Australian Time Out #15: Do as Much or as Little as You Like

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15: Do as Much or as Little as You Like

After our Airlie Beach experience, we still felt a little lazy and were hoping to do more relaxing on Magnetic Island (or Maggies as the locals call it) located in the Queensland tropics, with regular ferries from Townsville taking tourists and residents alike to this tiny island only a few kms away.

Townsville itself is a substantial crossroads between rainforest and the outback. (The Greyhound leaves for Mount Isa and Alice Springs from here) A large town with a substantial population, but when we walked along the town mall it was completely dead - not a person to be seen for miles. No tourists either! Very strange.

This was probably a reflection of Townsville's main attraction - Magnetic Island - and like everyone else we were keen to get over there. MB Travel in the Townsville transit centre have some great Magnetic Island accommodation deals for three to seven day stays and money off the ferry crossing. Just turn up at the ferry terminal, no need to book.

We opted to stay at Magnetic Island Tropical Resort on Picnic Bay, which caters for couples and families mainly, but also have about six cabin dorms with ensuite bathrooms. The pool and the spa pool make up for the lack of beach on the bay. It is very well-run, and the owners have great offers on a wide range of local activities, but a word to the wise - if you are looking for a party hostel, this isn't for you.

Radical Bay

Magnetic Island's resorts and hostels are scattered around the island in different bay locations - Nelly, Arcadia, Alma, Horseshoe and Picnic Bay - and the favored method of transport around the island is by mini-moke. As half of the island is National Park, there are some fantastic bushwalks located all around the island, the most popular being the walk to the old forts (spot koalas in the wild!). The island is famous for its walk-in from the beach reef and a multitude of activities to suit everyone.

Dan and I decided to see the island in style and took a four hour jet-ski tour around the island - on a very stormy and rainy day. I was a little nervous as I'd never been on a jet ski before, but the husband and wife team put us at ease. It was great fun, especially as it was really choppy out, and we ramped quite a few waves - luckily we had lifejackets on! Random fact: Status Quo rode on those very same jet-skis when they were in Maggies (they have the photos on the wall to prove it!)

Mainly people we met on the island were doing PADI or SSI scuba diving courses on the island, probably the cheapest prices on the whole of the East Coast, but beware - visibility can get bad there so allow a few extra days for delays and cancelled dives.

We had two free nights in Maggie's Beach House on Horseshoe Bay, probably the most attractive bay on the island, but the hostel was badly run and had the smallest and dirtiest kitchen we've ever seen. The staff were completely overworked too, but they did manage to direct us to a local bushwalk to Balding Bay and back via Radical Bay, two attractively remote beaches tucked away amongst rocky hills and eucalyptus trees. Lovely!

In the end we had enjoyed our stay on Magnetic Island (but not Maggie's Beach House!). The weather wasn't great when we were there which prevented us from doing many activities, but on a good day you can do as much or as little as you like for quite reasonable prices. Maggies has a great feel to it because people actually live and work on the island, so it is not just a tourist resort!



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