Magnetic Island / Queensland / Australia

30 min. Magnetic Island experience
incl. pictures & videos from
Nelly Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Balding Bay, Radical Bay, Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and the Koala Village / Bungalow Bay


Magnetic Island is an island 8 kilometres / 5.0 mi offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This 52 km2 / 20.1 sq mi / mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry. There is a large 27 km2 / 10.4 sq mi National Park and bird sanctuary and walking tracks can be taken between the populated bays and to a number of tourist destinations such as the World War II forts.

Hostels for backpackers:
Bungalow Bay /Koala Village - Horseshoe Bay / incl. Bus Stop
X-Base /Magnetic Island/ - Nelly Bay / incl. Bus Stop
The island has long become established as a holiday destination with many hotels and several resorts in operation to cater for all levels of service. The public facilities and infrastructure on the island are managed by the Townsville City Council. The island is part of the electoral district of Townsville in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The island is also part of the Federal seat of Herbert, which is represented by Ewen Jones.

Naming

The name of the island came about because of the apparent /magnetic/ effect it had on the ship's compass of Captain Cook as he passed the island when sailing up the east coast of Australia in 1770. People have since explored the general area of Magnetic Island with various instruments to discover what might have caused the effect that Cook reported, but nothing has been discovered. The island's mysterious magnetic effect is the basis for the 2015 speculative fiction novel 'A Tango with the Dragon.' The local name for the island is Maggie Isle / Maggie Island, or / The Island.
Natural heritage

The island is a haven for wildlife. 54% of the island is Magnetic Island National Park, which is mostly located on the steep hilly interior and rugged north-western side. The highest point on the island is Mount Cook reaching 497 m / 1,631 ft above sea level.

Magnetic Island is famous for its angling opportunities. Fish around the island include: blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish, mackerel, wahoo, giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, coral trout, mahi-mahi, tuna, red emperor and sea perch.

As of 2013, there are over 800 koalas estimated to be present on the island; this population represents the northern limit of their geographic range.

The pressure of coastal development has, in recent years, begun to make a significant impact on the island, which lies in the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. At present many millions of dollars in development are planned for the island and the impact of these has led to considerable opposition from some residents who fear the effects this development will have on the environmental values of Magnetic's lowlands which are not protected by the national park; these areas represent only 20% of the whole island, and of this 20%, most is freehold land and is already developed.