Mike Yardley: Island escapes to Magnetic and Great Keppel, Queensland

If you’re sizing up a great foray on Queensland’s holiday highway, the Pacific Coast Way, it’s not just the mainland that serves up so many temptations. On my recent road-trip between Cairns and Rockhampton, I mixed and matched some overnight stops in Mission Beach, Townsville, Cape Hillsborough, and Yeppoon with some quick and easy jaunts to the Great Barrier Reef. The Pacific Coast Way straddles the full length of the Great Barrier Reef, so hopping off the highway for some island time presents a glittering necklace of options. Comprising roughly a 1000 islands and coral cays, several dozen islands have dedicated resorts and hotels. Last year, I lapped up my first visit to the dreamy Whitsundays, headlined by the resort-style panache of Hamilton Island. It’s very easy get to from Airlie Beach. But on my latest trip, I ticked off two more Barrier Reef boltholes: Magnetic Island and Great Keppel Island.   

Starting with the former, Magnetic Island is fondly referred to by most Queenslanders as simply “Maggie.” Fetchingly positioned just 8km off the Townsville coastline, Maggie looms seductively large on the horizon from The Strand and is an effortless 20-minute ferry ride away. This 52-square-kilometre island combines rugged granite boulders, secluded beaches, and abundant wildlife into one relaxed, unpretentious getaway. You certainly won’t go hungry with the island boasting an impressive foodie scene, with a plethora of restaurants, cafes, breweries, and bars to choose from.  

Views across Magnetic Island. Photo / Queensland Parks 

From easy-going fish and chips scoffed seaside to elevated, contemporary-leaning fare, Maggie caters to all. But nature resolutely holds court here – as it should. Development is very carefully managed, with 70% of the island under national park protection. Magnetic Island’s inescapable pull is not simply to fly-and-flop, although it’s entirely possible to do so, if that’s how you roll. I stayed at Peppers Blue on Blue Resort which comprises super-spacious apartments, excellent on-site dining and a couple of gorgeous pools, including a swim-up bar for cocktails of the day. 

The island boasts 23 sparkling bays and beaches, fringing coral reefs, a host of superb bushland hikes and she’s home to a massive colony of koalas. More about them later. The island is punctuated with some seriously hilly terrain, so to fully explore its far-flung nooks, I would strongly suggest going topless in an open-top rental Jeep, for some seriously fun island-roaming. There is also a hop-on, hop-off bus. 

Rent a Jeep on Magnetic Island. Photo / Mike Yardley 

While Maggie is encircled by alluring waters, the interior and coastal trails are equally as rewarding. On many of my hikes I was sharing the path with no one, gazing across secluded bays and glittering vistas. For starters, take the gorgeous hillside walk from Nelly Bay Harbour around to Arcadia and on to Alma Bay, dramatically alluring with its granite -boulder-strewn beach. For even gruntier thigh-burning, haul your way up Hawkings Point from Picnic Bay. It’s a 30-minute hike up to a monstrous granite boulder with body-tingling views of the mainland and bays below.  

But the signature hike is the Forts Walk, which blends history with wildlife on a cranking 4km trail. Shaded by the eucalyptus and acacia woodland, the undulating hike is quite climb, including towering WWII relics of bygone gun emplacements, an observation tower and command post. The 360 degree panorama from the tower is well worth the effort. Gaze up into the trees and chances are you’ll spot nonchalant koalas lazily assessing your progress on this high-altitude hike, in between snoozing on a eucalyptus high. These silver balls of fur are not few and far between. Maggie proudly is home to Northern Australia’s biggest koala colony. Just eight of them were introduced to Maggie in the 1930s, to help protect them from threats on the mainland. Today that population has swelled to a 1000. Additional koalas have been added over the decades from the mainland, to dilute the threat of in-breeding.  

Magnetic Island's Forts Walk. Photo / Tourism Queensland 

For a spot of snorkelling, explore the vibrant underwater world at Geoffrey Bay on a self-guided snorkel trail. It has a sequence of numbered surface floats to guide you to the best points, illustrating what you can see, spanning a colossal range of coral species, along with encounters with hordes of fish, including Angelfish, Butterflyfish, and Yellowtail Demoiselle fish. 

If you’d rather be on top of the water, Horseshoe Bay is the go-to for hiring paddleboards, kayaks, jet skis and other water-based equipment. In the winter months, the Horeshoe Bay area doubles as a seasonal butterfly hot spot, with blue tiger butterflies migrating to the island. If you’re a birder, you are in luck. Home-base to around 186 native bird species, you could spend all day twitching on Maggie. Personal favourite sightings? The bush stone curlew and the brilliant-blue forest kingfisher. 

Island bliss at Horseshow Bay, Magnetic Island. Photo / Mike Yardley 

High-octane blazing sunsets are a Magnetic Island mainstay and one of the best spots to savour the spectacle is at West Point. It’s incredibly remote and I experienced the sunset here as part of a fabulous twilight tour, complete with drinks and charcuterie-style platter. This off-the-beaten track tour with Tim from MI Ride Discovery Tours is packed with insights into island life and the wildlife. A sun-drenched escape to Magnetic Island may indeed prove to be addictive. Many visitors can’t resist going back, again and again, for some more Maggie magic.  

Another tried-and-true option where you can lean into the real-deal, budget-friendly island atmosphere is on Great Keppel Island. Like Maggie, the vibe is fuss-free, authentic and endearing. Yeppoon makes for a quick ferry ride over to Great Keppel which forms part of the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Back in the day, it was shamelessly marketed as a booze-fuelled, risqué party island, sporting the slogan, “Get Wrecked.” Nowadays, Great Keppel’s calling card is “Get Relaxed.”  Like Magnetic Island, it caters to a broad market, particularly families, who revel in Great Keppel’s determination to remain affordable and accessible to all. I stayed at the Great Keppel Island Hideaway, which is a sprawling, leafy complex comprising a wide range of accommodations to please all wallets. Warmly greeted ashore by duty manager Darron, as I alighted off the ferry, the perky, outgoing Hideaway staff will ensure you have an unforgettable time.    

Great Keppel Hideaway. Photo / Mike Yardley 

This locally-owned resort is a delightful spot for an unpretentious burst of barefoot island paradise, with cabin and motel-room style accommodation, along with their wonderfully designed but inexpensive glamping tents. History runs deep here, with indigenous people calling the island Wop-pa, while Great Keppel takes its name after Captain Cook sailed through in 1770 and named the island after his superior back home, Rear Admiral Keppel. There are so many heart-stealing private coves and pockets of fringing coral reef to dip into, along with their 17 pristine white squeaky-sand beaches that lasso the island. It’s a wondrous natural playground.   

I ventured on foot to Long Beach where an ancient shell midden takes pride of place at the western end, testament to the hundreds of years Aboriginal people inhabited the island. I ticked off a variety of Australian wildlife including several brush-tailed possums rattling around the roof of my tent, blue tongue lizards and echidnas. Best of all, the prolific number of sea turtles mooching around in the shallow waters, just off the shoreline. They are the embodiment of grace, casually cruising the reef. And it’s the sheer variety of turtles that is quite stunning:  flatback, green, loggerhead, and hawksbill turtles. Great Keppel is an important breeding rookery for all of them.  

I took a great glass-bottom boat tour to gaze down at the splendid coral gardens that are in great health in these parts, but nothing beats donning the snorkelling gear, face down and bottom up. Because of the shallow waters, you can snorkel directly from the beach and gorge yourself on uplifting spectacles of pristine, healthy coral. Shelving Point reef is great for beginners, while Monkey Beach Reef was my favourite spot.  

Coral Gardens at Great Keppel Island. Photo / Visit Capricorn Coast 

The coral cover is exceptionally high with a stunning array of 38 soft and hard coral species to admire. The giant clams certainly live up to their name. They look like they could swallow a small child – and they abound all around Great Keppel. If you make to the far side of the island, Wreck Beach feels like the ultimate deserted beach of your dreams. Lurking beneath the water, and resting on the ocean floor flanked by colourful coral coverage, an enormous ancient brain coral, believed to be 500 years old and spanning two metres in height – and counting. What a stirring visual feast.  

Back at the Great Keppel Island Hideaway, the Bar & Bistro is a laidback, vivacious spot for holiday bonhomie, sipping cocktails and feasting on hearty island fare, spanning surf and turf. Tuck into the seafood, like fan-favourite fish, redspot emperor and barramundi.  For a truly relaxing escape, Great Keppel is a winner – keeping the reef within reach of every budget. 

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s resident traveller and can be heard every week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.