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Magnetic Island is a 52 km² (20 sq mi) island 8 km off Townsville in north Queensland, more than half of it national park, and it holds one of the largest wild koala populations in northern Australia. Three days is the right length: enough for the Forts Walk, two or three bays and a day in the water, and short enough that you will want to come back.
We went because a friend of mine has lived on Maggie for years, which meant we got the version of the island locals actually use rather than the one on the brochure. Our long weekend was not enough to cover everything below.
About Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island lies about 20 minutes by ferry from Townsville in Queensland, Australia, and it is close enough to function as a suburb of the city. The 2021 census counted 2,475 residents across five small villages: Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay, Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay and West Point.
Magnetic Island National Park covers around 27 km² of the island’s 52 km², which is more than half of it, and it is a bird sanctuary as well. Mount Cook rises to 497 m at the centre. A 2013 study estimated over 800 koalas living wild on the island, which is the northern limit of the species’ range anywhere in Australia and one of its largest island colonies.
Why is it called Magnetic Island? Captain James Cook named it in 1770, when he recorded that his ship’s compass behaved oddly as he passed. He wrote it down as “Magnetical Island”. Everybody since has gone looking for the cause with better instruments and nobody has found anything. Locals call it Maggie, Maggie Island or just The Island.
The island’s history does not start with Cook. The Wulgurukaba people, whose name is often translated as “canoe people”, have lived on what they call Yunbenun for thousands of years, moving between the island and the mainland by canoe, and middens and rock art survive in several bays. European settlement accelerated after the port of Townsville was established in 1870, and the Wulgurukaba were progressively pushed off their land, cut off from traditional food sources and hit by introduced disease. In the 1920s and 1930s most were forcibly removed to missions on the mainland. In 2012 sections of the island were returned to the Wulgurukaba Yunbenun Aboriginal Corporation under freehold and trust title.
Things to do on Magnetic Island
1. Walk the Forts Walk for koalas and Second World War ruins
The Forts Walk is Magnetic Island’s signature trail, a 4 km return route past Second World War gun emplacements with the best chance on the island of spotting a wild koala. It takes about an hour and a half at a gentle pace and starts from Horseshoe Bay Road, between Horseshoe Bay and Arcadia.
The forts were built in 1943 to defend the approach to Townsville harbour, and the command post at the top gives a 360-degree view over the bays and out to the Coral Sea. The koalas are the reason to walk slowly and look up: during the day they wedge themselves into a fork and sleep with their backs against the trunk, which makes them look exactly like a grey lump of bark until one moves.
Go early. The trail is exposed, north Queensland gets hot by nine in the morning even in winter, and koalas are more active at the cooler ends of the day. That also leaves you the rest of the day for a swim.
2. Snorkel the marked trails at Nelly Bay and Geoffrey Bay
Magnetic Island sits inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and has two marked underwater snorkel trails you can swim straight off the beach. White buoys mark the route, and information plaques are set on the seabed along it.
The Nelly Bay trail is the easier of the two: shallow, close in and fine for beginners. The Geoffrey Bay trail runs further out and rewards the extra swimming with more fish and better coral. Florence Bay and Alma Bay are also good, and you can pick up a waterproof island map at the ferry terminal that marks the spots.
Also read my Great Barrier Reef snorkelling review.
3. Spend an afternoon on a quiet bay
Magnetic Island’s best beaches are the ones you have to walk to, which is why they are empty. Florence Bay, Radical Bay and Balding Bay all take a walk in from the road, and all three are frequently deserted as a result.
Balding Bay is the prettiest and the most effort. Alma Bay is the opposite: small, sheltered, patrolled in season and easy to reach, which makes it the family beach. Horseshoe Bay is the biggest and has the cafés.
Marine stingers are a real consideration. Box jellyfish and Irukandji are present in north Queensland waters from roughly November to May. During stinger season swim inside the netted enclosures, wear a stinger suit if you are going outside them, and follow the signs and the lifeguards rather than your own judgement. Outside those months the risk drops sharply, which is part of why winter is the better time to visit.
Pack a picnic. Once you have walked to Balding Bay you will not want to walk back out for lunch.
4. Ride a horse into the sea
Horse riding on Magnetic Island takes you through the bush and down onto the beach, and the part everybody remembers is riding bareback into the water until the horses are chest-deep. Rides are matched to ability, so complete beginners can join.
A ride usually runs about two hours and reaches parts of the island the road does not. Keep an eye out for koalas and wallabies on the way through the bush. Operators change, so check who is currently running rides before you plan a day around it.
5. Walk out to the SS City of Adelaide wreck
The SS City of Adelaide is a beached steamer in Cockle Bay whose rusted upper hull stands clear of the water about 300 m from shore, surrounded by mangroves. It is the most photographed thing on the island.
At low tide you can walk out to it across the flats. Check the tide times first and start back before the water turns, or you will be swimming. If the tide is wrong there are viewpoints along the shore that look down on it, which is the angle most of the photographs are taken from anyway.
6. Watch the sunset from Horseshoe Bay or West Point
Horseshoe Bay and West Point are the two places to be on Magnetic Island at sunset, because both face west across the water. Horseshoe Bay has bars and cafés right on the sand; West Point is a rough road out to nothing much, which is exactly its appeal.
West Point needs a vehicle with some clearance and a willingness to drive an unsealed road, and most hire agreements exclude it. Check before you go. Horseshoe Bay needs nothing but a bus ticket and a drink.
7. See koalas, and know where you stand on holding one
Koalas on Magnetic Island are wild, and the Forts Walk is where most people see one. Sightings are not guaranteed and the animal is often high up and half hidden, which is the trade-off for seeing one in a tree rather than in an enclosure.
Queensland is one of the very few Australian states where holding a koala is legal, so wildlife parks in the state do offer it where New South Wales and Victoria do not. Magnetic Island’s own wildlife park has changed hands more than once in recent years and its operations have not been consistent, so check directly before you build a day around a koala encounter. On the mainland, Townsville and Brisbane both have established wildlife parks that offer it reliably.
8. Dive the wrecks and the fringing reef
Magnetic Island has several dive sites close to shore, and the reef at Nelly Bay known as Coconut Reef is accessible straight from the beach, so no boat is needed. It is a good first open-water dive.
The Platypus wreck at Florence Bay and the Moltke wreck at Geoffrey Bay are the two shallow wreck dives. The famous one, the SS Yongala, is a different proposition entirely: it lies off Cape Bowling Green some 90 km south-east of Townsville, sits in 14 to 30 m of water and is a boat-access advanced dive, not a snorkel. Anyone telling you to snorkel the Yongala has not been there. Several dive shops operate on the island and from Townsville; pick one on what it actually runs rather than on price.
9. Feed the rock wallabies at Geoffrey Bay
Allied rock wallabies gather among the granite boulders at the end of Geoffrey Bay in the late afternoon, and they are relaxed enough around people to feed from the hand. It is the most reliable wildlife encounter on the island.
Walk to the old Arcadia jetty on Geoffrey Bay and follow the path along the boulders; signs point the way. Buy proper macropod pellets from a shop on the island rather than feeding them bread, and do not chase an animal that backs away. Late afternoon is the time; the middle of the day is too hot and they stay in the rocks.
Getting to Magnetic Island: the ferry from Townsville
You get to Magnetic Island by ferry from Townsville, and the crossing takes about 20 minutes. There are no flights to the island, so fly into Townsville and take a shuttle or a taxi to the terminal.
Two operators now run passenger ferries, which is new since most guides to the island were written, and it has pushed fares apart.
| Operator | Adult one way | Adult return |
|---|---|---|
| SeaLink | A$23.00 | A$44.00, or A$41.50 booked in the app |
| Magnetic Island Ferries | A$18.50 | A$37.00 |
SeaLink runs up to 17 services a day and also sells child and concession fares at A$11.50 one way and A$22.00 return, and a family return for two adults and up to three children at A$95.00. Those prices took effect on 1 February 2026, and a temporary fuel surcharge has been added on top since 1 June 2026, shown at checkout. The Magnetic Island Ferries fares above took effect on 1 July 2026.
A separate vehicle barge carries cars and campervans, and it costs several times the passenger fare. We left our campervan on the mainland and took the passenger ferry, which is what almost everyone should do: the island is small, the bus is 50 cents and the barge is expensive.
How to get around Magnetic Island
The Sunbus, at 50 cents a trip
The Sunbus is Magnetic Island’s only bus route and it now costs 50 cents per journey, because Queensland charges a flat 50-cent fare on every Translink service in the state and has made it permanent. That is the single biggest change to visiting Magnetic Island in years.
The bus meets the ferries at Nelly Bay and runs the length of the island through Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay, Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay, which covers every village and most trailheads. For timetables, check the Translink website. At 50 cents a trip there is no longer any reason to buy a daily or weekly pass.
Hiring a car, a scooter or a moke
Hiring a vehicle on Magnetic Island buys you West Point, Radical Bay and the flexibility to chase a sunset, and there are only a handful of operators to choose between. Open-top mokes are the island’s signature rental and are what most visitors end up in.
Check two things before you book. First, whether the vehicle is permitted on the unsealed roads to West Point and Radical Bay, because most are not and the insurance follows the contract. Second, the fuel situation, since there is one filling point on the island. Rates move, so get a current quote rather than relying on any figure you read online.
Where to stay on Magnetic Island
Stay in Nelly Bay if you want to step off the ferry and be there, or Horseshoe Bay if you want the beach and the bars. Arcadia sits between the two and is the quietest of the three.
Peppers Blue on Blue is the resort on the marina at Nelly Bay, a short walk from the ferry terminal, with an outdoor pool, a spa, an on-site restaurant and balconies looking over the marina and the mountains. It is the most comfortable option on the island. View prices on Booking.com
Grand Mercure Apartments Magnetic Island sits about 50 m from the ferry terminal in Nelly Bay and is the self-catering choice, with fully equipped kitchens, several pools facing the Coral Sea and a gym. Useful if you are staying more than a couple of nights and would rather cook. View prices on Booking.com
Beyond those two, the island’s hostels and guesthouses have changed hands repeatedly in the past few years and several trade under new names, so book from a current listing rather than an old recommendation. Search what is available across Australia here, and for a self-catering house or apartment with more space, Vrbo is where I look. Booking through that link earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you, which is what keeps this site going.
Camping on Magnetic Island is limited to the commercial sites attached to the hostels at Horseshoe Bay and Picnic Bay, with a mix of powered and unpowered pitches. There is no camping inside the national park.
Tours to Magnetic Island from Townsville
If you would rather not assemble the ferry, the bus and the activities yourself, a packaged tour from Townsville does it for you. This Magnetic Island tour combines activities in Townsville and on the island with the ferry crossing between them.
Check the current itinerary and duration on the booking page, because operators adjust both between seasons.
The best time to visit Magnetic Island
The best time to visit Magnetic Island is the Australian winter, June to August, which is the opposite of what most northern-hemisphere visitors expect. Daytime temperatures sit around a comfortable 27°C (81°F), humidity drops, and rain is unlikely.
Winter also falls outside marine stinger season, which runs roughly November to May, so the water is open in a way it is not in the Australian summer. Add the school-holiday pattern and you get the island’s peak, so book accommodation ahead for July.
The rest of the year is hotter and stickier and the wet season runs from about November to April, but the island never really has a bad month. If you are coming in summer, plan around the stinger nets and walk at dawn.
Frequently asked questions
Is Magnetic Island worth visiting?
Yes. It is one of the few places in Australia where you can see wild koalas, snorkel off a beach inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and walk to an empty bay, all within 20 minutes of a mainland city.
How many days do you need on Magnetic Island?
Three days covers the Forts Walk, two or three bays, a snorkel and a sunset without rushing. A day trip from Townsville is possible and will feel short.
How much is the ferry to Magnetic Island?
An adult return is A$44.00 with SeaLink, or A$41.50 booked in its app, and A$37.00 with Magnetic Island Ferries. A temporary fuel surcharge has applied to SeaLink fares since 1 June 2026.
Do you need a car on Magnetic Island?
No. The Sunbus runs the length of the island for 50 cents a journey and reaches every village and most trailheads. Hire a vehicle only if you want West Point or Radical Bay.
Are there crocodiles on Magnetic Island?
Estuarine crocodiles are present throughout north Queensland and can turn up anywhere on the coast, including around the island. Obey posted warning signs, do not swim in creeks or mangrove areas, and stick to the patrolled beaches.
Can you see koalas on Magnetic Island?
Yes, wild ones. The Forts Walk is the best-known spot and the island holds one of the largest wild koala populations in northern Australia, but sightings are never guaranteed.
WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips
Five things we would tell a friend catching the ferry tomorrow are listed below.
- Check both ferry operators before you book. Magnetic Island now has two, and an adult return is A$44.00 with SeaLink against A$37.00 with Magnetic Island Ferries. Every guide written before the second operator started still assumes one.
- The bus costs 50 cents, full stop. Queensland’s flat Translink fare is permanent and covers the Sunbus, so a day of island-hopping between bays costs about as much as a cup of coffee. Do not buy a car hire you do not need.
- Do not take the campervan across. The vehicle barge costs several times the passenger fare, and the island is 52 km² with a 50-cent bus running the length of it. We left ours in Townsville and never regretted it.
- Walk the Forts before nine. The trail is exposed, north Queensland heat arrives early even in July, and koalas are more active in the cool. The same walk at midday is a different and worse experience.
- Do not believe anything that tells you to snorkel the Yongala. It is 90 km away off Cape Bowling Green, in 14 to 30 m of water, and it is a boat-access advanced dive. The snorkelling on Magnetic Island is the marked trails at Nelly Bay and Geoffrey Bay, straight off the sand.
About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from a long weekend on Magnetic Island during her Queensland road trip, staying with a friend who has lived on the island for years. The team covers Queensland for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels, ferries and rental cars worth booking, and updates this page when fares, operators and opening patterns change.
