Magnetic Island

Another great place to visit. Magnetic Island is a small Island off the east coast of northern Australia not far from Townsville. As it's an Island, you have to catch a ferry which for me was a smooth fast ride and the price was included in my Loka tour (thanks Loka 😊)

Now on paper there's really not much to do here, there's only 2 hostels and the rest is beaches and bays. So I bet your wondering.

Is it worth it?

The simple answer to this is Yes, yes it is!

Where to stay?

I chose to stay at base hostel, it was a party hostel but nothing too extreme and for me it was more the location. I mean look:


It's literally on the beach with a reef you can explore just offshore.

The pool is always clean and the atmosphere is nice, the nights are well organised with beer pong, quizes and other events. The food there was really good too and in my opinion fairly priced especially seeing as the kitchen was such a let down.

I'd not had anything close to an English breakfast until now. Thanks Base 👌

Once again, out of my group I was the only one staying here. The others stayed at Koalla Village. A much more quiet and relaxed hostel. Although I didn't sleep there I did pay a visit and I'm so glad I did.

One fact I knew before visiting was that this Island is one of the few places where your allowed to hold a Koala and possibly the cheapest too. What I didn't realise is that this experience takes place at Koala Village. In fact this hostel has it's own mini wildlife park!

But wait there's more!

It may be small but not only do you get to hold a Koala! 🐨

You also get to hold a whole bunch of other animals for no extra charge. You just pay the entrance fee.

Such as this turtle

---

A Bearded Dragon ![image]()

---

A Blue Tongued Lizard ![image]() ![image]()

---

A baby salt water Croc ![image]()

---

A Black Cockatoo ![image]()

---

And a Python ![image]() ![image]() ![image]()

---

You can also get pictures with another Koala if don't want to hold one.

Koala Selfie!

---

That's not all, you can also feed the wild birds that inhabit the island. Doesn't sound all that exciting does it? But when I say wild, I mean wild!

The birds were Rainbow Lorekeets, one if the most colourful birds in the world.

Here's a couple of videos I took while feeding them.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mJxf3f3aNTAcdBrc6

It was pretty painful but the scars I got were worth it 😅

Phew! All of that just for visiting a hostel!

---

---

Exploring the Island

There are a few ways to explore the Island. You can catch a bus although they only stick to the main roads so more for getting from A to B.

Scooters
If your on your own you can grab a scooter to venture the Isle although like the barbie cars you can't go down certain tracks.

Did you say Barbie Cars?

Yes you heard me correctly, Barbie cars. If your in a group of 4 these are ideal as the cost split between you works out less than a scooter.

Image Source
As you can see, these can't exactly go offroad either.

4x4's
This is how I done it, we grabbed 3 of these in our group and explored the Island in a convoy.

Image Source

These as you would expect can go offroad meaning they can tackle the rediculously uneven bumpy tracks that lead down to some of the best spots on the Island. In fact about 2 thirds of the Island are these offroad tracks so by getting the barbie car your missing out. Don't try going offroading in the cars because they simply can't handle it, there's a hefty fine of about 100 dollars if you get caught too so it's just not worth it.

With 4x4's you can explore some very quiet beaches and bays. Some of which are fantastic snorkeling areas with reefs that are in good condition and must of been protected by the cyclone.

On one secluded beach I came up with the idea of doing a human #loka sign. It was a bit of effort but we mangaed to make the hashtag which I was part of (guy on the right)
Sadly I lost the picture, however I managed to find it on Lokas instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BW8XS9wgMsK/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=7uubdt2zj1gt

---

---

The Wallaby Rocks
Right next to a decent snorkeling spot a couple of minutes drive from my hostel is a chance to see wild Wallaby's. You can feed them too, they seemed to like Bananas.


Can you spot the baby? 🙉

The Wallaby's hide behind the rocks but they do come out for a quick nibble every now and again. It's great to see them hopping about freel in the wild.

---

The plane Wreck
Right next to the Wallaby's is boat ramp leading down to the water. It's murky and not exactly a coral reef but there a tones of big fish about. I didn't swim to the plane wreck as I didn't know it's exact location and we were short of time but my freinds thought it would be a good idea to throw left over food next to me. Needless to say I got completely "battered" by the fish. 😂🥁

Have you heard of those foot spas, where you dip your feet in a pool of fish and they "massage" your feet?
Well it was more like a full body "massage" except the fish were all about a foot long! I got slapped by their tails and I swear one was a barracuda!

---

---

The forts Walk
This is a medium length walk up a path which inclines all the way up to an old fort which I believe was used during the war.

On the way up you'll likely see more Koalas and close too!

Extremelly rare to see them this close in the wild. Trust me they're shy!

The fort itself is pretty cool to explore. As it's based on high ground the different gaurd posts overlook most of the island. So you get a good view all round.

On the way up (or down) depending which track you take first of the loop, you can see the remains of the gun emplacements.

There's also a rock which overhangs above the trees below and you can take an instagram worth photo here.

---

Finally one thing I didn't mention, my hostel (base) has a group walk to a viewpoint in the evening which is well worth doing. It's not too far, you get a free drink and view is great.
(East View)

(The view west)

Of course, it wouldn't be an evening walk without a sunset...

Another fantastic ending to another amazing place. Magnetic Island

---

---

---

Thank you for taking the time to check out this post.

Little did I know the challenge that awaited me at my next destination. A place which most people skip on their journey up the east coast of Australia...

---

This post was added to @steemitworldmap. [//]:# (!steemitworldmap -19.156886 lat 146.847168 long A quick insight to why you should visit magnetic Island. d3scr)