Magnetic Island Tour: Maggie Comprehensive
Description
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 5 hour 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. We finish with an hours free time in Horseshoe bay for lunch you.
Tour Options
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.
Closed Tuesdays and between Australia Day to Easter. Set in the heritage listed Picnic Bay School and historic Butler Hut, the centre operates a museum and sells locally made craft and historical publications. The museum shows island history through permanent displays and varying annual exhibitions.
Optional stop where we will discover its story and how it was saved from demolition, and take in the beautiful surrounds
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.
As the bus climbs the long steep hill towards Horseshoe Bay you will get breathtaking views across the island. You will then head down the other side into the old farming precinct before we stop for an hour’s 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.
After lunch you will return to the Ferry, giving you the chance to catch those incredible views once more. This time though we will head through the back of Arcadia, along pretty Hayles avenue with a short stop at Aquasearch Aquarium ($3 entry fee, cash only) where we will try and find Nemo and Dory and chat about our Giant Clams, before heading back to the Ferry Terminal in time to meet the 3pm depature to Townsville.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
PLEASE NOTE: We cannot pick-up passengers from addreses in Townsville, we do not have vehicles or staff in Townsville. Pickups begin 30 minutes prior depending on location. Bus will meet you at recption of your accomodation
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(389)
An excellent tour to gain an overall view of Magnetic Is. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we saw many things we would not have known about if doing a DIY explore. Travel from Townsville very easy with the SeaLink ferry , and the tour better value than taking our own car or hiring on Magnetic.
Neil was a very informative guide full of knowledge on all aspects of Maggie. He took us to all the great spots. Comfortable transportation with morning tea provided. A great day out enjoyed by us - recommend,
Generally, my wife and me enjoyed it and had a great Magnetic Island tour experience! Neill was very knowledgeable, helpful and accommodating. The time was well managed and all went excitingly well. It's definitely value for money! Thank you for the wonderful experience Neill!
I had a fantastic time exploring Magnetic Island! The bus tour was a comfortable and interesting way to see the island's best spots. Our guide Neil really made the day - he was amusing and kept us thoroughly entertained with his lively talk and local stories. Highly recommend this bus tour.
Thanks so much for the great review! Really glad you enjoyed exploring the island with us, and that the bus tour gave you a comfortable way to take in all the best spots. Neil really appreciates the kind words. He loves sharing his local stories and a laugh along the way, so it's great to hear that came through on your tour. Thanks again for taking the time to write this, and we'd love to have you back on Maggie again sometime!
A great intro to Magnetic Island covering the geography, the history, the flora and the fauna. And a very knowledgeable guide who clearly loves his island. Definitely recommend it!
Had a very easy and informative tour with Neil. With an abundance of knowledge and a genuine love for “Maggie”, we particularly loved the butterflies and appreciated the effort to include and host the wide range of customers on board. Well priced, safe and hassle free. Thanks!
customers on board. Well priced, safe and hassle free. Thanks!"9:17 AMClaude responded: Thank you so much for this lovely review!Thank you so much for this lovely review! So glad you found the tour easy-going and informative, and that Neil's love for Maggie came through. It really is a special place to him. The butterflies are always a favourite, and it means a lot that you noticed the effort to make the tour welcoming and comfortable for everyone on board. Thanks again for the kind words, and we hope to see you back on the island again soon!
What a fantastic day! Can highly recommended this day tour. Worth every cent. We had been to the island before many years ago but just explored it ourselves. This time, on the tour, we learnt SO MUCH we would not have known otherwise. Our guide Neil knew all the cool places to go to see the local wildlife and we saw a koala, turtle, osprey, heaps of rock wallabies and did a few cool walks to hidden gems like a butterfly forest. Even morning tea is provided. Thanks for a magical Maggie experience!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! It really made our day to read that the tour added so much depth to your second visit to the island, that's exactly what we hope for. So glad you got to tick off koala, turtle, osprey and rock wallabies all in one day, and that the butterfly forest was a highlight too. Neil loved having you both along and sharing his favourite spots. Thanks again for taking the time to write this, and we hope to see you back on Maggie again soon!
Excellent tour-driver was so knowledgeable,very humorous Best tour I've had The island was magical Rock wallabies gorgeous and friendly Even got to see the Koala hospital and see all the great work that they do Would go back in a heartbeat
Great tour. There was a small group of us and it was very informal and casual which makes it feel more like you have a private tour.
We took two different ferry rides (one takes 15-20 minutes and the other about 30) to get there and then later back based on timing. It was easy to get a ticket in person on both ends even with a holiday week. We were greeted by the owner of the company who has an interesting and worldly background which brings a lot to his tours. He lives on Magnetic Island and provided a wealth of history and information throughout the day. He seems to know every person in town and their stories as well and took our group to get up close and personal to key places for great photos. We were brought into a cute area with several lunch options which provided something for everyone and an opportunity to walk around afterwards. He got us back exactly when he said he would so we could catch our ferry. We took over 500 photos - so lots to see even on a small island!
