk, fed the native birds and still can’t get enough wildlife, make sure to stop by Geoffrey Bay to feed the local Rock Wallabies. These little guys were a big highlight of my time spent on Magnetic Island. So much so, I would go to visit them everyday while on the island. If you’re not sure where to find the Rock Wallabies, it’s opposite the Arcadia Newsagent where you can also stop by to pick up some roo pellets. If you would prefer to feed them vegetables, make sure to check the list of acceptable foods to feed them. We noticed that 3pm was an ideal time to visit the rock wallabies and when they were most active. They were very curious for food. Some of the had little joeys who were equally curious and happy to come and say hello. There’s something special about seeing wildlife in their natural habitat rather than at a zoo. I would highly recommend spending some time with these little critters while you’re on the island.
Hot Tip: If you are going to feed the Wallabies vegetable such as carrots or sweet potato, make sure to cut it into small pieces as they struggle with whole sized vegetables.
Snorkel Trails – Alma Bay, Arthur Bay & Florence Bay
We wanted to spend a whole day snorkelling so we chose to hike to Arthur Bay to spend a day in the water and hiking up to Arthur Bay lookout. We were blown away by the beautiful marine life and corals. I recommend going at mid to high tide as there is less marine life at low tide and its harder to navigate swimming between the corals when the tide is low. We also wore wetsuits as the water temperate this time of year (June) was a bit chilly. If you have time, adventure around to the next bay (Florence Bay) the coral and marine life here is also worth seeing. Hidden in Florence bay is a shark nursery which is also worth checking out if you don’t mind swimming with reef sharks. Most of these bays have snorkel trails you can follow to make sure you don’t miss any off the amazing corals and fish. If snorkelling isn’t for you, these bays are still worth visiting for their untouched landscapes and beauty.
Picnic Bay Jetty & S.S Adelaide Shipwreck
Perfect for a fish or to simply take in the sights. Picnic Bay Jetty is heritage listed and was built from 1959 to 1977. Picnic Bay is a specular location to enjoy a relaxing swim, beach side dining or even a snorkel. The bay is home to Turtles and Dugongs as well as other marine life. The next bay around (Cockle bay) is where you’ll find the S.S Adelaide shipwreck. At low tide you can walk right out to the wreck however be warned, the shipwreck is well off the beaten path and can take some time navigating out to the wreck through the mangroves however it’s quite the adventure and well worth the journey.
