David Whitley takes a ferry to one of Australia’s most popular holiday islands, and discovers that there may be more wildlife than he bargained for.

The earnest German chap is trying to be helpful but, in reality, his efforts have the opposite effect. “Be careful on the track,” he says. “I just saw a snake.” Marvellous. Absolutely marvellous. It may, of course, be a friendly snake, but there’s more than a decent chance that it’s a death adder. Which, as the name would suggest, is very much a Naughty Snake. It makes for an interesting dilemma. You see, the wildlife I actually want to spot along the track generally hangs out above eye level. So I can either keep my eyes glued to the ground, missing any koalas but getting plenty of advance warning if I encounter a death adder. Or I can look up, merrily gawp at the koalas and realise that it’s not a twig I’ve stepped on until too late.

Magnetic Island is a curious combination of made-for-tourists and properly wild. The Base backpackers resort is where Australia has its take on Thailand’s full moon parties, the ferry over from Townsville is generally very busy indeed and it’s a popular stop on the East Coast backpacker trail. But you also get a lot of families coming over on day trips or short breaks. And it seems to be a fertile breeding ground for opinion-splitting pantomime villains/ crusaders for the truth – Wikileaks frontman Julian Assange spent a considerable part of his childhood on the island.

If you’re wanting true wilderness, Maggie is not really the place to come. It’s technically a suburb of Townsville – a sizable city and the capital of northern Queensland – but it doesn’t feel at all urban. Where Magnetic Island excels is climate – it’s almost permanently bathed in sunshine – and general wholesome pleasantness. You can happily spend hours walking around the island, not particularly caring where you’re going and how long it’s going to take you to get there.

Maggie also has a reputation for being overflowing with koalas. Believe the hype, and you’ll be tripping over them the moment you open your hotel room door. This reputation, it’s fair to say, is a little overplayed. If you want to see the cutesy critters in the wild, then you’re going to have to keep a keen eye open and look for them.

The Forts Walk is supposedly one of the best routes for seeing them. It’s a 4km round walk that essentially heads to the top of the island. The forts were built during the Second World War, when Townsville came under attack from Japanese Flying Boats. The complex was constructed in 1942, with the idea of defending Townsville harbour from naval attack.

At the start of the walk, a couple of signs give an idea of what wildlife to expect. One says to look out for rock wallabies and koalas and not to try feeding them. Another warns you to stay on the track as the death adders tend to stay under leaf litter or sand during the day. Nice.

It’s uphill, but hardly a slog, and it becomes immediately apparent that the best way to spot koalas is to keep an eye open for small clusters of humans cooing and pointing. It’s a sure sign that a sleepy eucalyptus-muncher is in the trees.

Realistically, koalas are quite boring. But the walk isn’t really about them at all. Once up at the top, the views out over the island and mainland are beautiful. There’s a tremendous sense of peace and contentment. And, frankly, I couldn’t care less how long it’s going to take me to walk back.

By David Whitley