How to Explore Magnetic Island in One Day?
1. Hikes
2. Snorkelling in the bays
3. The WWII Fort
4. Koalas
5. Rock wallabies
If you can stay on Magnetic Island, Australia, for several days – maybe even a week, that will allow you to explore many different sites on the island. It may also be the case that you have just one day for Magnetic Island (since you also want to include a lot of other places on your Queensland (or even Australia) trip)!
Photo: Travel In Culture
Will it then be possible to do Magnetic Island in just one day? Yes! If you plan well and stay overnight in Townsville before and after your Magnetic Island adventure, you can do quite a few things on the island in just one day! It is unnecessary to say that the earlier you can leave Townsville in the morning – the more time you will have on your Magnetic Island day trip! So, how can you make the most of Magnetic Island for a day?
You can book your ferry tickets with Sealink Queensland (affiliate link) already in advance for your day trip. You will not need to take your car over since the island is small, and there is an island bus (route 250) going back and forth all day between Picnic Bay in the south and Horseshoe Bay in the north. You may consider bringing a lunch cooler backpack for your picnic on the beach!
The ferry ride is short – just 20 minutes. If you are there at the right time of the year, you may even be able to spot a migrating humpback whale or two during the crossing.
You will arrive at the ferry terminal at Arcadia, the main residential area on the island. It has a bus stop and is the location of bicycle and car rental on the island.
What to do on Magnetic Island for a day? The things to do on Magnetic Island depend on your preferences. With only a day trip to Magnetic Island, you will probably have to choose between hiking and snorkelling – with the possibility of still trying the other activity!
What to do on Magnetic Island? Magnetic Island National Park is fantastic to explore – both on the land and ocean side. There are nine possible hikes (W1 – W9) around the island – most of them relatively short – but one is a longer hike. Pick your preferred stretches of hiking and combine them with the bus covering the rest.
On a day trip to Magnetic Island it would be realistic to make an itinerary combining the Forts Walk (W6) with part of the Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays (W7) – just do one of the bays – as well as the Horseshoe to Balding & Radical Bays (W8) – and maybe Arcadia to Horseshoe Bay (W5). You can opt to do just the parts of the walks that make up a complete round trip from the Forts bus stop along the coast to Horseshoe Bay – and maybe even back to Arcadia again (always with the possibility of jumping on the bus on the way back!).
The hiking round trip will take about half a day. Bring a picnic along! (which you either buy provisions for in Townsville or the supermarket in Arcadia on arrival). The great thing about hiking is that it will give you plenty of time and opportunities to spot native animals like echidnas, koalas and fascinating birds in the terrain. Maybe you can even view a humpback whale from the summit of the Fort Complex during the whale migrating season.
Photo: Travel In Culture
At Horseshoe Bay, you can relax on the beach (with options for swimming, renting kayaks, paddle boards and jet skis…) or eat in one of the restaurants.
If you also want to try snorkelling on Magnetic Island, you probably will have to cut a bit down on the hiking (and use the bus for some of the stretches of road – for instance, from the Forts Walk bus stop to Horseshoe Bay, or from Horseshoe Bay down to one of the other bays).
Magnetic Island day trip itinerary | Photo: Travel In Culture
If you want to snorkel in one of the coral gardens on Magnetic Island, you can either bring your snorkel gear or hire it once on the island (or even take a snorkelling tour (affiliate link) with a guide). There are many snorkel options – nearly in all the bays! If you are a beginner, you will want to do the snorkel trail in Nelly Bay as it is just 100 m (330 ft) off the beach, so you can easily see the coral formations in the water. The trail is marked with surface floats leading you to the spots with something to view. Be careful not to touch or stand on the corals since they will die from it.
Photo: Travel In Culture
Other good snorkelling locations include Alma Bay, Arthur Bay, Geoffrey Bay and Florence Bay. There is another snorkel trail in Geoffrey Bay in front of Arcadia – 400 m (1300 ft) off the coast. For the curious, there is also an old plane wreck (at a depth of 10 m / slightly more than 30 ft)!
The best snorkelling season is winter, where the air temperatures are still relatively high – 25 degrees centigrade air (75-80 degrees Fahrenheit) – and there are still pleasant sea temperatures. The plus is that it is not stinger season at this time of the year!
Photo: Travel In Culture
When snorkelling on Magnetic Island, you will, in addition to the beautiful corals, be able to view colourful fishes and maybe even clams, sea turtles and smaller sharks!
Even if you mainly come for snorkelling and want to spend most of your day on Magnetic Island in the sea, we recommend at least the Forts Walk (W6) – both for the history, the views AND the koala bears. You can then catch the bus to the Forts Walk bus stop, do the Forts Walk, and afterwards catch the bus back to one of the bays for snorkelling.
Photo: Travel In Culture
Whether you have come for hiking or snorkelling, we suggest that you, under all circumstances, reserve time to do the Forts Walk. It is a hike up to the ruins of an old WWII fort construction with a fascinating history.
The Fort was built to protect the harbour and town from a possible Japanese invasion of Australia. The Fort Complex was anchored into solid granite boulders to secure the construction. Today, there are still concrete remnants of the original water pipeline, the command post, the searchlight tower, a radar station, a signal station, and the old ammunition store.
There are great things to do in Magnetic Island: Explore the WWII Fort | Photo: Travel In Culture
The WWII Fort Complex is accessible on the Forts Walk Magnetic Island, Australia | Photo: Travel In Culture
It was operated by the Australian Coast Artillery Units from 1943 until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. Today, the Fort Complex is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The 360-degree views from the summit of the fortifications are breathtaking and fully justify the ascent!
10-day Queensland itinerary
Exploring Daintree Rainforest
Beer price Australia/your country
The hike up to the Fort naturally leads you through the lush eucalyptus forest where you will be all amazed when spotting your first koala! They hide here and there on the branches in the eucalyptus trees – and are just as cute in real life as you imagine them!
Day Trip Magnetic Island Australia, rock wallabies | Photo: Travel In Culture
A last thing you won’t want to miss before heading back to Townsville is the rock wallabies (the marsupials which are the tiniest kind of kangaroos that exist) living in the rocky terrain at the coast on the northern side of Geoffrey Bay at Arcadia. Here, they hop around in their rocky habitat – always ready for snacks.
Photo: Travel In Culture
You will take the ferry back to Townsville at the end of an eventful day on the Great Barrier Reef island! You will sleep very well after your long day on Magnetic Island!
Read next: Explore Queensland’s Outback: Chillagoe
See: How to Travel Light
Find useful travel gear: Travel Essentials
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Have you considered what you will do in the (unlikely) event of something unforeseen happening? Do you need travel insurance? Check here if you need travel insurance for your trip – and check here if you need a visa for your trip and apply for it!
‘How to explore Magnetic Island, Australia, in one day’
How to explore Magnetic Island, Australia in one day:
Robert Waghorn / Pixabay
Magnetic Island things to do – Magnetic Island day trips
