Magnetic Island Hotels

Magnetic Island is an island directly off the coast of Townsville in Far North Queensland. Over half the land area of the island is a National Park. Magnetic Island is roughly 7km by 5km, with 25km of walking tracks and several beaches and little bays. Magnetic Island has about 2000 residents spread among four small villages. It is popular with tourists to the region. The villages run up the east coast of the island, with the western part consisting of national park. The villages from south to north are Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay, Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay. Nelly Bay is currently in the middle of a large redevelopment involving high-end residential and tourism facilities right on the water. Most budget travellers stay in Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay, which mainly cater to the pub-going and jetskiing tourists. Magnetic Island, or simply ‘Maggie', is shrouded by smooth grey boulders dipping into the sea. Half the island is national park and a haven for rock wallabies, bats and brushtail possums. Bird life bursts out of the bush, and it's the largest natural koala sanctuary in Queensland (some say Australia), so spotting fuzzy grey bums in the foliage is a mandatory pursuit. A good network of trails makes for some spectacular bushwalking and the surrounding waters are also part of the precious Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Local buses, named the likes of ‘Sassy Sarina', swerve from one cosy cove to another. Folk crossing the ferry to their fibro shacks and architecturally designed holiday retreats love cracking a ‘tinnie' on the ferry at dusk – leaving their worries behind on the mainland. Developers are daring to dream too, if the island's modern Magnetic Harbour is anything to go by. Magnetic Island might just boom but we hope not too soon, too fast.