After almost two weeks of road trip, sleeping in the van, travelling miles every day, eating noodles and waking up with the light of dawn, it was time to change the routine. And we couldn’t have chosen a better place: Magnetic Island has a magnet . We spent two nights on this strange island, which we could have easily extended for weeks… But the route is the route… Here we bring you our guide to Magnetic Island (or “Maggie” as the Aussies call it), with ideas of the best things to do in two days .
1. Magnetic Island in Australia
Magnetic Island is located 8 km from Townsville, roughly halfway between Cairns and Airlie Beach (Whitsundays). It is not a small island and is home to around 2,000 people. The island can be divided into several areas:
- Picnic Bay : The southernmost part, with a lifeguarded beach, Rocky Bay for snorkeling, and several shops in the Picnic Bay Mall.
- Nelly Bay : where the ferries arrive. You can find all kinds of services for visitors: transport rentals, supermarkets, restaurants, accommodations…
- Arcadia : North of Nelly Bay, this is a resort with several accommodations and restaurants.
- Horseshoe Bay : the northern tip of the island, with plenty of private houses, accommodation and restaurants. There is a beach where you can swim (with a net). We stayed here.
In general, it is a quiet island, where you can come to relax for a few days, go for a walk, enjoy nature, watch the sunsets... And we would say go for a swim, but you know, in Queensland that is almost a risky sport! There are beaches with net areas, but we don't trust them. We'll tell you more below.
2. Best time to visit Magnetic Island
The best time to go to Magnetic Island has less to do with the weather or the rainy season, but with the jellyfish season ! So, if you want to enjoy swimming on its beaches, it is best to come from May to November . We visited in April and, perhaps for this reason, we found it very, very quiet.
The climate is tropical , warm all year round, with increased rainfall between the months of November and April.
3. How to get to Magnetic Island
There are frequent ferries to Magnetic Island from Townsville Harbour , the journey takes approximately 30 minutes. We went with SeaLink . It costs $33 per adult round trip. Here are the timetables and more information .
There is a private open-air car park at the Breakwater Terminal in Townsville . We left the van here for two days. The price is $7.50 per day (if you leave it at 10am and return at 12pm, for example, they don't usually charge an extra day). You pay at the gate there.
However, if you want to bring your own vehicle to the island , that is also possible. The price with Fantasea is $101 per trip (including passengers).
4. How to get around the island
Magnetic Island has only one well-maintained paved road, which runs from Picnic Bay in the south to the northern tip at Horseshoe Bay. The distance is about 10 km. The two roads marked on the map with dotted lines (to Radical Bay in the north and West Point in the west) are dirt roads and are not recommended unless you have a 4×4 vehicle.
As it is a relatively large island, you won't be able to walk everywhere. There are different ways to get around Magnetic Island: rent a car or a motorbike , rent a bicycle , take a bus or rent a topless car . What is it? It looks like a Barbie car, it's a kind of buggy without a roof and very colorful. Although it doesn't allow you to go off the road and the price, to be honest, is not cheap (from $80 per day).
The bus is operated by Sunbus and runs from Picnic Bay to Horseshoe Bay, stopping at the ferry terminal and other points in between on the island. The price of a single ticket depends on the zones you cross, for example from Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal to Horseshoe Bay it costs $2.90. There is also a day pass which costs $7.20. Tickets are purchased directly from the driver.
Be careful, if you travel by bus, keep in mind the timetables of the stop you are interested in. We recommend that you take a look at the timetables posted on the posts and take a photo. The bus frequency is quite low, to be honest.
→ More information about bus times, stops and prices on Magnetic Island
5. Where to sleep in Magnetic Island
As we said above, there are 4 areas where you can find accommodation. We stayed in the northern part, in Horseshoe Bay. We spent the two nights at the 'Magnetic Island YHA' (which is now The Koala Park by Selina ) .
This is a cabin accommodation in the heart of the island's nature. It has a swimming pool, kitchen and common areas and a bar-restaurant with beer and food offers, where we spent most of our time (well, also in the hammocks). Seriously, super super recommendable.
As far as we know, there are no free camping spots on Magnetic Island, although we did see a campervan area at the former Bungalow Bay (now also part of Selina). It is apparently the only place where you can spend the night with your campervan or tent on the whole island, the price per person for a pitch without electricity is $16 ($20 with electricity). But this may have changed now.
6. What to do on Magnetic Island
Do you want to know the essential activities to do on Magnetic Island? We tell you which ones are the most recommended in our opinion:
– Nature Walks . A large part of the island is taken up by Magnetic Island National Park, which has some 25 km of trails. Enjoy its paths, its flora and especially its local fauna, which include lots of rare birds, wallabies and, watch out, wild koalas! There is also a little surprise for WWII geeks.
– Its Coasts . Being an island we could not not dedicate part of our visit to the coasts and beaches. Although we already told you that there is a period of jellyfish, be careful!
- Snorkelling is recommended at Rocky Bay, Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Geoffrey Bay. There are tours that offer snorkelling breaks, where all equipment is provided.
- There are also diving options to see the remains of the SS Yongala shipwreck , apparently one of the best diving spots in Australia.
- And you can rent a kayak and explore the island's bays at your own pace, or on an excursion.
– Visit the Markets . The Horseshoe Bay Market takes place on Saturdays or Sundays from 9am to 2pm with stalls of all kinds. In the Arcadia area, there are two night markets on Fridays (from 5pm to 8pm), the RSL Markets where you can eat outdoors and the Arcadia Village Hotel Market , with food and craft stalls.
– Have a Party ! Magnetic Island is the only place in Australia where the Full Moon Party is held every month, or so we were told. If that’s your thing, you know what to do! Plus, in July there’s the Island Life Party festival , with concerts and a great atmosphere for two days.
→ Check out all the events scheduled for the next few days .
7. Trekkings
There are a total of 25 km of trails on the island, waiting to be explored by your little legs! So, you know, pack your backpack and start walking! By the way, I used the Maps.me app and it is quite realistic, both in terms of distances and gradients.
These are the most recommended treks on Magnetic Island:
– From Horseshoe to Balding and Radical Bays . It starts at the eastern end of the beach. You have to climb a gully, reach the turnoff for Balding Bay and go down the rocks to the beach. Then you go up the same path and you can continue to Radical Bay, on another steep descent. From there you return to Horseshoe Bay. The total is about 5 km and takes 1.5 – 2 hours, round trip. Moderate difficulty.
– Forts walk . It starts at a right turn off the main road to Horseshoe. The bus stops here, and there is also parking. This is one of the most popular walks on the island, for three reasons:
- You will reach an old WWII structure , where the Australians fought off the arrival of the Japanese.
- There are a good number of free-roaming koalas in the eucalyptus trees around us , so you won't have any trouble spotting them. It's the largest free-roaming koala colony in northern Australia!
- Throughout the climb we will have good viewpoints , including one that offers 360-degree views, at the very top.
The round trip walk is about 3.5-4 km and takes between 1 hour and 1 hour and a half. Moderate difficulty.
– Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays . From the same point where the path to Forts starts, there is a dirt track that goes down to these three bays, and that can even be turned into a loop if you combine it with the first trek, ending at Horseshoe Bay (I even considered doing all the bays from Horseshoe and going up to Forts, but maybe that might be a little crazy). It is a road where 4x4s could pass, but I wouldn’t risk it. These are the distances:
- To Arthur Bay: 1km / 20 minutes.
- From Arthur Bay to Florence Bay (passing Searchlight Tower): 2.1 km / 45 minutes.
- From Florence Bay to Radical Bay: 1.5 km / 30 minutes
- From Radical Bay to Horseshoe Bay: 1.8 km / 40 minutes
So in total it would be 6.4km if you do the whole route to Horseshoe, and a little over two hours of hiking. The difficulty is moderate.
– Hawkings Point . If you are not a walker, this is the perfect trek for you: short, easy and with a great reward at the end. Located in Picnic Bay, the path ascends to the top of a rock from where there are great views of Nelly and Geoffrey Bays. The round trip is 1.2km and takes less than 1 hour. Low difficulty.
– Considerations . Please do not feed the animals, put on plenty of sunscreen, bring plenty of water (you sweat a lot), some food, and good footwear. There are routes that go through unstable rocky areas and you have to be very careful on those stretches, as ankle sprains are not uncommon here.
8. Beaches on Magnetic Island, will I be able to swim?
Queensland's coasts are plagued by killer jellyfish (no joke), especially in the warmer months (November to April). There are two beaches with jellyfish nets , at Horseshoe Bay and Picnic Bay, but they are not 100% foolproof. We recommend that during jellyfish season you only swim in these areas, and on patrolled beaches. Do so between the red and yellow flags.
If you see the lifeguard, ask him if it is safe to swim. Also, look out for warning signs and check where the vinegar tank is on the beach, which you will have to spray on yourself in case of a sting.
We really, really liked Magnetic Island ! Although we only stayed two nights, we had time to disconnect from the road trip, to rest, to enjoy the sunsets, to swim (in the hostel's pool), to drink beer without having to worry about alcohol tests, to take walks under the sun and to breathe the sea breeze under the shade of a palm tree. What more could you ask for?
We hope our Magnetic Island guide can help you plan your trip and find what to do during two days on this island.
→ Complete information about Magnetic Island National Park
