Every thing it’s good to find out about getting round Magnetic Island, from public transport to automobile leases and even some epic boat excursions.
When you’ve discovered find out how to get right here and checked out all of the unbelievable issues to do, the ultimate factor it’s good to work out is getting round Magnetic Island!
The island is huge at 52km², however 75% of it’s designated as a national park with nearly zero entry, apart from a couple of mountaineering trails.
Which means you normally solely must navigate find out how to get round between the principle villages of Nelly Bay, Picnic Bar, Arcardia and Horseshoe Bay.
Fortunately for you there’s a couple of other ways to get round Magnetic Island, and we’re going to spotlight all of them on this article.
READ MORE: Right here’s our full information on how to get to Magnetic Island, with all the most recent 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’ve gotten a couple of completely 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’ve gotten 2 choices and value 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 may hop on and off as a lot as you need all day with limitless trip.
It runs each 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 for those who miss the bus then you must wait round or stroll. So plan your journey so you may get essentially 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 for those who don’t wish to lease a automobile or convey your personal automobile over from the mainland.
READ MORE: Take a look at our newest information to all the most effective Magnetic Island beaches!
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 here.
Automotive Rent on Magnetic Island
There are a couple of corporations on the island to lease a automobile 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’d like the basic Instagram photographs although you’ll wish to lease a topless Jeep (or ‘Barbie Automotive), which is about the identical value.
Some corporations supply half day rent, full day rent or 24 hour rent. In case you are staying longer, some individuals supply reductions for 3 days or extra.
With so many choices, it may be exhausting to know the place to remain on Magnetic Island. That’s why we’ve put collectively our native skilled information to the best accommodation on Maggie!
For nearly all the automobile 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 automobile park to Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay, or on the highway to West Level.
There are a variety of automobile rent corporations on Magnetic Island;
- MI Leases Automotive Rent
- Magnetic Island Topless Automotive Rent
- Isle Rent Automotive Leases/Rent
- Tropical Palms 4WD
- Magnetic 4×4 Leases
- Tropical Topless Automotive Leases
- Tropical Palms Resort & 4WD Rent (Picnic Bay)
- Arcadia Seashore Visitor Home and Automotive Rent (Arcadia)
All the automobile rental corporations are positioned in Nelly Bay (until in any other case said), and are straightforward to find once you get off the ferry terminal.
The easiest way to get round is to lease a automobile and discover by yourself! We advocate Rental Cars, which has the biggest vary of automobiles for the most effective worth in the marketplace.
Electrical Bike Rental on Magnetic Island – The Greatest (and Most Sustainable) Approach to Get Round Maggie
There’s a brand new firm on the island that’s revolutionising find out how to get round with zero-emission, road-registered electrical motorbikes.
Yep, electrical motorbikes. We child you not. That is now the very best method to get round on Magnetic Island for those who haven’t introduced your personal automobile.
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, that means you may actually zip all around the island all day without having to cost or gas up.
Better of all, as a result of the pace is capped at 50km/h, you solely want a automobile licence to drive one, not a motorcycle licence!
They’re tremendous straightforward to trip, haven’t any gears, very comfy and may sort out the hills and grime tracks on Maggie like absolute weapons.
We’ve taken them out a couple of occasions and they’re tonnes of enjoyable. Additionally having a automobile that’s fully 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 decide them up from Island Residing, throughout the highway from Scallywags Cafe.
Alternatively you may ebook a tour out to West Level for sundown with Tim, which is the one method to get out to this a part of the island with out proudly owning your personal automobile or strolling (automobile and scooter leases on the island are prohibited from taking the grime highway to West Level).
Ensure once you ebook you let the fellows know that NOMADasaurus despatched you!
Scooter Rent on Magnetic Island
One of many issues we cherished most about Magnetic Island was the entire place had the environment 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 may lease a scooter on Magnetic Island from Street Runner Scooter Rent from simply $40 a day to zip round on.
The corporate gives single and twin seat scooters, path bikes and highway bikes. Once we had been there on the island we noticed lots of people renting scooters and that is positively an ideal place to do it.
READ MORE: Right here’s find out how to take advantage of with simply one day 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 have a look at hiring a path bike when you have the right licence.
If you end up renting a scooter, bear in mind to assume significantly 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 driving across the island. Don’t trip round in your bikini or board shorts. In case you come off, it’ll damage.
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 method to Magnetic Island, and they’re a fairly quick and handy, if a bit costly, method to get round for those who’re simply attempting to get from level A to level B.
Yow will discover these Beam scooters on the Nelly Bay ferry terminal, exterior 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 may’t take them to Picnic Bay or up the Horseshoe Bay Street hill.
Simply please please PLEASE don’t dump these anyplace once you’re achieved with them.
It’s change into a extremely damaging 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 preserve trashing them, they’ll be banned from the island. So be good and everybody can take pleasure in 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: Take a look at our complete ‘Travelling in Australia‘ information to reply all of the questions you might ever have.
Strolling on Magnetic Island
In case you’re questioning find out how to get round Magnetic Island by foot, we have now good and dangerous information for you.
Sure, you may 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!
In case you are into mountaineering, going by foot is the one method to get to the well-known viewpoints, and if you wish to head over to Horseshoe Bay from Nelly Bay you may sort out the superior path straight over the island.
There are over 26km of strolling trails across the island to discover, so be sure you pack your mountaineering footwear.
If you end up exploring the bays, we discover by foot is the easiest way to take pleasure in it. You may slowly take all the things in and also you would possibly spot stuff you would have by no means seen for those who had been on a bus or in a automobile, particularly little koalas which are in all places over the island.
Taxi Service on Magnetic Island
There’s a taxi firm known as Checker Cabs on the island and so they can get you and your suitcase to your lodging once you first arrive.
You’ll sometimes discover the taxis ready round on the bays, or you may ring forward and prepare a decide up from the ferry terminal.
It is a nice method to get residence after you’ve gotten 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 it’s good to depend on one.
READ MORE: Take a look at 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 may take a look at among the principal spots, each on land and out on the water.
You may leap on a bus tour with a neighborhood information to see among the highlights of the Island and discover out a little bit of the historical past, or you may cruise out on the water in both a speedboat or sailboat to get to locations that aren’t accessed by land.
This boat tour here is our favourite, and we extremely advocate it.
Driving Your Personal Automotive
In case you’re planning on being on the island for a couple of days, and you’ve got your personal automobile and a few buddies or household to separate the associated fee, the very best method to get round Magnetic Island is to convey your automobile over on the ferry.
It is rather costly, beginning at $220 return for a normal-size automobile, so it’s not price it for only one or two days. As a substitute lease a automobile on the island if that’s the way you wish to discover the place.
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