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magnetic island: general info
· city links
· history
things to do
· bushwalking
· hostels
· tours
· read reviews
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It is now easier than ever to discover Magnetic
Island, with the new Interpretive Signage that is installed throughout the
island.
This signage provides visitors with a guide to discovering the excellent walking
trails, heritage trails, ship wreck trails and ecology trails that traverse the
island.
Arriving at the Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal, refer to the Welcome Navigator Sign
which will help you decide which part of the island to explore first.
Look for the Walking Trails Information Signs located around the island
- each one leading you to discover unique beauty and environs of this tropical
paradise.
Here are a few of the great walking trails to discover:
Hawkings Point
Distance: 1.2km return Time: 60 mins return
Grade: easy
The track begins at the easterly end of Picnic Street in Picnic Bay and winds
to the top of a large boulder, affording views over the Island to Nelly and Geoffrey
Bay and back towards Townsville.
Picnic Bay to West Point
Distance: 16km return Time: 5 hours return
Grade: easy
This walking track is actually a dirt road, however it is still a great walk!
It begins near the golf course and follows the bush track linking the bays on
the western side of the Island. The track passes a tidal wetland (look for wading
birds, mud skippers, mangrove snails and fiddler crabs at low tide), mangroves,
paperbark swamps and savanna grasslands.
Nelly Bay to Arcadia Bay
Distance: 5km one way Time: 2.5 hours one way
Grade:moderate
The track begins at the end of Mandalay Avenue in Nelly Bay and passes through
a rainforest pocket, climbing gradually to the saddle between Nelly and Horseshoe
Bays. The track continues along a ridge through open forest with views over Horseshoe
Bay. The track then branches - one track leading to Horseshoe Bay Road (where
you can continue on to other tracks) and the other to Arcadia.
The Forts Walk
Distance: 4km return Time: 1 hour return
Grade: moderate
The track begins in the Forts carpark, located at the turn-off to Radical Bay
on the Horseshoe Bay Road. The track follows a ridge behind the bays and arrives
at the ruins of the Forts complex operated during World War II. Lookouts afford
excellent views to the Palm Island Group in the north and Bowling Green Bay National
Park in the south.
Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays
Distance:1.4km - 6 km return Time: 30 mins
- 2 hours return Grade: easy
Starting from the Forts carpark, an easy track leads down to these undeveloped
bays, which provide excellent swimming and snorkelling.
Horseshoe Bay Lagoon
Distance: 200m return Time: 15 mins return
(longer if you are bird-watching).
Leading off the main road near Horseshoe Bay beach, a track leads to Horseshoe
Bay Lagoon where you can view a variety of waterbirds. It is a very short
track 100m in the dry season, 30m in the wet!
Horseshoe Bay to Balding and Radical Bays
Distance: 3.4km return Time: 60 minutes return
Grade: moderate
The track begins at the eastern end of Horseshoe Bay beach and climbs through
a steep gully of closed forest to an open eucalypt ridge. One branch of the track
leads down to the secluded Balding Bay and the other continues onto Radical Bay.
Both bays offer excellent swimming opportunities.
Safety Tips!
To help protect the environment, and to make your stay more enjoyable:
- Take your time, stop often for rest breaks. On hot days, you can suffer heat
exhaustion. Avoid the heat of the midday sun.
- Stay on the track and take care on uneven or loose surfaces.
- Take care around cliffs, steep slopes and rock faces along the tracks and
at lookouts.
- Always carry plenty of drinking water.
- Wear sunscreen and a hat.
- Wear sturdy footwear, not thongs.
If you're gonna travel abroad, make sure you are prepared... take it from us, travel insurance is an absolute must!
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