If your idea of an Australian island holiday is a $5,000 lodge package, you have plenty of options. If it's not, you have fewer, but the ones that exist are good. Here are seven islands where a couple can spend three nights for under $1,000 between them. We've stuck to real numbers (ferry prices, hostel rates, day-trip costs), not aspirational averages.
Magnetic Island, QLD
The cheapest GBR island. The ferry is $36 return from Townsville. A hostel dorm at Bungalow Bay or Base costs $35-50 per night. The Forts Walk is free and one of the best things on the island, koalas in the wild and panoramic views. You can snorkel right off Florence Bay. A backpacker can do three days and two nights for around $250 all-in, including ferry, accommodation, food and some activities. No other tropical Australian island is this cheap.
Full Magnetic Island guide →Penguin Island, WA
Cheap because it's a half-day trip with no overnight accommodation. The ferry from Mersey Point is $22 return. The Discovery Centre entry is $15. The boardwalk loop and beach swim are free. Pack a picnic and a couple of hours' worth of curiosity, that's it. For Perth-based travellers, this is one of the easier and cheaper "I want to be on an island" days possible. The catch: closed 5 June to 14 September each year for penguin breeding season.
Full Penguin Island guide →North Stradbroke Island, QLD
The water-taxi-as-foot-passenger fare from Cleveland is $23 return. Once on the island, you can walk between Point Lookout, Cylinder Beach, and the North Gorge boardwalk for free, with the gorge boardwalk being one of the most reliable whale-watching spots on the east coast in winter. Hostel-style accommodation at Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel and similar starts around $80-100 per night. Three days from Brisbane runs about $400 per person all-in.
Full Stradbroke guide →Phillip Island, VIC
Phillip Island has no ferry, it's connected to the mainland by bridge, so half the typical island travel cost vanishes. From Melbourne it's a 90-minute drive. The Penguin Parade general entry is $31, which is the main paid attraction. Self-contained accommodation in Cowes starts around $150 per night. Day-trippers can do the whole thing for under $80 per person if they bring a packed lunch. It's also worth the trip, the penguin parade isn't a manufactured tourist attraction but a real wildlife event happening 365 nights a year.
Full Phillip Island guide →Bruny Island, TAS (as a day trip)
You can do Bruny as a foot-passenger day trip and dramatically cut the cost. The Kettering ferry is $8 return for foot passengers. Once on the island, you'd want to either book a guided day-tour from Hobart (the cheapest is around $215 including transfers and food stops) or hire a car at Kettering. A self-drive day from Hobart with packed sandwiches and a single oyster pit-stop runs around $80 per person, and you'll see The Neck, Cape Bruny Lighthouse and the Painted Cliffs.
Full Bruny Island guide →Maria Island, TAS
Maria is set up for cheap travel: ferry $58, camping permit $13 per person per night, basic bunkhouse accommodation in the historic Penitentiary from $50 per person. There are no shops, no cars, no resort pricing, bring your food, walk where you want. Two nights camping with day-walks to the Painted Cliffs and Bishop and Clerk costs around $150 per person all-in. The wildlife is the bonus: wombats, kangaroos and Tasmanian devils, all around for free.
Full Maria Island guide →Great Keppel Island, QLD
Since the big resort closed in 2008, Keppel has been quietly affordable. National park camping is $30 per family per night. Beach houses run from $160 per night. The fringing reef snorkelling is free off the beach. The 17 named beaches mean you'll never be crowded. Three nights for two people in a self-contained beach unit, including ferry and food, comes in around $700, you'd struggle to do that almost anywhere else with a tropical Queensland island feel.
Full Keppel guide →How they compare on price
| Island | Cheapest possible day trip (1 person) | 3-night budget (2 people) |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Island | $60 (ferry + lunch) | $650 |
| Penguin Island | $45 (half-day) | N/A, day trip only |
| North Stradbroke | $60 (foot, walking around) | $700 |
| Phillip Island | $80 (drive + Penguin Parade) | $520 |
| Bruny Island | $80 (foot ferry, self-drive) | $680 |
| Maria Island | $60 (ferry + walks) | $300 (camping) |
| Great Keppel | $70 (ferry + lunch) | $700 |
Where the money actually goes
The real expense isn't usually the ferry or the accommodation, it's getting yourself to the ferry port. If you live in Sydney and want to do Magnetic Island, the flight to Townsville will cost more than the rest of the trip combined. The cheapest island getaway is almost always the one nearest where you already live: Perth-based readers, Penguin and Rottnest. Brisbane-based, Stradbroke and Moreton. Melbourne-based, Phillip Island. Hobart-based, Bruny and Maria. Plan your island choice around your departure city and the maths gets much friendlier.
One more thing: many of the cheap islands above don't have shops, or have shops with a small range and high prices. Bring your food. A $20 supermarket shop on the mainland saves you $80 on the island.