One Day on Magnetic Island

During my time in Australia, I spent a short amount of time visiting Magnetic Island, otherwise known as “Maggie.” While I only visited the area for one full day, I was able to see a lot of wildlife and beautiful scenery.

To get to the island, I took a 40-minute ferry from the city of Townsville. Once I arrived, I boarded a city bus with several other travelers to get to Nomads Magnetic Island, a beautiful hostel with oceanfront views. I had dinner at the hostel restaurant and met a few other travelers to explore the island with the next day.

Beautiful views from Nomads

Koalas and Coastal Trails

The next morning, a small group of us met up and took the bus towards the island’s central area. We had thought about renting a car, but there was a really strict 4 PM curfew time that we didn’t want to have to worry about. Our first stop was the markets in Horseshoe Bay, where I had a coffee and some really good poffertjes (Dutch pancakes). We spent some time browsing the markets and enjoying the ocean views.

Next we hiked to Balding Bay, which is a secluded beach that can only be accessed by boat or a 40-minute hike. We spent most of our time here relaxing and enjoying the sound of the waves. From there we hiked to The Forts, which were used to defend against enemies during World War II. In addition to learning some historic facts about the island, we also enjoyed scenic views of the surrounding sea from the fortifications.

Balding Bay

The Forts, which were used during WWII

Afterwards, we followed the Forts Trail back down to Horseshoe Bay. The trail was well-marked, but it wasn’t crowded which was nice. On the way back to town, we saw a wild mom and baby koala resting in a eucalyptus tree! Then, we saw another lone one a short distance away. It was incredible to see these animals in the wild with no humans disturbing them. Magnetic Island is known for these sightings, so I was really excited that I had actually seen them.

A koala in the wild!

Scenic sea views

After a day of beaches and hiking, we took the bus to visit the popular Rock Wallabies. These wallabies are very curious and have gotten used to receiving food from humans over the years. I opted not to feed them (they are wild animals after all), but some members in my group gave them wallaby-approved carrots and apples (the tourism board has a list of foods that are safe for the wallabies to eat). At one point they got really close to us which was a cool experience.

A hungry rock wallaby

Once we had finished exploring for the day, we walked to the nearby Arcadia Village Hotel where I had a really good fish and chips. From there, we took the bus back to Nomads and joined the hostel’s trivia night. Before long, we had to say our goodbyes before we all embarked on the next phase of our journey.

While I could have spent more time exploring all that Magnetic Island has to offer, one full day was a great introduction to the island. It’s the only place I’ve seen koalas in the wild so far, and it’s very accessible to tourists without being overcrowded. I would recommend visiting, even if you’re short on time!