Magnetic Island on a Weekend

By Ellen – (Updated Jan 23)

⏱ 5 min

We were going to spend 2.5 days on Magnetic Island, but it turned into just 1.5 days because Ellen had a last-minute change to her plans to dive the S.S. Yongala Shipwreck. This post tells you what you need to know about visiting Magnetic Island on a weekend, what you can do in a short trip plus some other recommended things to do on the island.

If you have more time to stay on the island, we don’t discourage that! There are plenty of activities on land and in the water to enjoy a few days here. We visited in December during our 5-week road trip from Sydney to Cairns. Summer was just getting started but it was already quite warm.

Getting to Magnetic Island

You can get to Magnetic Island by ferry from Townsville, Queensland. The ferry ride takes approximately 25 minutes. Both Sealink and Magnetic Island Ferries operate trips to Magnetic Island. We suggest checking the timetables and buying your tickets in advance to maximise your time on the island. You can check the timetables, fares, and details about each ferry operator here:

• Sealink
• Magnetic Island Ferries

We took Magnetic Island Ferries and were satisfied with the service. They also have a carpark which you can leave your vehicle in overnight (if you choose to stay on the island). They don’t take bookings in advance for parking, but they told us that the carpark rarely fills up. It’s uncovered, but it is locked up at night and secured with CCTV.

Getting Around Magnetic island

Once you arrive at Nelly Bay Terminal on Magnetic Island, you can hop on the bus that goes around the island if you didn’t bring your car with you. The bus terminal is right in front of the ferry terminal. You buy your bus ticket when you board the bus. The fare depends on where you are taking the bus to.

Another option, which we did, is to buy a daily pass for the bus which is about $7.20 AUD. It’s worth it because a one-way ride on the bus is around $3.50. Another method of transportation which many tourists like to use on Magnetic Island, are the topless “barbie” cars. You can hire them from Tropical Topless Car Rentals. They’re located nearby the ferry terminal as well.

What to do on Magnetic Island

Whether you want to spend your time on land or in the water, there are activities for both on Magnetic Island! Magnetic Island has 25 kms of walking tracks stretching across the island. These tracks will take you to bays and beaches, through the Magnetic Island National Park, and even through areas where you can spot koalas 🐨 in the wild!

The Five Bays Walk on Magnetic Island

The Five Bays Walk takes you to Arthur, Florence, Radical, Balding, and Horseshoe Bay. The track starts from the same carpark area as the Forts Walk. To do the Forts Walk, you go to the left and to do the track that takes you to the bays, you go to the right down Radical Bay Road. This road is in poor condition and is not suitable to drive on, which is why you must walk it. Parts of the track do get difficult, as there are steep inclines and the path does not have shade. The most difficult part was probably Radical Bay to Horseshoe Bay.

You can take the track to any of these beautiful bays and enjoy a quiet day on the beach or snorkeling in the water. Magnetic Island is actually great for snorkeling, with the Great Barrier Reef starting off its shores. Arthur Bay and Florence Bay are two of the best spots to snorkel on the island.

Plan to bring water and food according to which bays you plan to visit and how much time you plan to spend at them. We left the carpark around 10:15 am, stopped for short periods of time at Arthur and Florence Bay, didn’t really stop at Radical Bay for long, and arrived at Horseshoe Bay around 1:30 pm.

Arthur Bay

Arthur Bay was Roberto’s favorite for the calm water and the boulders surrounding the beach. If you’re going to snorkel here, I hear it’s recommended to snorkel along the rocky sides. We saw one boat tour come by and snorkel on the left side.

Florence Bay

I personally really liked Florence Bay. The water is calm, clear, and warm like Arthur Bay, but it is a bit smaller. Many locals say that this is the best snorkeling spot. Because the water is quite shallow in Florence Bay, it’s best to snorkel at high tide. If you go during low tide, it may get difficult getting around some of the coral without touching it. Touching coral can cause irreparable damage to it and it can take years to recover!

Other noted snorkel spots include Nelly and Geoffrey Bay where they have marked snorkel trails you can follow.

The Forts Walk

If you want to see a koala in the wild, then you can’t miss the Forts Walk! This walk is about 4km and will lead you to beautiful lookouts to the ocean and to historic WWII defenses.

We were lucky enough to see 3 koalas when we did this walk and they were as adorable as ever. Koalas sleep for an average of 20 hours a day. We did the walk around 6:00 pm and were lucky enough to see them awake. One koala was even eating! I can’t say it’s a fact you’ll see them awake at this time, but it was a hot day and I would think they would be a bit more active when it cools down in the evening.

Check when sunset is before you go, so you don’t get stuck on the trail in the dark. If you’re lucky to see a koala or two, please remember they are wild animals. Do not touch them, or try to disturb their habitat by climbing on branches or trees to try to get close to them for a selfie. It will stress the koala.

Grab a bite to eat at Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay stretches for about 3km and is the largest bay on Magnetic Island. To be honest, it wasn’t that impressive as far as “beauty” goes and the only swimming that could be/should be done there is in a small area enclosed in a stinger net. It is however, the hub for watersports. You can rent jetskis, kayaks, depart on boat trips, etc.

Also, there are several restaurants and cafes along the street in front of the beach. We loved Café Nourish. It had delicious smoothies and healthy eats. We actually went there twice during our 1.5 day trip – once for lunch and once just for smoothies after the Five Bays Walk.  

Sunset with wallabies at Geoffrey Bay

Finish your day with hanging out with rock wallabies at Arcadia – Geoffrey Bay. Locals say the best time to see them is late afternoon / early evening. It’s probably best to refrain from feeding them as signs say, but unfortunately, many people do feed them.

We believe this is more than enough to fill a day or two on Magnetic Island, depending on your pace. If you’ve been to Magnetic Island we’d love to hear your top recommendations in the comments below! If you haven’t visited yet, we hope you found a reason to go someday in this blog post 😊

For Further Reading…

You may be interested in the blog posts below if you are interested in visiting other islands in Australia, looking for other great bushwalks/hikes, or looking for more Australian wildlife encounters.