Guide To Beautiful Magnetic Island.

Magnetic Island doesn’t have the typical Queensland island landscape, it’s covered in lush mountains and a coast lined with palm trees and large boulders (think Seychelles vibes). It was awesome to see how underdeveloped this island is, not covered in heaps of massive resorts or tall buildings. Over 50% of Magnetic Island is a national park and is home to one of Australias largest Koala populations. 

Have I got your attention?  

Getting to Magnetic Island 

Magnetic Island is located off the coast of North Queensland and is super easy and inexpensive to get to. Located only 8 kilometers off the mainland and a 25-minute ferry ride from Townsville. 

Sealink has around 14 ferries a day from Townsville to Magnetic.

Book your Sealink ferry on Tripadvisor ~ Magnetic Island Round-Trip Ferry From Townsville.

There’s also a car ferry to Magnetic if you’d prefer to bring your own vehicle, but advanced bookings for the car ferry is essential. 

Townsville has a reasonably sized airport and flights arrive from most major cities in Australia. If you would like to read my travel guide on Townsville, click here.

Search for cheap flights to Townsville on Trip.com.

Magnetic Island Accommodation & What Area to Stay in.

My husband and I spent two nights on Magnetic island, staying at Peppers Blue on Blue Resort. This resort was beautiful, with two swimming pools and our room had everything we needed.

It’s located in Nelly’s bay and I would say this is defiantly the most convenient location. Because Peppers is literally right next to the ferry terminal & bus stop, and across the road from the supermarket, bottle shop, ATM.

If you were after an even quieter area to spend your time, I’d suggest taking a look at Horseshoe Bay. It’s located on the north of the island and is easily accessible by public bus. I think Horseshoe Bay had a real small-town charm (more so than the rest of the island), but there are still shops, cafes, and a pub. Also, there are a few walking trails that begin here. 

Things you must do on Magnetic Island

A lot of the activities on Magnetic are weather-dependent, but they see sunshine nearly every day of the year so you’ll definitely be able to get out and about. 

Rent a Topless Car 

Check out my photos, how cute is our little Barbie car. This is definitely the best and funniest way to see the island. And not all their cars are hot pink, in case this isn’t your thing!

We rented our little car from Tropical Topless Car rentals for the cost of $99 for 24 hours and this included fuel. Their office is located across the road from the ferry terminal. When you book the car they’ll need to provide a credit card as they’ll take a $200 deposit, which is refunded after the car is returned (undamaged).

You can take the cars on all the main roads, there are just a few no-go zones for small cars. But there are plenty of signs on these roads, so you won’t make the mistake of going the wrong way. 

Walking Trails

Don’t forget to bring your walking shoes to Magnetic island, because there are many beautiful walking trails, and most don’t have sealed paths. But are still pretty easy! 

When you first arrive on the island get a map from your hotel or the information center, as all the walks are marked. Many of these walks lead to the most incredible viewpoints or small bays that are only accessible by foot. 

One of my favorite walks started in Horseshoe Bay and took us to Balding Bay, this is one of the shorter trails but still stunning. Balding Bay was quiet, calm, and protected by giant granite rocks.

See Australias Sleepy Koalas

On all the walks you do in the forest, don’t forget to look up! With a large Koala population on magnetic, and the fact that they sleep for 18-22 hours a day! It’s possible to see them sleeping in the forks & nooks of tall trees. Although, we did this for two days and all I got was a sore neck!

But don’t be discouraged, you’re pretty much guaranteed to see them along The Forts Walk. 

The Forts walk is one of the longer trails, taking about 1.5 hours to return. We saw three Koalas along the way, including a baby…. So cute. I recommend asking other people who are walking back the other way, having a little bit of direction is helpful as Koalas can be hard to spot. Or if not, often past visitors will leave sticks on the ground made into the shape of an arrow pointing to where a Koala is. 

The Forts Walk is also the sight of a lot of WWII history and infrastructure. 

Also, the best time of day to see Koalas is either early morning or late evening before sunset. As they are most active during these hours. 

Rock Wallabies at Geoffrey Bay 

Rock Wallabies are the sweetest little animals and can easily be seen jumping around the rocks next to Geoffrey Bay. From the car park, quietly walk down the path and you should see a least a few. 

You can hand-feed the Wallabies but please read the sign at the car park advising which food is suitable. Some foods can be very detrimental to their health. 

Beaches 

Obviously, Magnetic Island has beautiful beaches, all of the ones we visited were so clean and picturesque! And, some of these beaches are just off the main road & some are very secluded. This is one of the main reasons I would recommend hiring a car, you have so many beach options but where you’ll have the best day will depend on the current wind, tides, and how busy the beaches are. 

My favorite beaches on Magnetic Island are; 

Horseshoe Bay (during high tide)
Geoffrey Bay
Balding Bay
Alma Bay

I’d like to add snorkeling to this list because there are so many reefs and shipwrecks right off the beach! But, we didn’t actually get to snorkel, we had brought alone all our snorkeling gear but during our stay, it was so windy and the visibility was terrible. We even stopped by the dive shop to ask their opinion and he said don’t even bother, for the next few days you won’t see more than a meter in front of you. 

***Safety Note***

For those who aren’t familiar with north Queensland beaches, we have a season called “Stinger Season”, which is when dangerous jellyfish are commonly found in the ocean. This is from November to April. But it’s possible for them to be around during other months so always check signs or ask lifeguards.

Although, Picnic Bay & Horseshoe Bay do have nets, so in those areas, it’s safe to swim. And, you can hire stinger suits from the local dive shop for $10 if you wanted to go snorkeling or diving.

Magnetic Island Restaurants: 

There are quite a lot of restaurant options in Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay & Horseshoe Bay. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was necessary for us to reserve a table in advance. My favorite restaurants were (and these all had Vegan options). 

Thai Again (BYO Drinks).
Scallywags, a Pirate-themed cafe, with a variety of different food. 
SOS Stuffed on Seafood.

If you’re going to be driving around all day I’d recommend taking plenty of water and some food.