If you’re looking for a laidback family holiday with kids where you can swim, enjoy nature and spot Aussie wildlife then Magnetic Island is the perfect family adventure.
Just a 20 minute ferry ride from Townsville in North Queensland, this island, known as Yunbenun by local First Nations people, is more than 75% national park, home to Australia’s largest disease-free koala colony and has 26 pristine beaches and bays to explore.
Families love the island for its calm bays and beaches, its abundant wildlife, kid friendly restaurants and welcoming locals – in fact many families return here every year for their annual family holiday. It’s that good.
Accor has two family friendly resorts on Magnetic Island that are ideal for family holidays, with swimming
pools, gyms and the perfect location near transports, restaurants and golden beaches.
Here are our five favourite things to do on Magnetic Island with kids:
Snorkel, swim and explore hidden bays on an ocean tour with Aquascene
A cruise with Aquascene should definitely be in your family holiday plans. We spent a fabulous morning tour with them when we first arrived on the island. Aquascene is owned and operated by a local Magnetic Island family – Adam grew up here and knows everything there is to know about its bays, beaches and wildlife. A morning or afternoon tour will take you snorkeling, learning about brahminy kites (if you’re lucky you’ll get to be the person it snatches a piece of fish from as it glides past) and local birds, fish and wildlife, as well as the island’s history and hundreds of shipwrecks. If evening cruising is more your style book in for the sunset cruise. You can find them here at Aquascene Charters.
Learn about koalas and native animals with park rangers at Bungalow Bay
Bungalow Bay runs daily koala and wildlife tours from their koala village in Horseshoe Bay. It’s fun for all the family to see local wildlife up close and learn about koalas turtles, pythons, wombats, lizards, crocodiles from onsite rangers. A family holiday is on Magnetic Island is not complete without spotting koalas! Book your tour here.
Hire kayaks, stand up paddle boards and ride the biscuit at Horseshoe Bay
You’ll find Tim and his kayaks and paddleboards on the Horseshoe Bay foreshore. You can paddle over to the tiny White Lady Bay (named after a white rock) past moored yachts and boats, or just mosey around the beach. Further along you can book a ride behind a boat on a blow up biscuit (kids LOVE this) or hire a jetski. Put your towels down under the palms and swim in the netted beach area especially during the summer months (stinger season). There are lots of cafes and restaurants along this stretch too and it really looks like a tropical family holiday paradise.
Jetty jumping at Picnic Bay
Picnic Bay is home to Magnetic Island’s beautiful heritage listed white jetty. It’s a popular photo spot, great for fishing and at high tide it’s the place to be for jetty jumping. This is a great pace for a family holiday snap as you all hold hands and jump off the jetty! Picnic Bay is also a good spot to swim, to rest under the palms and enjoy a coffee, a drink or a meal at the restaurants and pub here.
Walk the track to the heritage listed World War II Forts and spot koalas
Start out early or late in the day to reach the forts – it’s not a long walk but it can be tough when it’s hot in summer. Along the way you will see koalas in the trees – but don’t go close and please use your zoom – and it’s a thrill to see them with their babies in from around September to December. The Forts have amazing views out over the ocean and back to Horseshoe Bay, and there’s lots of signed information along the way to share the history of this remarkable construction, and the men and women that manned it.
Spend the day swimming and climbing granite boulders at beautiful Alma Bay
Alma Bay is our favourite little spot to swim and play, and I think it’s the best family beach on the island. It’s a beautiful calm bay nestled into the granite rocks and surrounded by hoop pines and palm trees. The beach is patrolled and there’s change rooms and toilets, picnic tables and BBQs.
Arcadia pub is just across the road and has a fabulous restaurant, weekly activities – from bingo on Sundays to steak nights and cane toad races, so make sure to join in.
Where to stay:
There are two Accor properties on Magnetic Island, The Mercure and Peppers Blue. Both situated at
the fabulous location of Nelly Bay – which is where the ferry and local buses arrive and depart. These
resorts make it so much easier for the
Read about more fun family activities to do on Magnetic Island here , why we moved to Magnetic Island and all about Emmie’s time at school.
This post is sponsored by Accor.
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Saturday 6th of February 2021
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