Magnetic Island

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With all this working, it was time for a mini holiday so we booked a weekend away on Magnetic Island. Maggie, as the locals call it, is just an 8km ferry ride from Townsville and practically one of the city’s suburbs. It caters to all tastes and budgets and is geared entirely towards tourism. Each of the four tiny villages has its own character and beach/es. We stayed in Horseshoe Bay at the north of the island and we were delighted with our accommodation. Our A-frame bungalow room at the Koala Resort YHA was tiny but perfect. We loved being surrounded by lush greenery and relaxing in the hammocks next to the pool.



On our first day, we had fun riding the YHA’s electric scooters down to Horseshoe Bay beach (MUCH scarier than riding a motorbike!) where I discovered my dream home. It was a stunning Balinese-style holiday rental called ‘Villa Kembali’. It’s my inspiration for our next pad, haha! In the afternoon we went snorkeling at Nelly Bay and enjoyed a drink at the swish Peppers resort on the harbour. We did a lot of walking as the island’s bus service really isn’t that great (one bus every hour!)… Sadly our budget didn’t stretch to a scooter, but I reckon that would be the ideal way to discover the island. That night was supposed to be trivia night at the YHA but, after waiting for half an hour, we decided we were too tired to wait any longer and finished off our cocktail/beer before hitting the hay.



On our second day, we checked out the village of Arcadia (although my least favourite, it has a lovely beach at Alma Bay) before walking back to Nelly Bay. As part of Magnetic Island Race Week, Peppers was hosting a ‘Taste of Northern Queensland’ event where we treated ourselves to some Thai curry and stir-fry for lunch. Whilst there, we also perused the market stalls and watched the sail boats return to the harbour. The afternoon was spent enjoying a coffee, relaxing in our lovely hammocks and catching the bus back to ferry (which we caught with 5 minutes to spare!). All in all, it was a lovely and romantic weekend break. Shame we have to go back to work tomorrow!

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