The ultimate Magnetic Island escape
When planning a Queensland road trip with my dog, I was so excited to discover we could take the pup on the ferry across to Magnetic Island! What could be better for our water-loving family?
Affectionately known as Maggie, the island is a great place to just kick back and relax but there is also plenty to see and do!
Just eight kilometres off the mainland, this island is smack-bang in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef and boasts palm-fringed beaches, hiking trails and friendly rock wallabies. Holiday vibes sorted!
Getting there:
There are two ferries that will take you out to Maggie. A passenger-only ferry that takes just 20 minutes, and a vehicle ferry that takes about twice the time. We went with our car on the latter from Townsville with our dog able to get some fresh air on board – he loved his first experience on a boat bigger than a tinny!
If you don’t want to take your own car or have flown in from out of town, there are plenty of rentals available on the island and I would recommend having way as it is the best way to get around – though in peak seasons there is an excellent bus service.
The short ferry ride makes it possible to just visit for the day if you are short on time. Just make sure you book the early ferry in advance to make the most of it.
Where to stay:
Maggie has a wide range of accommodation options to choose from. There is everything from dog-friendly Airbnb’s like the one we stayed in to 5-star resorts.
The first choice is actually to decide where on the island you want to be. The main towns are Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay, Nelly Bay, Picnic Bay and Florence Bay and honestly, it really isn’t that far to drive between them but sometimes it is nice to just walk around!
Nelly Bay is where the ferry lands most of the large accommodation can be found here and Horseshoe Bay has plenty of restaurants and cafes and great sunset views.
Picnic Bay
We stayed in Picnic Bay on the southern end of the island, looking back towards the mainland. Our Airbnb was walking distance to a long jetty perfect for fishing, a beach where we could swim and a couple of restaurants. We had some incredible authentic Italian at Mamma Roma and I would definitely recommend you try it!
Things to do:
Walking is a big thing on Maggie and we made the most of it! There were a few walks we didn’t experience on the island as we don’t like to leave the dog at home too much so that meant the National Parks were off the agenda.
There is a walking track that goes from Picnic Bay all the way to Geoffrey Bay along the coast. It doesn’t offer much shade so best to do early morning or late afternoon but you get some incredible views and you can always jump in the water at points along the way if you get hot!
A sample of the epic island views
On the northern end of Geoffrey Bay, there are some large boulders and if you look a bit closer, you will see a whole family of small rock wallabies living there! We didn’t get too close as who knows if they have ever seen a border collie before so we played it safe. They were adorable though and apparently a lot more active around sunset when you can head along with a bag of feed to give them a treat.
Rock Wallabies
We stopped for lunch on the walk back at a fabulous fish and chip shop in Nelly Bay – SOS which translates as “Stuffed on Seafood”. It was a tough decision but landed on a crab sandwich which was stuffed full of crab and tasty sauce.
We came back to Geoffrey Bay later in the trip with the car to try some snorkelling. Make sure you time it with high tide to get the best clarity here. There is a self-guided snorkel trail marked out here that points out remnants of shipwreck and some giant clams. You will see the white floats that outline the trail and stop you from swimming too far out.
You can take a tour that visits places only accessible by water for those super private beach experiences too!
When you are tired from all the active activities, it’s time for some refreshment and my favourite spot on the island for a beer is at the Base Backpackers. The reasons for this are simple – The Island Bar has a massive outdoor area (dog-friendly) and the best ocean views to soak up while drinking. We also came back here for burgers one night at dinner – they were epic!
A beer at Base Backpackers
Aiden was pretty happy to spend late afternoons casting a line off the jetty in Picnic Bay while we watched the sun go down. We left empty handed of course it was a very peaceful way to finish the day.
Picnic Bay Jetty
My favourite day was when we headed to Radical Bay. After scouring the maps and seeing this beach was not National Park and was 4WD access only, we packed the car for a day of adventure and sun and were not disappointed.
Radical Bay all to ourselves
If you don’t have a 4WD, definitely do not attempt to drive to Radical Bay – the track is seriously challenging, and we had a high-clearance vehicle! You can get there by boat and we did see a few intrepid hikers coming across from Horseshoe Bay later in the day but when we arrived, we had the place to ourselves.
Relaxing at Radical Bay
As we pulled up, we were greeted with paradise. Golden sand and clear turquoise tropical water surrounded by large boulder-strewn headlands, the perfect remote location. Falcor was pretty happy and ran straight into the ocean for a swim.
We spent the day swimming, exploring and relaxing. It felt like our own private paradise.
Enjoying Radical Bay
Radical Bay is a Marine National Park Green Zone so no fishing on this day but we did head out with a snorkel, but the water was a bit silty and visibility wasn’t great.
Dinner after a day in the sun was at Thai Again near Nelly Bay. This is the only Thai restaurant on the island and tucked out of the way in a beautiful old building decorated in plenty of fairy lights, first impressions were good. The food delivered and I had one of the best (and most spicy!) Laksa’s I have had in a long time.
Magnetic Island isn’t a bustling metropolis which makes it the perfect spot to sit back, take stock and relax in nature. It was a fabulous dog-friendly escape.
