Mag… what? Magnetic island? In Australia? Hmmm… interesting –let’s go there! Similar to this was our decision on visiting this small Australian island.
Where is it & How to get there?
Magnetic island is on the east coast of Australia, south of Cairns and north of Airlie beach. The nearest airport is Townsville, from where you can take a ferry to the island.
Going around
The island has a good public transport system (bus). The buses run from the ferry all the way to Horseshoe bay, stopping on many beaches. A daily ticket costs 7AUD. Another possibility is to hire a car or a motorbike.
Accommodation
You can choose between numerous hostels, apartments and hotels – depends on your budget. We stayed at Magnetic island YHA, which is 5-7 minute walk from Horseshoe bay, the bus stop is directly in front of the hostel and the best thing – it’s home to a koala sanctuary.
What to do?
1. Visit the Koala sanctuary
They have 3 guided tours daily, the fist at 10:00 AM. Be there around 10 minutes before, tickets can be purchased at the Hostel reception. At additional cost you can hold a Koala and get a picture to take home. The guide shows different animals, like crocodiles, snakes, lizards and different birds and all of them can be held and cuddled.
2. Snorkelling
They have a snorkelling trail in Geoffrey Bay, where you can see a shipwreck, but the visibility at our visit was just bad. At this beach rock wallabies come down to the street and you can feed them (if you have proper food – please don´t give them human food as they will be sick).
We went to another beach, Arthur bay, where the visibility was much better, but you have to hike a little to get there. We were almost alone on the beach and snorkelling was good, but then we saw a shark. And you know all this stories of meeting a shark in the Australian ocean … We swam back nearer to shore and snorkelled there.
3. Hiking
There are some hiking trails on the island, where you can see koalas. Just get a map at the hostel and you’ll know your way.
4. Relax on the beach
Because we stayed in walking distance to Horseshoe bay, we spent a lot of time there. First thing in the morning we went there for brekki – delicious Australian coffee and fresh herb buns with Nutella on the beach and life was good. Horeshoe bay also has a stinger net, so you can swim (almost) without fear to meet some brainless sea creatures.
The other beach, where you can take a dip without worrying is Alma bay – a lovely small bay between big rocks with natural tree shade and a Surf lifesaving club.
sLOVEnians travel 