Magnetic Island

Located 8 km from Townsville and easily visible from the city, Magnetic Island covers 5184 ha and rises to 497 m at Mount Cook. It is 11 km at its widest point and there is approximately 40 km of coastline.

The eastern side of the island has four small settlements at Horseshoe Bay (the island's major residential area), Arcadia, Nelly Bay and Picnic Bay. Some 2533 ha of the central area and western side of the island are now national park.

Magnetic Island is a mountainous and thickly wooded island covering 49 sq kms and rising to 497 m at Mount Cook. This small island is only 11 km at its widest point and there is approximately 40 km of coastline. 23 bays and beaches, over 300 days of sunshine a year. 24 kms walking tracks.

Transport on the island consists of Moke hire, road runner and scooter hire, bus service and taxi service.

As it exists now it still has an unspoilt feel about it but the islanders are eager for more development. The sense of it being an untouched weekend retreat and place where fishing, bushwalking and swimming are the main activities is likely to give way to a more aggressive, upmarket 'tropical paradise' image.

Access to the island is by a regular ferry service which leaves from Townsville. There is also a barge which transports vehicles to the island and various charter vessels can be arranged in Townsville.

The Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service have established six walking trails on the island. About 24 km of track winds through the park allowing visitors to see a variety of flora and fauna, from the hoop pine to the introduced koala.

Nelly Bay to Arcadia

This track is 6 km long. It starts at the end of Mandalay Avenue (which runs northwest out of Nelly Bay) and first passes through a small area of rainforest. The track then moves through the gully of Gustav Creek and rises to offer excellent views across both Nelly and Horseshoe Bay. The track from the top of the hill continues to Arcadia. It is ideal for birdwatchers as this section of open woodland is often alive with birds. Above Arcadia there is an excellent vantage and viewing point at Sphinx Lookout.

The Hawkins Point Trail offers exceptional views of Townsville and starts at Picnic Street in Picnic Bay.

Mount Cook Trail which starts behind Nellie Bay rewards walkers with a refreshing pool which is located only 100 metres from the top.

Near Arthur Bay are 'The Forts' a series of concrete gun emplacements and observation posts which were built during World War II to protect Townsville in the event of a Japanese invasion. The walk to the site begins at the Radical Bay turnoff and is 1.4 km long. It can be extended to Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay.

Picnic Bay to West Point - This 8 km walk from Picnic Bay is outside of the National Park. It travels up the south west coast of the island and offers excellent views of Cockle Bay, Nobby Head, Bolger Bay and Young Bay. The track, which starts near the Picnic Bay Golf Course, is a bush road which runs along the coast. Walkers (the walk takes about 2.5 hours) have an opportunity to explore the island's coastline.

This is probably the best place on the whole island to see the diversity of live in a tropical wetland mudflat. There are numerous wading birds, crabs dart across the low tide beaches and mud skippers and mangrove snails abound.

Horseshoe Bay Lagoon - there is a short track which is about 700 metres long which leads from Horseshoe Bay Beach to the Lagoon Environmental Park which is often frequented by a wide variety of birds including the native companion or brolga, the jabiru or black necked stork and, occasionally, the Nankeen Night-heron. Vital Information About the Island

Activities

25kms walking tracks with native animals and fauna, self drive tour, swimming, picnicking, whale watching around mid-August and snorkelling.