All the things you could learn about getting round Magnetic Island, from public transport to automotive leases and even some epic boat excursions.
When you’ve discovered how you can get right here and checked out all of the unbelievable issues to do, the ultimate factor you could work out is getting round Magnetic Island!
The island is very large at 52km², however 75% of it’s designated as a nationwide park with nearly zero entry, aside from a couple of mountaineering trails.
Which means you often solely have to navigate how you can get round between the principle villages of Nelly Bay, Picnic Bar, Arcardia and Horseshoe Bay.
Fortunately for you there’s a couple of alternative ways to get round Magnetic Island, and we’re going to focus on all of them on this article.
READ MORE: Right here’s our full information on how you can get to Magnetic Island, with all the newest choices and costs.
Getting Round Magnetic Island – Your Complete ‘How To’ Information
Relying in your finances and the way lengthy you’re planning on staying, you will have a couple of totally different choices for transport on Magnetic Island.
Let’s get into them now.
Public Bus on Magnetic Island
There’s a native public bus that runs from Picnic Bay to Horseshoe Bay and again all day.
For the bus you will have 2 choices and worth factors (money solely!):
- One-way ticket prices $2.80 per particular person per trip.
- Day tripper ticket is $7.60 per particular person, and you’ll hop on and off as a lot as you need all day with limitless trip.
It runs day by day on the hour from one finish of the island to the opposite, working between 6:00am – 10:00pm.
The one down aspect with it operating hourly is that in the event you miss the bus then you must wait round or stroll. So plan your journey so you will get probably the most out of your day.
It’s a good way to see the island on a finances, and it’s just about your solely different in the event you don’t wish to lease a automotive or carry your personal car over from the mainland.
READ MORE: Try our newest information to all one of the best Magnetic Island seashores!
The bus stops off in entrance of the ferry terminal, in any respect the principle bays together with Geoffrey Bay, and the Forts Stroll space.
It is rather handy for getting round Magnetic Island from one aspect to the opposite and exploring.
For the Sunbus Magnetic Island timetable data click on right here.
Automobile Rent on Magnetic Island
There are a couple of corporations on the island to lease a automotive from.
From auto and guide SUV’s to topless Jeep Wranglers, the costs vary from AUD $80 a day for the standard SUV for a 5 seater.
If you would like the basic Instagram images although you’ll wish to lease a topless Jeep (or ‘Barbie Automobile), which is about the identical worth.
Some corporations provide half day rent, full day rent or 24 hour rent. If you’re staying longer, some individuals provide reductions for 3 days or extra.
With so many choices, it may be onerous to know the place to remain on Magnetic Island. That’s why we’ve put collectively our native skilled information to one of the best lodging on Maggie!
For nearly the entire automotive leases on the island, their automobiles are solely allowed to be pushed on sealed roads between Horseshoe Bay and Picnic Bay.
Their automobiles are NOT allowed to transcend the Forts automotive park to Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay, or on the highway to West Level.
There are a variety of automotive rent corporations on Magnetic Island;
- MI Leases Automobile Rent
- Magnetic Island Topless Automobile Rent
- Isle Rent Automobile Leases/Rent
- Tropical Palms 4WD
- Magnetic 4×4 Leases
- Tropical Topless Automobile Leases
- Tropical Palms Resort & 4WD Rent (Picnic Bay)
- Arcadia Seaside Visitor Home and Automobile Rent (Arcadia)
All the automotive rental corporations are positioned in Nelly Bay (until in any other case said), and are simple to find while you get off the ferry terminal.
One of the simplest ways to get round is to lease a automotive and discover by yourself! We advocate Rental Automobiles, which has the most important vary of automobiles for one of the best worth in the marketplace.
Electrical Motorcycle Rental on Magnetic Island – The Finest (and Most Sustainable) Strategy to Get Round Maggie
There’s a brand new firm on the island that’s revolutionising how you can get round with zero-emission, road-registered electrical motorbikes.
Yep, electrical motorbikes. We child you not. That is now the best possible solution to get round on Magnetic Island in the event you haven’t introduced your personal automotive.
Magnetic Island Roaming is run by two legendary locals Tim and Pam who’ve purchased 14 UBCO e-bikes and now have them obtainable for day leases and West Level sundown excursions.
This bikes go as much as 50km/h and have a 120km vary on them, which means you possibly can actually zip all around the island all day with no need to cost or gas up.
Better of all, as a result of the velocity is capped at 50km/h, you solely want a automotive licence to drive one, not a motorcycle licence!
They’re tremendous simple to trip, don’t have any gears, very comfy and may deal with the hills and dust tracks on Maggie like absolute weapons.
We’ve taken them out a couple of occasions and they’re tonnes of enjoyable. Additionally having a car that’s utterly eco-friendly (Tim and Pam cost the batteries with solar energy too) is such a superb addition to Maggie and one thing all us locals are getting behind.
Costs are $55 for the day and also you choose them up from Island Residing, throughout the highway from Scallywags Cafe.
Alternatively you possibly can e-book a tour out to West Level for sundown with Tim, which is the one solution to get out to this a part of the island with out proudly owning your personal automotive or strolling (automotive and scooter leases on the island are prohibited from taking the dust highway to West Level).
Ensure while you e-book you let the blokes know that NOMADasaurus despatched you!
Scooter Rent on Magnetic Island
One of many issues we liked most about Magnetic Island was the entire place had the ambiance of a southern Thai island corresponding to Koh Tao or Koh Phangan.
And one of many issues that helps give it that vibe is that numerous individuals drive round on scooters.
You possibly can lease a scooter on Magnetic Island from Street Runner Scooter Rent from simply $40 a day to zip round on.
The corporate provides single and twin seat scooters, path bikes and highway bikes. Once we have been there on the island we noticed lots of people renting scooters and that is undoubtedly an ideal place to do it.
READ MORE: Right here’s how you can take advantage of with simply sooner or later on Magnetic Island!
If you end up renting, do verify with the homeowners the place you CAN and CANNOT go, as there are limitations on leases.
If you wish to head out to West Level for sundown or Radical Bay take a look at hiring a path bike when you have the right licence.
If you end up renting a scooter, bear in mind to suppose severely about your security. It’s all enjoyable and video games till somebody falls off and rips their pores and skin off or breaks a bone.
Please be accountable and put on correct clothes when using across the island. Don’t trip round in your bikini or board shorts. In the event you come off, it can harm.
Street Runner Scooter Rent is positioned in Nelly Bay and is strolling distance from the ferry terminal.
Purple Beam Scooters
These mini electrical scooters have made their solution to Magnetic Island, and they’re a fairly quick and handy, if somewhat costly, solution to get round in the event you’re simply attempting to get from level A to level B.
You’ll find these Beam scooters on the Nelly Bay ferry terminal, outdoors Base Backpackers and subsequent to Alma Bay.
The value is $1 for preliminary rent and 75c a minute after that, utilizing wi-fi fee to activate.
They’re geo-locked to solely work from Base Backpackers to Alma Bay, so you possibly can’t take them to Picnic Bay or up the Horseshoe Bay Street hill.
Simply please please PLEASE don’t dump these wherever while you’re executed with them.
It’s develop into a extremely unfavorable factor for locals as a result of drunken backpackers will actually drop them all around the paths or roads after they run out of battery or in the event that they crash them.
If individuals maintain trashing them, they’ll be banned from the island. So be good and everybody can get pleasure from them.
Bicycles on Magnetic Island
Convey your personal bike over on the ferry (at no cost) or lease one over on Magnetic Island.
The principle roads on the island are effectively maintained and sealed between the bays. There are nice strolling/biking trails by the water and on unsealed roads additionally.
Having a motorcycle on the island makes it simpler (and faster) to get from bay to bay.
READ MORE: Try our complete ‘Travelling in Australia‘ information to reply all of the questions you possibly can ever have.
Strolling on Magnetic Island
In the event you’re questioning how you can get round Magnetic Island by foot, we’ve got good and unhealthy information for you.
Sure, you possibly can discover on the island by strolling. However sadly you’ll not see an excessive amount of.
The bays are a fairly a little bit of distance aside, and it does take time to stroll between them.
On the plus aspect although you’ll get to some completely beautiful locations!
If you’re into mountaineering, going by foot is the one solution to get to the well-known viewpoints, and if you wish to head over to Horseshoe Bay from Nelly Bay you possibly can deal with the superior path straight over the island.
There are over 26km of strolling trails across the island to discover, so ensure you pack your mountaineering footwear.
If you end up exploring the bays, we discover by foot is the easiest way to get pleasure from it. You possibly can slowly take every thing in and also you would possibly spot stuff you would have by no means seen in the event you have been on a bus or in a automotive, particularly little koalas which are in every single place over the island.
Taxi Service on Magnetic Island
There’s a taxi firm referred to as Checker Cabs on the island and so they can get you and your suitcase to your lodging while you first arrive.
You’ll often discover the taxis ready round on the bays, or you possibly can ring forward and prepare a choose up from the ferry terminal.
This can be a nice solution to get residence after you will have loved a pleasant dinner or had a couple of too many drinks over sundown as effectively.
One factor to bear in mind although is that the taxis run on island time (ie they’re not precisely punctual or common) and they’re restricted in numbers. Be sure to give your self numerous time if you could depend on one.
READ MORE: Try our information on what to do in Townsville as effectively whilst you’re within the space!
Day Excursions on Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island has a few day excursions obtainable so you possibly can try a number of the foremost spots, each on land and out on the water.
You possibly can bounce on a bus tour with an area information to see a number of the highlights of the Island and discover out a little bit of the historical past, or you possibly can cruise out on the water in both a speedboat or sailboat to get to locations that aren’t accessed by land.
This boat tour right here is our favorite, and we extremely advocate it.
Driving Your Personal Automobile
In the event you’re planning on being on the island for a couple of days, and you’ve got your personal automotive and a few pals or household to separate the associated fee, the best possible solution to get round Magnetic Island is to carry your car over on the ferry.
It is rather costly, beginning at $220 return for a normal-size automotive, so it’s not value it for only one or two days. As a substitute lease a automotive on the island if that’s the way you wish to discover the place.
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