Spending the perfect weekend on Magnetic Island

We’ve taken both day trips and weekend getaways to the island. And while you can squeeze in a good portion of the island into a day, we recommend spending the weekend if you have the time. This way, you can take it slow and really enjoy all the island has to offer.

Our ideal Magnetic Island itinerary

While our weekend spent on the island was a long one extended to three days, you can easily squeeze this into just two days as well.

Day 1: Arriving on Magnetic Island and exploring the Nelly Bay area

Getting to Magnetic Island

After catching the ferry from Townsville, you’ll arrive at Magnetic Island after a short 20 minutes. The catamarans used for the trip are steady on the water and air conditioned for a comfortable journey. If you’re feeling like starting your holiday early, there’s a licensed bar on board so you can enjoy a drink in the sun while taking in the tropical island views as you pull into port.

Ferries arrive into Nelly Bay, the largest village on the island. It may be the largest, but it’s still home to less than 1,000 people. Here, you’ll be able to book any tours you haven’t locked in before arrival, you can pick up a hire car if needed and pick up some groceries at the (small) supermarket.

We were staying at an apartment in Nelly Bay, so we settled into our accommodation before heading out to start exploring the island.

Nelly Bay area

About 2.5 kilometres (or a 30-minute walk) from the ferry, you can head toward Nomads Magnetic Island. The waterfront hostel has a pub where you can grab lunch overlooking the water. It’s also situated right at the start of the Nelly Bay Snorkel Trail. (It was a bit cool when we arrived, so we didn’t check it out.)

Staying in Nelly Bay or Arcadia means you’ll be facing south and within easy reach of the west-facing lookout point at the end of Geoffrey Bay. Here, if the weather is favourable, you’ll be treated to a stunning sunset over the Coral Sea and hills of the mainland. Plus, there’s something special that you’ll be able to experience here. A friendly colony of rock wallabies can be found clambering the bounders along the water here and certainly aren’t shy.

Day 2: Spend the day in the water with a dive (or snorkel) or two and an incredible kayaking tour

Scuba diving in Geoffrey Bay

Although within easy reach of the Great Barrier Reef, there’s also plenty of stunning coral to see just off the shore of Magnetic Island. And, because of its proximity to land, you don’t even need to hop on a boat to see it.

One of the coolest in-water experiences we had was diving the Moltke wreck. Originally sunk to create a breakwall for ferries, this shipwrek now sits in many pieces below the surface of Geoffrey Bay. Now its become a great place to experience a wreck dive that’s turned into a colourful reef with plenty of sea life.

To get there, you can walk right to the dive site from Pleasure Divers, which we used as our guides for the morning.

This was our first wreck dive and it was a great one to start with. The water was shallow (less than 10m) and there weren’t any swim-throughs, making it nice and easy. There was also plenty of coral and fish around, so there was a nice array of things to see.

Alma, Florence and Radical Bays

Just across the peninsula from Geoffrey Bay is the protected cove of Alma Bay. One of just two beaches on the island with a lifeguard (the other being Horseshoe Bay), it’s a lovely place to go for a dip. If you’d like to snorkel, while not as vibrant as other parts of the island, there’s also some sea life to be seen along the rocks on either side of Alma Bay.

If you’re after a secluded beach with all the tropical island feels, head to either Florence Bay or Radical Bay. )We can only speak about Florence, as that’s where we went, but what we’ve read about Radical seems, well, pretty radical.) Just shy of three kilometres down Radical Bay Road from the Forts Junction Car Park, Florence’s sands were sun-drenched and totally empty upon arrival. There was also plenty of coral just a few metres offshore that was very healthy looking.

We will warn you though, the journey down the road was rough at the time of our visit. Noted at the time of our visit as a 4WD track, the conditions of the road even made the Prado-owner in our group question whether vehicles should really be allowed down there. We opted to instead take the 40-minute walk. According to the ABC, the track is no longer accessible by car.

Sunset kayak tour at Horseshoe Bay

An absolute highlight that should be on every Maggie visitor’s list is a sunset kayak in Horseshoe Bay. Setting off in the late afternoon, this $75 tour takes you on a gentle paddle across the bay. When we travelled, the water was placid and clear. So clear that you could see tropical fish dancing in and out of the coral in the water beside our boats.

Gliding across the water and taking in the lush scenery around you, the guide teaches you about the island’s indigenous history and about the nearby Palm Island. For a bit of a break from paddling, just before sunset you’ll pull up to shore on the east side of the bay. Here, you can scramble up the rocks to walk the sun dip behind the horizon from a few metres above the sea.

Day 3: Forts Walk and heading back to Townsville

Forts Walk

Starting at the same car park where you can head down to Florence and Radical Bays, you’ll find Magnetic Island’s most iconic walk. Combining the curious mix of World War II forts defence forts and one of Australia’s cutest animals, the four kilometre Forts Walk is home to plenty of cuddly looking koalas.

The chances of seeing them here are pretty good, as they tend to live a bit lower in the trees than in other parts of Australia. We’ve done this walk on both visits to Magnetic Island and have managed to see these usually illusive animals on both occasions.

Along the way you’ll be treated to beautiful views of the mountainous island and out to the sea from the island’s interior highlands. You’ll also get up close to the remains of defence forts left over from the second World War.

Returning to Townsville

Exactly the opposite journey of arrival, the ferries back to Townsville leave Magnetic Island from Nelly Bay. They run every 60-90 minutes (depending on the time of day). And, if you really want to maximise your time on the island, even depart after dark and well into the evening.

Where to stay: Your island accomodation options

Although it’s a small island, Maggie has a decent array of accommodation options that suit any budget.

Magnetic Island hotels and self-catered accommodation

There aren’t many traditional hotels on the island, but there are a few to choose from. Serviced apartments offer a great alternative though, with a pretty huge selection available on sites like Booking.com or Airbnb.

We stayed in a stunning serviced apartment right next to the ferry in Nelly Bay. There were five of us travelling together with a hire car, so we needed a larger unit that provided parking.The complex has a range of hotel-managed units and individual apartments that are rented out on other platforms, but photos of all the units look very similar. The complex also had a few pools.

Our unit also had an incredible view of the sea from the balcony — and even from the oversized bathtub in the main bedroom.

If you’re looking for some more options, there is also the Peppers Blue on Blue and Amaroo on Mandalay, both in Nelly Bay.

Magnetic Island hostels

For backpackers, or those on a tighter budget, there are a couple of hostel options available.

Nomads in Nelly Bay, where we stopped for lunch on our first day on the island, offers a beachfront location and an on-site bar and restaurant. You can choose from shared dorm rooms or cute A-frame cottages with views of the water.

On the other side of the island, there’s the Roamer Magnetic Island Koala Park (formerly Selina Magnetic Island). Here, accommodation comes as either shared dorms or glamping tents.

Magnetic Island camping

If you’re looking for the ultimate in budget accommodation, here’s some good news. There are camp sites available on the island. The bad news? There aren’t many. And there aren’t any free camp sites. There are a couple options available on Hipcamp, but choices are pretty limited.

Five must-do experiences on Magnetic Island

We packed in a lot during our weekend on Magnetic Island. But, if we had to choose just five things to do and see, here’s what they’d be:

1) Hiking the Forts Walk and seeing the adorable Magnetic Island koalas

While this is a list of five, if there was only time for one thing to do on Magnetic Island, we’d recommend this walk.

At just 4 kilometres, it’s relatively short, but packs a punch. It’s got incredible views of the mountainous island, blue waters of the Coral Sea and a bit of history too with the crumbling World War II forts found along the track.

But, the biggest draw card for many, are the koalas that call this part of the island home. Unlike in other parts of Australia, here, they tend to rest in trees relatively low to the ground giving you a chance to see them up close in the wild. And since it’s a pretty popular walk, you’ll usually be able to spot them simply by seeing others stopping to take pictures of these cuddly looking marsupials.

2) Hiring a Magnetic Island “Barbie” car

Every Millennial girl’s dream, the neon-coloured convertible Barbie cars can be hired for the day for exploring the island. While they’re more expensive than a traditional hire car, they’re definitely a lot more fun.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can’t get all that far on them, so you’ll need to watch your mileage pretty closely. It is a small island though, so you should be able to see a good amount in them.

You can hire them from:

• Isle Hire
• Tropical Topless Car Rentals (Temporarily closed)

3) Taking a sunset kayak tour at Horseshoe Bay

Getting out on the water lets you take in the stunning beaches of Magnetic Island from a whole different perspective. Plus, this tour was a great way to learn a bit more about the history of the island and the local people.

Plus, the killer sunset views weren’t too bad.

4) Diving the Moltke wreck in Geoffrey Bay

If you’re looking for an incredibly accessible shipwreck that can even be seen from snorkelling on the surface, then check out the sunken Moltke wreck. It sits about 100 metres from the shore and is a short walk from Pleasure Divers. Here, you can rent gear or hire a guide, if needed.

5) Feeding the rock wallabies

While we don’t endorse feeding wild animals, the rock wallabies at the east end of Geoffrey Bay have gotten very used to visitors. They often bring vegetables for these adorable little critters to munch on.

Every night around sunset, they come out onto the rocks for a snack. It’s also a lovely view to watch the day end, with the sun dipping below the mainland over the water.

Can you see the whole island on a Magnetic Island day tour?

You can, but we wouldn’t unless it’s the only opportunity you have to visit.

We’ve visited on both a day trip (which felt very rushed) and over an extended weekend. We’d only opt to do the latter again on a future visit.

To take in a few of the beaches, bushwalks and multiple opportunities for great sunsets, you’ll need more than just one day.

But, if that’s truly all you have time for, here’s what we’d recommend squeezing into the day:

• Take the earliest ferry from Townsville possible
• Head straight to Geoffrey Bay for a snorkel at the Moltke wreck (a dive would likely take too much time)
• Hop on a bus to the Forts Junction Car Park and do the Forts Walk
• Get back on the bus and continue to Horseshoe Bay where you can relax on the beach before taking the sunset kayak tour