Beaches, Pools, adventure and amazing animals; Magnetic Island offers them all. But to get to this stunning part of Queensland, everyone has to take a ferry from Townsville. I arrived in Townsville the day before I’d take my ferry and thus had some time to explore this city as well. Some four hours under Cairns, you can already feel that the humidity has dropped. After checking into my hostel I took a stroll along the Strand, a popular walk along the beach with views on Magnetic Island. There are stinger-free nets for swimming in the ocean, pools, playgrounds and a lot of ice cream places. After doing some groceries I was a little in doubt of what to do, but then eventually decided that the hostel wasn’t worth a full night and headed to Castle Hill. This 286 meter high hill, in Aboriginal language known as Cootharinga, has several popular walking tracks that bring you stunning views of the surrounding areas. I watched the sun set while having an easy dinner and then headed back to my hostel for a hot night without air conditioning.

The next day I was ready to go to Magnetic Island. Carrying all my stuff onto the ferry, the breeze was a cool relief. 8 kilometres and 25 minutes later the ferry had brought us across the sea and onto the lush island. Locally known as Maggie Isle, Magnetic Island got its name due to its apparent magnetic effect on Captain Cook’s compass when sailing past. 54% of the island is a national park and the many walking tracks give you the option to explore its beautiful nature. That is exactly what I did when I arrived, after dropping my stuff at the hostel I hiked towards the nearby Hawkings Point for a beautiful view all the way back to Townsville.

Chilling by the pool I met a German girl, Julia, and together we headed for our free cocktail and participated in the Christmas Quiz the hostel had organized as it was Christmas Eve. A very nice first day at Maggie Island!