Why you need to visit Magnetic Island

I think it’s pretty obvious that I am partial to a little sunshine, long beach days & balmy ocean waters. I often find myself deep in a myriad of online travel blogs looking for the next tropical destination to discover. What I had missed in all this research was one of the best gems in my very own current backyard – Magnetic Island!

While I have spent my fair share of time in the Whitsunday islands, Magnetic Island had never been highly discussed as a must visit location. Not to worry, as on a recent work trip to Townsville, it was only a hop skip & a 40 minute ferry ride away and I was on route to what would become, one of the most idyllic pieces of land I have ever discovered in all my tropical researching. (Huge call I know!)

Beautifully lush and conveniently small, ‘Maggie Island’ only has a couple of main roads and one bus route that loops around the island. We jumped on the bus at the ferry terminal and got to work researching our first beach & bush walk to discover on route.

We opted for an easy 2 hour bush hike to some old war forts that had stunning views across the island and out to sea. The bush surrounding us was also home to a number of extremely cute Koala’s that were more than happy for the company!

The options of beaches were numerous & being the Libran I am, decisions were hard. After a quick google image of a few of the beaches, we opted to hunt down ‘Balding Bay’. A short hike through the bush we stumbled upon the most beautiful cove of golden sand & crispy blue waters I think I have ever seen – Rivalling Coral Cove on Hamilton Island & Whitehaven Beach! Upon arrival it was interesting to note that a number of folk on the beach had decided that swimwear was over-rated and in fact were completely nude. My partner in crime Sam jumped at the chance, me….not so eager. A few lazy hours later we decided to head back to the little beachside township of Horseshoe Bay for a couple of cocktails & sunset gazing…We could have been in Fiji for all I knew.

A few G & T’s later it was time to hit the ferry & back to Townsville. If only I had known how idyllic this little slice of land would be I would have booked myself in for a week and probably stayed at this epic retreat here!

And although we opted for the simple ‘bus’ option around the island, I was extremely jealous of the crew rolling around in these topless vehicles. They were sold out when we tried to get one so be sure to book in advance & get the full Hawaiian Barbie-style experience!

Completely un-expected & entirely under-rated, I can highly recommend that a tropical escape to Magnetic Island will not disappoint. For any more information on our trip & specific things to see & do, feel free to email Rosie here.

Happy island dreaming..

P.S. We visited the island in April & the temperatures were still hitting 30 degrees at mid-day so keep in mind your temperature gauge when planning your trip! x

Liked this? Read up on our island home of Bali over hereor escape to Hawaii as local babe Casey Evans shares her hotspots!