Exploring Magnetic Island In A Tropical Topless Car — Where To Go And What To See

Magnetic Island — or Maggie, as the locals affectionately call her — got its name when explorer Captain Cook sailed past in 1770 and found that the magnetic field interfered with his compass.

Even though Magnetic Island is only 8km off the coast of Townsville on the east coast of Australia, it feels like a whole other world. This World Heritage island is covered in gorgeous natural scenery, from eucalyptus trees to stunning beaches, and is known for its quirky hire cars that tourists cruise across the island.

My time on Magnetic Island was one of the highlights of my road trip up the east coast of Australia and I’m sure you’ll love it just as much as I did. This guide will show you how to make the most of your visit to Magnetic Island.

At only 52km², this tiny island is easy to navigate and explore. Let’s go!

How to get to Magnetic Island

As Magnetic Island is 8km off the coast from Townsville, you’ll need to take a ferry. SeaLink offers 18 daily ferries to Magnetic Island, so you’ll have no problem booking yourself onto one. There’s no need to book in advance; you can just purchase a ticket at the ferry terminal on the day, although you can absolutely book online in advance if you prefer. The ferry is actually a high-speed catamaran, and the journey to Magnetic Island will take about 20 minutes.

For convenience, you can also book a return ferry here through the tour company Viator.

Where to stay on Magnetic Island

I stayed at Base Backpackers in an eight-bed dorm during my time on Magnetic Island and I really loved it. The hostel itself was absolutely beautiful, with beach-hut style accommodation, palm trees and gorgeous ocean views. There is also a bar on-site, which is perfect for sipping cocktails while watching the sunset over the ocean.

If you’d prefer an apartment or hotel-style accommodation, I’ve heard lots of good things about Peppers Blue on Blue, which offers private pools and beautiful views over the marina. Alternatively, there’s Absolute Waterfront, which, as the name would suggest, is situated right by the waterfront, providing you with epic ocean views over Nelly Bay.

Magnetic Island car rentals

Now onto the exciting part — getting your ultimate Magnetic Island hire car! Magnetic Island is well known for its fun selection of hire cars that tourists cruise all over the island. There are 4WDs, SUVs, mini mokes and tiny, brightly-coloured Daihatsu Mira’s affectionately known as Barbie Cars available.

Here’s a list of some of the best Magnetic Island car rental companies, with information on the type of cars they have available for hire, prices and more.

Tropical Topless (temporarily closed)

Available cars: Barbie Cars from $80; Mini Mokes from $95
Location: Nelly Bay
Website: tropicaltopless.com (not available until the company reopens)

Tropical Palms 4WD

Available cars: 4WDs from $90
Location: Picnic Bay
Website: tpmi.com.au

Isle Hire

Available cars: SUV/ASX from $110; Mini Convertible from $169; Barbie Cars from $126
Location: Nelly Bay
Website: islehire.com.au

Best of Magnetic Car Hire

Available cars: Hyundai Accent from $69; Fiat 500 from $89; Mazda MX5 Convertible from $99; Nissan X-Trail 4WD from $109; MG 3 from $69; MG ZS Excite from $79
Location: Nelly Bay
Website: bestofmagnetic.com

Tip: Please note that you must be 21 years old and have held your driver’s license for at least 12 months to hire a car in Australia.

I personally went with Tropical Topless, who are best known for their Barbie Cars. Tiny, topless and quirky, these hire cars are a novelty that you should absolutely buy into!

The cars can be rented for $80 per day. The company also has mini mokes for hire, which used to be the island’s iconic car before the Barbie cars. Both types of cars have a maximum capacity of 4 people, so you can easily split this cost four ways, making it just $20 each! The company will pick you up from your hostel/hotel and drive you to their office where you can pick up the car. 40km worth of fuel is also included in the price.

It’s a novelty in itself to drive the car, but it’s also a very practical way of getting about. Magnetic Island is tiny, with a very simple road structure, so it’s difficult to get lost.

Things to do on Magnetic Island

Okay, now you’ve got your hire car sorted, where should you go?

Spot wild koalas on The Forts Walk

Magnetic Island is home to the most koalas in northern Australia — it’s estimated that about 800 of these little critters live on the island! The Forts Walk is known as the best place on the island to spot one and it’s best to complete the walk in the early morning or late afternoon. Other hikers drew arrows in the ground to point out where the koalas were, so it was pretty easy to spot them.

The Forts Walk is a 4km hike that will take you around beautiful eucalyptus forest and also to some old World War II military camps from when Australia thought it was going to be invaded by Japan. There are also a number of scenic lookouts offering stunning views of Palm Island Group to the north and Bowling Green Bay National Park to the south.

Check out the bays

Magnetic Island is home to 23 pretty beach coves. Horseshoe Bay, Alma Bay/Arcadia, Nelly Bay and Picnic Bay are the main residential bays, but there are many quieter ones and you may just find one all to yourself. My favourite was Horseshoe Bay. It’s the most Western point of the island that can be accessed without a 4WD. There’s a row of relaxed restaurants, bars and cafes opposite the beach if you’re after refreshments to cool you down from the hot Australian sun.

Meet the rock wallabies at Geoffrey Bay

At Geoffrey Bay, you’ll find dozens of rock wallabies hanging out eager for food. They enjoy carrots, sweet potato, apples and melon, and you can also buy special wallaby pellets from the newsagent in Arcadia, which is close to Geoffrey Bay. The wallabies were pretty tame and happily took the carrot from our hands – we saw maybe a dozen wallabies, including a couple of babies. Just before sunset is the best time to see the wallabies, as this is when they’re most active.

And there we have it — everything you need to know about hiring a car and heading out to explore the best of Magnetic Island!

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Thank you for reading! If you found this post useful, I’d be grateful if you would consider using the affiliate links below when planning your travels. I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This will help me to keep this blog running. Thanks for your support – Lauren.

Hotels – Booking.com
Hostels – Hostelworld
Cheap flights – Skyscanner
Travel insurance – World Nomads
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