Still magical

AFTER bedding down at two backpacker lodges, Alison Cotes reports that despite the noise, Queensland's Magnetic Island is still tops.

Swell view ... a private room at Base Backpackers

MY HEARING is beginning to return and I am at last managing to wean myself off the sleeping pills.

Yes, now I'm safely back on the mainland and away from the two backpacker establishments I stayed in on Magnetic Island, I'm starting to think on my experiences there with the same affection I've always felt for this magical place.

Although I know backpacking is no longer part of my preferred lifestyle, I have to admit the whole experience is much better than it used to be. In fact, if you live or have lived with teenagers, even the noise level is not much different.

I had booked myself for a night each at Base Backpackers at Nelly Bay and Bungalow Bay resort at Horseshoe Bay, packed some earplugs, and set off.

Getting there is half the fun, because the island is only 20 minutes on the ferry from Townsville. You can take your car if you prefer, although there are excellent bus services on the island and it is almost obligatory to hire a Mini Moke.

This time I had a lolly-pink Moke, and as I set off I was blown away not just by the wind, but the position of Base Backpackers. It's right on the water with a trillion-dollar view.

They had thoughtfully given me a bure (cottage) right on the rocks overlooking a headland, right away from the dormitories, and my tiny deck had a chair and a view that would make any five-star tourists catch their breath.

The bed was low but comfortable, and the ablutions block, about three minutes' walk away, extremely clean.

There's a huge wooden deck and pool, a good bar and a very convivial atmosphere.

While I was watching the sunset, I was joined by a respectable middle-aged couple and their mother, who was having the vicarious time of her life watching the twenty-somethings at play.

So although it is basically for the young and decibel-challenged, older people will find it cheap enough and comfortable enough for a couple of nights.

It helps to be a little deaf, too, as this place is famous for its Full Moon parties, and its website suggests you will easily be able to locate the place by following the music.

Obviously, I didn't sleep well, but I did do my duty and can report that if you are young or short of cash, Base is one of the best backpacker places I have stayed in – although my experience is limited.

That night I ate at one of the many splendid restaurants at Horseshoe Bay, driving to Barefoot Art Food Wine, which lived up to its reputation in all respects, with an addictive wine list, better food than I've eaten on Maggie before, and a very respectable little art gallery.

Although many locals and long-time visitors feel trauma at the rapid development of Magnetic Island, and although new suburbs are springing up all over the place, there is still enough of the sleepy, laid-back atmosphere to keep us happy.

It is good to have decent places to eat, and Horseshoe Bay is an example of how facilities can be upgraded without losing any of the features that make a place unique.

You can still walk along the beach at sunset, where the view is undisturbed by high-rise buildings, the placid boats bob gently with the tide, and families still play happily on the beaches and buy ice creams from the corner shop.

And refurbishment has been a blessing for what is now called Bungalow Bay Koala Village.

It was once a backpacker place where bus tours pulled up so guests could be bombarded by rainbow lorikeets – a far cry from its original elegance as Swenson's Guesthouse in 1938.

It has been bought by the Billabong Sanctuary at Townsville, and offers not just excellent little huts and camping facilities, but a tiny wildlife park run on the ecologically sound principles of its parent company, where breakfasting with the koalas is a private enchantment.

There are only three koalas, half-a-dozen crocs and a small enclosure of lizards and goannas, but the rangers will take them out and let you see them face to face, and you get a guided tour as well as a delicious bush breakfast – steak, sausages, fish grilled with lemon myrtle by Christina, who also whips up a deadly muesli with fresh berries.

The huts here are like tiny Swiss chalets, very basic, with just a double bed on the floor, a bar fridge and a fan. The ablution blocks are clean, and there are washing and ironing facilities.

The noise doesn't come so much from the backpackers and campers as from the pub around the corner.

For a tourist experience that gives you a deeper insight than a jolly guided bus tour, go with Aboriginal ethno-botanist Warren Whitfield, whose knowledge of the island and its plants is unsurpassed, in an airconditioned bus to learn about the features of the island's rich bushland and natural features.

Warren is descended from King Bungaree, the first Aborigine to be given a badge of achkowledgement by NSW Governor Macquarie, and is regarded as one of the top experts in bush food and medicine.

It's a unique tour, but it may be a little too detailed for young kids, although Warren does incorporate a fire-making demonstration, and takes tourists to feed the enchanting rock wallabies at the old ferry terminal. More child-friendly are the tours by his wife, Leonie Young, which take in the more popular tourist destinations and incorporate swimming, snorkeling and koala-spotting.

But whichever way you experience it, Magnetic Island is still one of the best places in Queensland to holiday, and as long as you stay away from the new marina developments, you can have a perfect low-key, low-cost holiday with nothing to worry about.

Sunday Mail (QLD)