Half of Magnetic Island (approx. 5184 hectares) is National Park. Twenty-four kilometres of tracks guide visitors through thickly wooded bushland, ranging from dry wattles and stunted eucalypts to moist forested valleys.

Many lookouts provide views of sandy beaches and coral-fringed bays separated by boulder-strewn headlands. The island is home to koalas, rock wallabies, brush-tail possums and an abundance of birds.

Magnetic Island has the unique distinction of being a suburb of the City of Townsville. The permanent population of the four towns that service the island - Picnic Bay, Nelly Bay, Arcadia and Horseshoe Bay - are usually around 2,500 and would be, after the Great Barrier Reef, the most visited national park in North Queensland.