Magnetic Island Afternoon Tour
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
A mature and highly-regarded local guide will provide friendly, entertaining commentary on hundreds of topics covering birds and wildlife, trees, geology, history and folklore on your tour of the scenic roads and byways of the beautiful Magnetic Island. Departing Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal you'll visit all the major sights, including one or two secret spots some locals don't even know about.
Inclusions
What's included
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- Air-conditioned vehicle
What's not
- Food and drinks
- Pickup from Townsville
- Return Ferry Tickets to and from Magnetic Island
Itinerary
After boarding the bus at Nelly Bay terminal you will meet your friendly local guide who will escort you throughout the day. Our guides are all locals, with a depth of knowledge about life on the island. After a brief introduction you will make your way through Nelly Bay to the western side of the island. On the way you’ll get some background facts on the island and an introduction to the geography and fauna.
Admire the breathtaking views over Cleveland Bay as your guide explains the island's geography and its relation to Townsville.
Pass by one of Greg Norman's favourite holes of golf on the planet
Visit Cockle Bay to learn about the early settlers, the wreck of the SS City of Adelaide and some of our local bush tucker
Visit Cockle Bay and Picnic Bay. Disover the history of the Heritage Listed Picnic Bay Jetty. Take a walk along its length and admire the views towards the mainland.
Leaving the early settlers behind we retrace our steps back to Nelly Bay. Afterwards, the bus will make its way over Arcadia hill where you will be rewarded with stunning views across Cleveland Bay towards the Coral sea
No visit to the Maggie would be complete without a stop at Geoffrey Bay to see if you can find some of our extremely cute Allied Rock Wallabies. These wallabies are found only in Northern Queensland between Townsville and the Burdekin River. Geoffrey Bay is also an opportunity to get out of the bus and get up close and personal with our incredible rock formations.
Climbing the long steep hill towards Horseshoe Bay you will get some breathtaking views across the island. You will then head down the other side into the old farming precinct before we stop for some free time in Horseshoe Bay where a variety of food is available. During the winter when the butterflies are around we will definitely visit the Butterfly forest for a short bush walk. Its an experience not to be missed and great balm for the soul. Horseshoe Bay also offers year round swimming with a safe swimming enclosure in place during the summer months. An excellent place to cool off if you bring your swimmers. You can choose to leave the tour here and stay for dinner in one of the local cafe's or restaurants. Alternatively you can return with the bus to Nelly Bay Ferry terminal or your accommodation.
Return to the Ferry
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 545
- 43
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 48 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Perfect Island tour
My daughter and I had a lovely afternoon with Neil showing us around the beautiful Magnetic Island, would highly recommend if you haven't been to the Island before. Neil was knowledgeable and obviously passionate about showing off the island.
4Good familiarisation of Magnetic Island
We enjoyed the informal but thoughtful experience. Neil was easy to relate to & we enjoyed his local knowledge & humour.
5Good little highlights tour to get you orientated and engaged in your trip😁
Super little tour of island. Very relaxed friendly guide. Some useful snippets of info ..and not too touristy... I enjoyed
5Great experience
Great afternoon well spent. Guide was informative and personable.
5Excellent tour guide
Tim is an excellent guide. He knows everything about Magnetic Island and he knows many stories about the Island and its native wildlife and history.
5Satisfied and happy
Well worth the money to on the magnetic island tours. We learn a lot, plus we have the van for just us and my friends. We saw places and animals that we did not even seen in person, specially my 3 friends that did not see in real life. They are happy and we give maybe magnetic island tours a 5 stars
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- In the courtesy vehicle pick up point. Behind the public bus stops.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 15 travellers
- Operated by
- Magnetic Island Tours
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Magnetic Island
- Its from-price is 52% below the median of the 23 experiences we list in Magnetic Island.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 10 of 23.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island, a short ferry ride from Townsville in north Queensland, is a hilly island of granite bays, bush walks, wild koalas and rock-wallabies.
Known locally as Maggie, the island lies in Cleveland Bay a few kilometres off Townsville and takes its name from Captain James Cook, who wrote in 1770 that it seemed to affect his compass. About half of it is national park, with eucalypt woodland and granite boulders above a coast cut into bays, and the small settlements of Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay, Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay sit around the shore.
