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Can you do Magnetic Island without a car?

Q: Can you do Magnetic Island without a car?

Yes, easily. The ferry from Townsville runs every 20 minutes with no booking needed, and once you are across, there is a bus on the island, while most people hire a scooter or one of the small open-sided cars. The island is small, around 50 square kilometres, and walking tracks link the bays across the national park, including the Forts Walk, about 4km return, where wild koalas sit in the trees above the path. Thirteen of our east coast trips get you there with bus passes and the ferry included and a night on the island, from $2,699.

Yes, easilyFerry across, then the bus, a scooter or your own feet.

Yes, easily. The ferry from Townsville runs every 20 minutes with no booking needed, and once you are across, there is a bus on the island, while most people hire a scooter or one of the small open-sided cars. The island is small, around 50 square kilometres, and walking tracks link the bays across the national park, including the Forts Walk, about 4km return, where wild koalas sit in the trees above the path. Thirteen of our east coast trips get you there with bus passes and the ferry included and a night on the island, from $2,699.

Checked on 28 October 2026.

15 days Brisbane to Cairns, ferry included from$2699 15 days Cairns to Brisbane, the other way from$2699 21 days From Sydney from$3249

Magnetic Island sits eight kilometres off Townsville, and more than half of it is national park. It is small, the bays are strung along its eastern side, and getting around without a car is the normal way to do it.

Getting around, at a glance

How	What it is good for
The ferry from Townsville	Every 20 minutes, no booking needed. Included on every trip below
The island bus	Getting between the bays without hiring anything
A scooter	The freedom to stop at every bay on your own timetable
A small open-sided car	Your own wheels for the day, without bringing a car across
On foot	The walking tracks that link the bays, and the Forts Walk for the koalas

The island is around 50 square kilometres, so nothing is far.

What you can reach on foot

The Forts Walkabout 4km return, up past Second World War gun emplacements to the island's best view, with wild koalas in the eucalypts above the path. Go early or late, when they are easiest to see.
A network of walking tracks links the bays across the national park, so you can walk from one beach to the next.
Geoffrey Bay and Nelly Bayhave fringing reef you can snorkel straight from the sand, and the rock wallabies come down to the rocks at Geoffrey Bay at dusk.

The bays to work your way round

Bay	What it is good for
Geoffrey Bay	Snorkelling from the sand, and the rock wallabies at dusk
Nelly Bay	Snorkelling from the beach on the fringing reef
Alma Bay	Sheltered swimming
Florence Bay and Arthur Bay	Quieter, with snorkelling off the rocks
Horseshoe Bay	The biggest beach, and where most visitors end up

There are 23 bays and beaches in all.

The whole coast without a car

If you are travelling the east coast, you do not need a car for any of it. Thirteen of our east coast trips include a hostel night on Magnetic Island, with bus passes between the towns booked for you before you travel, plus the ferry across. The day tours on the way run their own transport: a 4WD on K'gari and boats in the Whitsundays and on the reef. They are the longer runs, 15 days and up.

Trip	Length	Route	From
15 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer	15 days, 15 nights	Brisbane / Cairns	$2699
15 Days Cairns to Brisbane Explorer	15 days, 14 nights	Cairns / Brisbane	$2699
21 Days Brisbane to Cairns Explorer	21 days, 20 nights	Brisbane / Cairns	$2949
21 Days Cairns to Brisbane Explorer	21 days, 20 nights	Cairns / Brisbane	$2949
21 Days Sydney to Cairns Adventure	21 days, 20 nights	Sydney / Cairns	$3249
21 Days Cairns to Sydney Adventure	21 days, 20 nights	Cairns / Sydney	$3249
23 Days Sydney to Cairns Budget	23 days, 22 nights	Sydney / Cairns	$3349