Can you do Magnetic Island as a day trip from Townsville?
YesBut the trips that go there stay a night, and that is the better call.
Yes — the ferry from Townsville takes about 25 minutes and the island is small enough to cover in a day. But every east coast trip we sell stays a night there rather than visiting, and the reason is the Forts Walk: a World War II gun emplacement track where wild koalas sit in the trees above the path, and it is far better early or late than in the middle of a day visit. Magnetic Island appears on the 15 day and longer runs, from $2,699.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Magnetic Island sits 8km off Townsville, and it is one of the few places on the east coast where you can reasonably expect to see wild koalas. It is a perfectly good day trip and a better overnight one.
The practical bits
- The ferry from Townsville takes about 25 minutesand runs frequently through the day.
- There is a bus on the islandand most people hire a small open-top car or a scooter instead.
- It is smallaround 50km² — with the bays strung along the eastern side.
- More than half of it is national parkwhich is why the wildlife is what it is.
What a day gets you
- The Forts Walkabout 4km return, up to WWII gun emplacements with the island's best view. This is where the koalas are, in the eucalypts above the path. Look up.
- Horseshoe Baythe biggest beach and where the ferry crowd ends up.
- Florence and Arthur Baysquieter, with snorkelling off the rocks.
- Alma Baythe sheltered swimming one.
- That is a full dayand a rushed one if you also want to swim.
Why a night is better
Koalas are easiest to see early morning and late afternoon, which are precisely the hours a day trip spends on a ferry. Staying over also means the Forts Walk in cool air rather than at midday — it is exposed and north Queensland is hot. Every trip we sell that includes Magnetic Island stays a night, which is not an accident.
Which trips include it
| Trip | Length | Where the nights are | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer | 15 days, 15 nights | 15 nights — hostels at Noosa, Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island and Cairns, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights on the sailboat, one night on an overnight bus, and one night at an eco lodge on the Atherton Tablelands. Noosa may be swapped for Rainbow Beach depending on availability. | $2699 |
| 15 Days Cairns to Brisbane Explorer | 15 days, 14 nights | 14 nights — hostels at Cairns, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach and Noosa, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a cabin on the sailing vessel, one night at an eco lodge on the Atherton Tablelands, and one night on an overnight bus. | $2699 |
| 21 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer | 21 days, 20 nights | 20 nights — hostels at Noosa, Rainbow Beach, Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island and Cairns, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a shared cabin sailing the Whitsundays, and one night on an overnight bus. | $2949 |
| 21 Days Cairns to Brisbane Explorer | 21 days, 20 nights | 20 nights — hostels at Cairns, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach, Rainbow Beach and Noosa, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a shared cabin sailing the Whitsundays, and one night on an overnight bus. A Brisbane stay on the final night is optional and not included. | $2949 |
| 21 Days Sydney to Cairns Adventure | 21 days, 20 nights | 20 nights — hostels at Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Noosa, Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island and Cairns, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a shared cabin sailing the Whitsundays, and two nights on overnight buses. | $3249 |
| 32 Days Sydney to Cairns Ultimate | 32 days, 31 nights | 31 nights — hostels at Sydney, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Noosa, Agnes Water, Airlie Beach, Magnetic Island, Mission Beach and Cairns, two nights camping on K'gari, two nights in a cabin on the sailing vessel, and two nights on overnight buses. Start date, finish point and the number of nights can all be changed. | $4799 |
Magnetic Island does not appear on the 7, 10 or 14 day runs. It starts at 15 days, which is the single clearest example of how trip length changes which towns you see.
What else is near Townsville
Honestly, Magnetic Island is the main event — it is why most people stop in Townsville at all. The city itself has the Strand and the Reef HQ aquarium, and Castle Hill above town is a short steep walk with the best view of the island. If you are looking for the stops most people skip on the east coast, there is more on our east coast beyond the obvious page.
15 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorerfrom $269915 days, 15 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping15 days — the first run that includes itView trip
21 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorerfrom $294921 days, 20 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping21 days — Brisbane to Cairns, the ExplorerView trip
21 Days Sydney to Cairns Adventurefrom $324921 days, 20 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping21 days — from SydneyView tripWhere this comes from. Which trips stop there, where the nights are and the prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. Ferry crossing time is the published Townsville service and the Forts Walk is the Queensland Parks track.