Attracted to Magnetic Island? We were!

We were somewhere hot and dry in central Queensland, when one of us saw pictures of Magnetic Island. Koalas! Snorkeling! Crystal clear waters! Paradise! So we booked the ferry-and-camper trailer package and felt only a little bit dubious when the girl on the end of the line said, “We only call you back if there’s a problem”… Wait, no email confirmation? No deposit?

But that’s the way things roll it seems, in this relaxed, beachy part of sunny Queensland. Sure, the ferry terminal only had my first name on the booking, and the camping site had no booking for us at all, but, yeah, no worries mate, we’ll squeeze you in.

We thought Townsville was lovely. Magnetic Island is gorgeous.

We caught the morning car ferry over, and Maddy felt seasick for the entire 40 minutes – it was not a smooth ride! But the sun was shining, the sky was brilliant blue and the drive up and over (sorry, Maddy!) the hills through the bush to Horseshoe Bay was fun and exciting. We had a second breakfast at The Early Bird (great coffee and generous servings, the kids were thrilled by the pancakes and Maddy was suddenly much, much better!) and then stepped out on to the beach.

Horseshoe Bay is not really the best place on Magnetic Island for snorkeling, but it was quite disconcerting to see that the water was in fact quite murky. We were expecting crystal clear waters! Apparently this is what happens when there’s a south-easterly wind. And this is at least in part due to the dredging of Townsville harbour (information here and here), with all the silt previously being dumped just a few kilometres off Magnetic Island.

I have been that snooty Aussie on snorkeling holidays in Jamaica and Greece where I said that what I was seeing underwater was not nearly as good as on the Great Barrier Reef. More fool me, sadly!

We didn’t get any clear water the entire four days we were here, alas. I felt bitterly disappointed, more than was probably rational, as though somehow it was my fault this has happened. It’s hard to see how the trade benefit to dredging the harbour could outweigh the tourism and environmental benefit of maintaining the reef, but of course I’m seeing this through the eyes of a tourist, not those of a local anymore.

In the end, it didn’t really bother the girls, Richard was only mildly disappointed, and we certainly had a fabulous time doing plenty of things other than snorkeling.

We set up our camper trailer at the Bungalow Bay Koala park, which was serene and quiet, apart from birdsong and the occasional scratching in the undergrowth of a wallaby. The lorikeets had a public feeding session every afternoon, which the girls loved. The bar had an extended happy hour and lots of lounging space – as you would expect in a youth hostel! It was a great place to stay, although if I were going again I’d look more closely at the cost of bringing my trailer over (~$375 for the ferry plus ~$75 per night in a non powered site) versus just taking the passenger ferry (about $20 pp) and staying in a cabin!

Next day we set out full of hope for a translucent turquoise sea, filling a backpack with snorkels etc. We trekked up quite a hill to then clamber down the hot and rocky path into Balding Bay. But what a terrific spot, well worth the effort. The beach is small, perhaps 200m long, and rimmed on each side by big boulders. It’s very secluded, which is probably why it’s also a nudist beach!

Although it was that bright tropical island azure blue colour, visibility was probably only 30cm, and the wind had rustled up quite a nice even surf. We all stripped off and had a naked swim. It was magnificent! We didn’t swim naked for too long, mind: we are dermatologists after all and the UV was very high already (I guess another benefit of the murk is that we were less exposed in the water?!)! So we unpacked the rash tops , hats and sunnies and relaxed in the pockets of shade amongst the boulders, while the girls searched for crabs and dug out a sand castle. It was a great spot and we all wanted to return the next day, but also didn’t want to miss out on the other 22 beaches!

*Balding Bay, sunny, surfy and secluded…*

That afternoon we drove to Alma Bay and walked along Geoffrey Bay with the incoming tide, then up over hill to Fruits ‘n’ Scoops, where we each had an enormous gelato (even on a 12-month career break the joys of an almost-daily holiday ice cream don’t wear thin).

Ticking off a few more beaches, the next day we did a long, hot bushwalk and took in Radical Bay (a bit wider and more open than Balding, probably good when the wind is kinder) and Florence Bay. On the way we were so thrilled to find a koala Mum and baby in a tree! Our walk took us past Arthur Bay but by that time the girls were hot and tired – we had to focus (read: feed them jelly sweets) on getting them up the hill to The Fort bus stop to catch the bus into Nelly Bay for a late seafood lunch.

Florence Bay was our favourite of the day. There was a fringing reef on the left side of the beach, and because it was low tide we could actually see lots of fish just standing on the edge looking down! No point snorkeling, although we tried – it was easier to see the fish from the surface. To the right of the beach was a bit of surf, and we all had a great time trying to catch a few waves. Even the girls love it – the buoyancy vests enable them to bob upright through all manner of swell, although they are still getting used to waves crashing over their heads (and no-one likes being dumped in the sand).

Walking along the beach at Horseshoe bay at sunset is simply lovely. It was that time of day to reflect on how we were going, how we were feeling, what to do next. The kids ran off to play in the shallows while we walked and chatted. We met a couple with their dog who were sailing up the coast and we swapped stories and ideas for where to go next. It was such a relaxing, meditative end to each day. Oh, and the sunset was beautiful too!

We really loved our stay on ‘Maggie’, despite the inclement water clarity. For now, however, our search for pristine coral reefs continues… Stay tuned!