Snapshot
| Where | Magnetic Island National Park, about 8 km off Townsville in Cleveland Bay, North Queensland · Townsville is 1,360 km north of Brisbane, 361 km south of Cairns and 401 km north of Mackay · Townsville Airport is 5 km from the city and 8 km from the SeaLink ferry terminal |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Passenger ferry from Townsville to Nelly Bay in about 20 minutes, or the vehicle barge from Ross Street at South Townsville in about 40 minutes — both land at Nelly Bay harbour, which Queensland Parks puts 11.5 km from the mainland · On the island, sealed roads link Horseshoe Bay, Arcadia, Nelly Bay and Picnic Bay and are fine for 2WD · The roads to West Point and the tracks past the Forts car park toward Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays are unsealed and hire cars are generally restricted to the sealed network · Vehicles are prohibited on the tidal lands from West Point to Cockle Bay · Strong winds and cyclonic activity can stop the ferries |
| Best time | May to November — the dry season Queensland Parks nominates as the best time, with the most reliable sunshine and the lowest marine stinger risk · June to September is the peak season, so book beds and ferry seats early |
| Worst time | December to April — the wet season, when stingers are most frequent, humidity is oppressive and tropical downpours and storms are common · Cyclonic activity and strong wind warnings can stop the ferries and cut the island off from the mainland |
| Time needed | A day covers the Forts Walk and one or two bays · Two to three days lets you walk the north-east bays, snorkel the fringing reefs and see the wildlife without hurrying |
| Cost | No entry or vehicle access fee is published for Magnetic Island National Park and the walks are free · Ferry fares are set by the operators and are not published in the sources checked · Island accommodation, tours and vehicle, moke and bicycle hire are priced separately by their operators |
| Facilities | Toilets at Forts Junction and at the main walking-track destinations, with water, shelter, buses and commercial centres at the key bays · Fuel and supplies on the island and in Townsville · Public moorings around the park, first come first served, with time limits that may apply by day and all moorings available overnight between 3pm and 9am · Mobile coverage is not verified in these sources — check the carrier coverage maps before you rely on a phone |
| Best for | Day walkers after wild koalas and Second World War history, families who want wildlife and swimming with sealed roads and a bus, and snorkellers working the fringing reefs straight off the bays |
| Difficulty |
2 of 5 — Moderate
Short walks, a sealed road network and a ferry ride make the island easy to get around, but Queensland Parks notes the terrain is hilly, many tracks have very steep sections with steps, and Balding Bay and the north-east coastal circuit are Grade 4. |
Driving there? Car hire and what to check →
Yunbenun — Magnetic Island — is Wulgurukaba country. The Wulgurukaba, the 'canoe people', are the island's Traditional Custodians and work with Queensland Parks to care for their land and sea country. The island is granite, pushed up about 275 million years ago, and it stayed part of the mainland until the sea rose about 7,500 years ago, cutting it off between Cape Pallarenda and Kissing Point. It covers 5,184 ha, 78% of it national or conservation park, and the water around it sits inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Lieutenant James Cook named it in 1770, believing the landmass moved his compass. Most come for the Forts Walk: 4 km return through eucalypt woodland where koalas sit in the forks, up to Second World War gun emplacements that Australian Coast Artillery Units ran from 1943 to 1945 and that now sit on the Queensland Heritage Register. Below are the bays, and at Geoffrey Bay allied rock-wallabies feed among the boulders at either end of the day.
Go if…
- You want wild koalas and Second World War history in the same 4 km walk — the Forts Walk delivers both in two hours
- You want a national park trip with beds, meals and fuel nearby: the island has settlements at Nelly Bay, Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay and Picnic Bay, and there is no camping in the park
- You want to snorkel a fringing reef inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area without a boat, then sleep somewhere with a hot shower
- You are travelling with children or less confident walkers — short graded tracks, sealed roads and a bus between the bays take the logistics out of it
Skip it if…
- You want to camp in the national park — camping is not permitted anywhere in Magnetic Island National Park
- You are after remoteness: the island is effectively a Townsville suburb, with up to 18 passenger ferry return trips a day and settlements around most of the shore
- Your trip is between December and April and you want to swim without a full-body lycra stinger suit
- You planned to drive a hire car onto every beach access — hire cars are generally restricted to the sealed roads, and vehicles are banned on the tidal lands from West Point to Cockle Bay
What to expect
Reviewed
You land at Nelly Bay and within minutes you are on sealed road. The passenger ferry crosses from Townsville in about 20 minutes and the vehicle barge takes about 40 minutes from Ross Street at South Townsville, and both arrive at Nelly Bay harbour — Queensland Parks puts the crossing at 11.5 km. From there the sealed network links Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay to the north with Picnic Bay to the south, ordinary 2WD driving the whole way. The roads to West Point and the tracks past the Forts car park toward Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays are unsealed, and hire cars are generally kept off them. A bus runs between the bays, and the park's own advice for the Forts Junction car park — parking is limited, so walk or catch the bus in peak periods — works for the island as a whole. Gabul Way, the pedestrian walkway that hugs the narrow road at Geoffrey Bay in Arcadia, is how this shoreline is best met: on foot, along the sand, with granite boulders always close.
The rock underneath is the story. Granite was forced to the surface here about 275 million years ago, the overlying volcanic rock weathered away, and what was left decomposed along its fracture lines into rounded domes and boulders, many of them bigger than a house, with fault lines eroded into the gullies and valleys between them. Hoop pines stand on the headlands, open eucalypt woodland of bloodwoods, stringybarks and grey ironbarks covers the slopes, and dry rainforest vine-thicket hides in small sheltered pockets. The island only became an island about 7,500 years ago, when the sea rose and severed the land bridge that ran between Cape Pallarenda and Kissing Point.
The north-east is a chain of bays and each one is reached differently. Arthur Bay is 1 km one way from Forts Junction and the easiest of them; Florence Bay is 1.8 km one way from the same trailhead; Radical Bay is 1.5 km one way from Horseshoe Bay; and Balding Bay, with its wide sand beach, is walk-in only — 1.4 km one way from Horseshoe Bay, Grade 4, very steep with many steps from either direction. Walk in from Horseshoe Bay via the Henry Lawson Street access track, which works at all tides, because the beach-front route from Pacific Drive can be impassable at high tide. Vehicles are banned on the tidal lands from West Point to Cockle Bay to protect the intertidal marine environment. Horseshoe Bay is patrolled every day and Alma and Picnic bays on weekends and school holidays from September to May; stinger-resistant enclosures stand at Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay but are not stinger-proof, and Queensland Parks recommends a full-body lycra suit at any time of year.
Wildlife is why most walkers keep stopping. Koalas are in most of the wooded areas and are particularly common along the Forts Walk and the Nelly–Arcadia–Junction track, where they sit in the eucalypt forks at eye level and ignore you. Allied rock-wallabies work the granite near the Geoffrey Bay jetty and Nelly Bay harbour, best seen feeding early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Bush stone-curlews stalk the grass at dusk, brushtail possums and short-beaked echidnas are around in the cooler parts of the day, and flatback and green turtles nest on the island's beaches in summer while dugongs feed in the seagrass meadows offshore. Keep to the tracks — death adders, broad-headed and banded, share the ground here — and never feed or touch any of them, koalas included.
About 23 vegetation types fit into 5,184 ha, from the littoral beach scrub first recorded on the dunes at Nelly and Florence bays in 1918 to the vine-thicket gullies. Native kapok on the lower slopes flowers yellow in August and drops its cottonwool-like seed pods in December. Days run hot at any time of year — Queensland Parks gives 25 to 32 °C year round — and the dry season that starts in May is when the walking is at its most comfortable.
Where to stay
Everything on the island is a short hop from the park: most people bed down in Nelly Bay by the ferry terminal, at Arcadia near Geoffrey Bay, or at Horseshoe Bay at the foot of the northern tracks, with Picnic Bay the quietest of the four settlements. There is no camping in the national park.
When bookings open: Camping is not permitted in Magnetic Island National Park and no permits are needed for the day walks, so the park publishes no booking window — book island accommodation directly instead, well ahead for June to September and the school holidays. Official booking page. Checked 9 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bungalow Bay Koala Village | Not rated | Campers and cabin guests who want to walk straight into the northern tracks | 40 Horseshoe Bay Road, Horseshoe Bay — at the Horseshoe Bay end of the 2.3 km Route 3 walk to Forts Junction | Caravan park with powered and unpowered sites and cabins, a pool, bar and an on-site wildlife park; the unpowered camping area is tight on space | Check rates |
| Bounce Magnetic Island and Koala Park | 8.8 / 10 (1,290 reviews, Booking.com) | A social base at Horseshoe Bay with camping sites and a koala park on site | Horseshoe Bay — a 4-minute walk from the beach and the start of the northern walking tracks | Open-air hostel-style property with dorms, private rooms and 30 powered and unpowered sites around a pool | Check rates |
| Peppers Blue on Blue | 8.3 / 10 (5,064 ratings, trivago) | Arriving and leaving — the ferry berths at the marina out front | 123 Sooning Street, Nelly Bay — waterfront at the marina beside the ferry terminal | Waterfront resort apartments with Coral Sea views and a pool, the island's most convenient arrival base | Check rates |
| Island Leisure Resort | 9.2 / 10 (1,750 ratings, trivago) | Families who want self-contained units close to the water | Nelly Bay — a short walk from the beach and the ferry terminal | Self-contained bungalows with a swimming pool and tennis court, set up for longer stays | Check rates |
| Magnetic Glamping | 4.9 / 5 (350+ reviews across TripAdvisor, Airbnb and Google, aggregated on the operator's site) | A quiet, comfortable base 200 metres from the ferry | Nelly Bay — 200 metres from the Nelly Bay ferry terminal, near Geoffrey Bay Beach | Eight canvas tents in tropical gardens, each with a proper bed, air-conditioning, private bathroom and deck | Check rates |
| Nomads Magnetic Island | 8.1 / 10 (758 reviews, Booking.com) | Budget beds on the beachfront at the arrival end of the island | Nelly Bay — beachfront, about 20 minutes by ferry from Townsville | Backpacker-style rooms on the beachfront with shared common areas and daily room cleaning | Check rates |
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What to do here
7 walks & sights
The Forts Walk
The walk most visitors come for, starting at Forts Junction on the main road between Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay. It climbs through dry woodland where koalas are common to the ridge-top complex of gun emplacements and bunkers that Australian Coast Artillery Units operated from 1943 until the end of the Pacific War in 1945, now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. The circuit at the top is steep with many steps, and an interpretive display covers the island's wartime role. The track is open 24 hours, and Forts Junction parking is limited, so walk or catch the bus in peak periods.
Balding Bay track
A steep, stepped drop to a secluded bay with a wide sand beach, accessible only on foot or by boat. From Horseshoe Bay you can approach along the beach front from Pacific Drive — which may be impassable at high tide — or take the Henry Lawson Street access track, which works at all tides. From Forts Junction it is 4.2 km one way on the same Grade 4 standard. Whichever way you walk, the steps make the return climb the hard half, so carry water and go early.
North-east coastal walk
A circuit from Forts Junction over the island's north-east headlands, linking the bays rather than visiting one. On the park's route summary, Arthur Bay is 1 km one way from Forts Junction (20 minutes, Grade 2), Searchlight Tower 2 km one way (40 minutes, Grade 3), Florence Bay 1.8 km one way (35 minutes, Grade 3) and Radical Bay 1.5 km one way from Horseshoe Bay (50 minutes, Grade 4). The Horseshoe Bay end of the network is very steep with many steps, so Queensland Parks asks you to match the walk to the fitness of your slowest walker.
Horseshoe Bay Lagoon track
A short, easy track from Horseshoe Bay to the largest seasonal freshwater lagoon on the island, and the most family-friendly walk in the park. It is flat going by the island's standards, and the lagoon fills in the wet season, drawing birdlife to the paperbark edges. Ten minutes each way makes it a filler between swims rather than a walk in itself.
Hawkings Point and Picnic Bay
A short, sharp climb from Picnic Bay up the headland that separates Picnic Bay from Nelly Bay, with the island's southern bays opening below. Picnic Bay itself is the quietest of the island's settlements, with a jetty and one of the two stinger-resistant enclosures on the island. Lifeguards patrol Picnic Bay on weekends and school holidays from September to May, so it is a sensible swim after the climb. Grade 4 in 600 m tells you how steep it is.
Snorkelling the fringing reefs
Coral reefs fringe the island inside the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which makes it one of the few places in the World Heritage Area where you can snorkel straight off a bay. Geoffrey Bay is the classic shore entry and the island's most visited reef water. Public moorings are dotted around the park, first come first served, with time limits that may apply by day and all moorings available overnight between 3pm and 9am. Swim in a stinger suit at any time of year.
Nelly Bay to Arcadia on foot, and the rock-wallabies
The park's Route 4 links the ferry terminal at Nelly Bay to Arcadia and continues to Forts Junction — 3 km one way to Arcadia and 6.4 km one way to the junction (2 hours 20 minutes), Grade 4 the whole way, with koalas common along it. At the Arcadia end, Gabul Way is the pedestrian walkway beside the narrow road at Geoffrey Bay, where allied rock-wallabies feed among the granite near the jetty early and late in the day and can also be found around Nelly Bay harbour. Feeding any native animal in the park is prohibited, so watch from a distance.
Magnetic Island itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: the Forts Walk and Geoffrey Bay
- Early. Drive to the Townsville ferry terminal — the SeaLink terminal is 8 km from Townsville Airport and 5 km from the city — and take the passenger ferry across, about 20 minutes to Nelly Bay. Pre-booking the crossing is essential; there is no entry or vehicle access fee published for the park and the walks are free.
- Mid-morning. Walk the Forts Walk from Forts Junction: 4 km return, allow 2 hours, Grade 3, with the circuit at the top steep and full of steps. Koalas are common in the woodland, and the gun emplacements up there were operated from 1943 to 1945.
- Afternoon. Drop down to Arcadia and Geoffrey Bay, where allied rock-wallabies feed among the boulders near the jetty in the late afternoon, then swim at a patrolled beach — Alma Bay is patrolled on weekends and school holidays from September to May, in a full-body lycra stinger suit.
- Late afternoon. Walk or ride back to Nelly Bay, take the ferry home and drive out of Townsville the way you came.
4 km of walking and no nights. Base in Townsville — the ferry terminal is 5 km from the city and 8 km from Townsville Airport. No entry or vehicle access fee is published for the park and the walks are free; fuel and supplies are on the island at Nelly Bay and in Townsville, but carry water for the walk. Forts Junction parking is limited, so walk or catch the bus in peak periods, and swim only in a stinger suit.
Two days: the Forts Walk, Balding Bay and Horseshoe Bay
- Day 1. As for the one-day plan: ferry to Nelly Bay, the 4 km return Forts Walk from Forts Junction (2 hours, Grade 3), then the rock-wallabies at Geoffrey Bay. Overnight at Horseshoe Bay, at the foot of the northern tracks.
- Day 2, morning. Walk the Balding Bay track from Horseshoe Bay — 1.4 km one way, 40 minutes, Grade 4, very steep with many steps — to the wide sand beach, and back the same way. Use the Henry Lawson Street access, which works at all tides.
- Day 2, afternoon. Take the Horseshoe Bay Lagoon track — 500 m one way, 10 minutes, Grade 2 — to the largest seasonal freshwater lagoon on the island, then the ferry back to Townsville.
One night on the island, based at Horseshoe Bay. The plan adds the 1.4 km one way Balding Bay track (40 minutes, Grade 4) and the 500 m one way Horseshoe Bay Lagoon track (10 minutes, Grade 2) to the 4 km Forts Walk. No entry or vehicle access fee is published and the walks are free; camping is not permitted in the national park, so book island accommodation at Horseshoe Bay, where there is water and supplies. The beach-front approach to Balding Bay from Pacific Drive may be impassable at high tide, and every swim here is a stinger-suit swim.
Three days: the north-east bays and the island on foot
- Day 1. Ferry across, the 4 km return Forts Walk from Forts Junction (2 hours, Grade 3) and the rock-wallabies at Geoffrey Bay, then a night on the island.
- Day 2. The Balding Bay track from Horseshoe Bay (1.4 km one way, 40 minutes, Grade 4) in the morning, the Horseshoe Bay Lagoon track (500 m one way, 10 minutes, Grade 2) after lunch, and a second night at Horseshoe Bay or over at Arcadia.
- Day 3, morning. Work south to Picnic Bay and climb Hawkings Point — 600 m one way, 15 minutes, Grade 4 — for the view back over the island's southern bays.
- Day 3, afternoon. Snorkel off the fringing reef at Geoffrey Bay on the way back toward Nelly Bay, then the afternoon ferry to Townsville.
Two nights on the island, split between Horseshoe Bay and Arcadia or Nelly Bay. Day 3 adds the 600 m one way Hawkings Point track from Picnic Bay (15 minutes, Grade 4) and a snorkel off the fringing reef, where public moorings are first come first served with time limits by day. The walks are free and no entry fee is published; camping is not permitted in the national park, so book island accommodation ahead. Carry water, swim in a stinger suit, and give the koalas and rock-wallabies space.
Experiences worth booking
Magnetic Island Discovery Tour with Snorkeling & Paddle Boarding
Check availability →
Magnetic Island Tour Maggie Comprehensive
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Aquascene Circumnavigation Magnetic Island Tour
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Magnetic Island Round-Trip Ferry From Townsville
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Magnetic Island: West Coast Eco Adventure
Check availability →Tours run by independent operators and booked on Viator. Booking links go to Viator, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are "from" figures in AUD, checked 2026-11-09.
Suggested gear for Magnetic Island
17 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- A full-body lycra stinger suit Marine stingers can be present at any time and are more frequent in the warmer months, and Queensland Parks recommends a full-body lycra suit for swimming here whatever the date. The stinger-resistant enclosures at Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay are not stinger-proof and do not replace the suit; lifeguards patrol those two bays but not the north-east bays you walk into, which are usually empty. Hire or buy the suit in Townsville or on the island before you set out with any intention of swimming.
- A mask and snorkel fitted before you travel The fringing reefs are the reason to get in the water, and the best shore entries are the ones you walk to in the middle of the day; gear hire on the island is limited to business hours and tour boats bring their own.
- Reef shoes for rock and coral entries Shore entries at the reef bays are over granite boulders and coral rubble rather than clean sand, and Queensland Parks protects everything in the park — living and dead — so you want stable footing without standing on the reef.
- Binoculars Koalas sit high in the eucalypt forks along the Forts Walk and the Nelly–Arcadia–Junction track, and the allied rock-wallabies at Geoffrey Bay and Nelly Bay harbour are best watched at a distance in the low light of early morning and late afternoon.
- Walking poles for the stepped descents Many tracks here have very steep sections with long runs of steps, Balding Bay and the north-east coastal circuit are Grade 4, and the Forts circuit at the top is steep with many steps — the downhills are what wear out knees on a hot day.
- A printed copy of the park's walking trail maps The trail network spans national park and council land and is described across several routes, so the park's 342.6 KB walking trail maps PDF, carried on paper, keeps you oriented when phone coverage is unverified.
- A light long-sleeved layer for the ridges Exposed granite tops mean full sun on the Forts Walk and the headland circuits, while Queensland Parks records 25 to 32 °C days year round — a light layer covers the sun up top and the cooler evenings in the dry season.
How this compares
Magnetic Island vs Bowling Green Bay National Park
Bowling Green Bay National Park is the mainland coastal park immediately south-east of Townsville — the beach-and-camping alternative that needs no ferry and no timetable. You trade the island's walks, wildlife and reef for the freedom of your own vehicle and a camp. Choose Bowling Green Bay for a mainland coast stop with a camp; choose Magnetic Island for wild koalas, World War II fortifications and fringing reefs a ferry ride offshore.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed road south-east of Townsville; no ferry crossing required
- Best for
- Beach camping · self-drivers · mainland coast
Magnetic Island vs Whitsunday Islands National Park
Whitsunday Islands National Park is Queensland's better-known island-and-reef alternative, a sailing and boat-tour destination in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park further south. Magnetic Island is the smaller, cheaper and closer option: a 20-minute ferry from the city of Townsville, with sealed roads, a bus and wild koalas. Choose the Whitsundays for a boat-based reef and island-hopping trip; choose Magnetic Island for an easy island stay with walks, wildlife and fringing-reef snorkelling.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Boat, ferry or flight from Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour or Hamilton Island; allow most of a day to reach the islands from Townsville
- Best for
- Sailing · reef trips · island hopping
Magnetic Island vs Moreton Island
Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is the sand-island alternative off Brisbane, a largely car-free-by-road, 4WD-and-beach destination reached by vehicle barge. Magnetic Island is the opposite way round: granite headlands, a bus and short walks, and a passenger ferry that lands in a settlement. Choose Moreton Island for beach driving and sand-dune camping with your own 4WD; choose Magnetic Island for wildlife, history and snorkelling without needing a vehicle.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5 — Challenging
- Access
- Vehicle barge or passenger ferry from the Brisbane area; sand tracks need a 4WD
- Best for
- Beach 4WD · camping · sand-island scenery
Before you go
- Book the crossing before you travel and know which ferry you are on: the SeaLink passenger ferry runs from Townsville to Nelly Bay in about 20 minutes, while the vehicle barge takes about 40 minutes from Ross Street at South Townsville, and both land at Nelly Bay harbour, which Queensland Parks puts 11.5 km from the mainland. Tourism Australia calls pre-booking essential, and services are frequent rather than guaranteed — up to 18 passenger ferry return trips a day and up to 8 vehicle ferry trips — so a missed boat on a busy weekend costs you time. If you are bringing a car, note that hire cars are generally restricted to the sealed roads anyway, so many visitors cross as foot passengers and use the island bus, bikes or on-island hire. Strong winds and cyclonic activity can stop the ferries altogether.
- There is no camping in Magnetic Island National Park and no entry or vehicle access fee is published — book island accommodation in Nelly Bay, Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay or Picnic Bay instead, well ahead for June to September and the school holidays
- Swim in a full-body lycra stinger suit at any time of year: marine stingers can be present whenever you visit and are more frequent in warmer months, and the stinger-resistant enclosures at Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay are not stinger-proof
- Know where the lifeguards are — Horseshoe Bay is patrolled daily, Alma and Picnic bays on weekends and school holidays from September to May — and treat the walk-in bays such as Arthur, Florence, Radical and Balding as unpatrolled
- Keep hire cars on the sealed network: rental vehicles are generally restricted to the sealed roads between Horseshoe Bay and Picnic Bay, the unsealed tracks past the Forts car park and toward West Point suit 4WDs and walking, and vehicles are prohibited on the tidal lands from West Point to Cockle Bay
- Leave the wildlife alone: never touch or give water to koalas, never feed any native animal in the park, keep to the tracks to avoid death adders, and note that flatback and green turtles nest on island beaches in summer
- Respect Wulgurukaba country: do not fossick in, take from or damage cultural sites, everything in the park is protected, and no pets are allowed — carry out all rubbish
- Check the QPWS park alerts and the Bureau of Meteorology before each crossing, carry water and supplies or plan to buy them on the island and in Townsville, and remember public moorings are first come first served with time limits by day and available overnight between 3pm and 9am
When to go
seasons & the hard months
Come between May and November. That is the dry season Queensland Parks nominates as the best time to visit, and it is when the island is at its most walkable: days run 25 to 32 °C, rainfall is at its lowest, the tracks dry out and the stinger risk is at its lowest for the year. June to September is peak season, so the ferries, the Horseshoe Bay beds and the Forts Walk car park all get busy — book the crossing and your accommodation early and start walks in the morning. Spring adds the kapok flowering in August across the lower slopes.
December to April is the wet season and it changes the trip. Stingers are most frequent in the warmer months, humidity is oppressive for anyone unused to the tropics, and heavy tropical rain and storms arrive in bursts between January and March. Cyclonic activity and strong wind warnings can stop the ferries and leave the island cut off, so keep your mainland plans flexible if you travel in this window. The upside is quiet beaches, full creeks and a fraction of the visitors; the trade-off is that every swim is a stinger-suit swim and every walk starts earlier in the day.
Questions
6 answers
By ferry from Townsville. The SeaLink passenger ferry crosses to Nelly Bay in about 20 minutes and the vehicle barge runs from Ross Street at South Townsville in about 40 minutes; both land at Nelly Bay harbour, which Queensland Parks puts 11.5 km from the mainland. Pre-booking is essential. Townsville Airport is 5 km from the city and 8 km from the SeaLink terminal.
No. No entry or vehicle access fee is published for Magnetic Island National Park and no permits are needed for the day walks — you simply turn up and walk. Ferry fares, accommodation, tours and vehicle hire are all priced separately by their operators.
You can't camp in the park. Queensland Parks states there is no camping in Magnetic Island National Park, so all beds are island accommodation at Nelly Bay, Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay or Picnic Bay — resorts, apartments, hostels, caravan parks and glamping tents. Book early for June to September and the school holidays.
Yes, with care. Marine stingers can be present at any time and are more frequent in warmer months, so Queensland Parks recommends a full-body lycra suit whenever you swim. Stinger-resistant enclosures operate at Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay but are not stinger-proof. Horseshoe Bay is patrolled daily and Alma and Picnic bays on weekends and school holidays from September to May.
Koalas live in most of the island's wooded areas and are particularly common on the Forts Walk and the Nelly–Arcadia–Junction track. Allied rock-wallabies feed among the granite near the Geoffrey Bay jetty and around Nelly Bay harbour, best in the early morning and late afternoon. Never touch or feed them — feeding any native animal in the park is prohibited.
No for the main sights. Sealed roads link Horseshoe Bay, Arcadia, Nelly Bay and Picnic Bay and hire cars are generally restricted to them; the unsealed roads to West Point and the tracks past the Forts car park toward Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays suit 4WDs and walking. Vehicles are prohibited on the tidal lands from West Point to Cockle Bay, and you can see everything important on foot, by bus or by bike.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.