May 12, 2023
Day Twelve of Queensland’s East Coast Roadtrip
Discovering Magnetic Island
Alva – Townsville – Magnetic Island
Background
I met two Irish girls in the Gold Coast who invited me to tag along on their road trip up the East Coast of Queensland, Australia.
Despite only just meeting these girls, I spontaneously agreed and am having the time of my life.
I’ve created this article as part of a sixteen-day series, documenting my experience of exploring Queensland. For better context and understanding, I encourage you to read my previous articles.
Aisling
Ireland
Altan
ireland
Me
new zealand
Magnetic Island
The last for the day arrives at the port in 5 minutes, and Altan risks it all to buy a few bottles of wine. We were seconds away from missing it.
I was amazed when I saw our accommodation! Our hostel consisted of many huts sitting on the beachfront. As part of our package, we received a free meal and a drink each.
The island was incredibly peaceful, with hardly anyone around. There were no stores, houses, or restaurants nearby, and the reception was hard to find. It felt completely remote, exactly what we needed.
After settling into our rooms, we sat on the beach and drank some wine.
You’ll never guess who we passed while we were down there… The love of my life, from Airlie Beach (German boy). Altan and Aisling finally got to meet him, and they thought he was the sweetest person ever. He said he’d join us later for a drink.
Sunset
Never missing a sunset, we hiked up a hill behind our hostel in search of a viewpoint. Spotting a massive boulder off the trail, we climbed it, rewarded with breathtaking 360-degree views of the island and Townsville in the distance. The experience felt surreal.
A night out on Magnetic Island
Later that night, the hostel was hosting a karaoke night. We sat at a table and made some new friends, getting a little carried away if you know what I mean.
An older man (maybe in his 40s) bought everyone drinks and then started crying when he saw his bank account. At one point Aisling disappeared. The sensible girl had put herself to bed.
I noticed my German crush sat on the other side of the venue. While Altan was chatting, I sat with him. We talked for ages and ended up getting together on the beach. It was cold, so he gave me his jersey. He’s leaving tomorrow; maybe I’ll never see him again.
May 13, 2023
Day Thirteen of Queensland’s East Coast Roadtrip
Magnetic Island
Another incredible island
Renting a roofless four-wheel drive
This morning Altan and I got picked up from the hostel by a courtesy coach taking us to a popular car rental company, known their roofless four-wheel drives.
We sat around a table while an impatient man talked us through a map of the island. Yelling at anyone that showed the least amount of attention.
Altan and given our keys first; our vehicle was super cute. While everyone was standing around waiting Altan tried to start ours. It made strange noises and stalled about four times. If we hadn’t already drawn enough attention to ourselves, the owner proceeded to yell at us across the yard.
We picked up Aisling and a Brazilian girl hitchhiking to work (side-note: did you know its actually illegal to hitchhike in Australia?). She’s been living on Magnetic Island and working at a cafes here for a few months. Why go to the hastle of buying a car when there’s so many tourists passing by. Such a good idea.
I’m allowed to drive this car! I’m stoked. And it’s manual so more fun to drive.
Mishaps at the beach
We set out to visit a highly recommended beach, only to experience a long road full of potholes and finally a dead end.
Once re-routing, we discovered another beach. We parked the car in a carpark full of sand. Not thinking anything of it, we walked to the beach.
We had our bikinis on, ready to swim; it wasn’t until we got closer Aisling saw movement above the surface. I believed it was nothing. We watched for another 10 minutes, and Aisling saw it again. We did a Google search, finding that this side of the islands infested with crocodiles.
Well, Altan and I did a great job listening to the map instructions at the car rentals this morning.
Making a quick escape, we turned the car on but weren’t going anywhere. The wheels were spinning. Whoops. Stuck in the sand! A guy our age pulls up with his friends in their equipped Toyota Hilux with a tow-hook adjustment on the front. He’s ready to play superhero and his mates are cheering him on. Us girls had pushed the vehicle back onto the road by the time he’d got the chain out. Cheers anyway mate.
Koalas!
We walked the Forts national park where we saw lots of koalas! The group infront of us made arrows with sticks for us, pointing out the koalas because they’re really hard to spot! You have to walk the whole way with your head in the air.
We had the most beautiful day, feeling so free. There was no way we could’ve seen as much as we did by foot.
Rock Wallabies
We visited the rock wallabies at sunset, a species of kangaroo only found on Magnetic Island. We were told they like carrots, so we bought a bag especially. You won’t believe I bumped into my friend Sophie (who I met in Noosa) here as well!
May 14, 2023
Day Fourteen of Queensland’s East Coast Roadtrip
Leaving Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island – Townsville – Mission Beach
Goodbye Magnetic Island
Before returning our four-wheel drive, we made the most of it by transporting our bags to the marina.
