Magnetic Island’s future mapped out in tourism masterplan: Koalas, bike trails, e-scooters

Between koalas, bike trails and e-scooters, a group of Magnetic Island leaders have mapped out the island’s future. See what they want to fix.

The tourism masterplan includes giving the ferry terminal a revamp to better reflect the location’s access to the Great Barrier Reef.

A drastically tight rental market, growing Airbnbs, and booming visitor numbers have driven Magnetic Island to release a detailed ‘masterplan’ in an effort to protect island lifestyle.

The masterplan — a joint effort between Townsville Enterprise and the Magnetic Island Tourism Masterplan Steering Committee — lays out an ambition to turn Maggie Island into a “world leading sustainable island destination” with a focus on pristine bushland and reef habitat.

It also focuses on the small details — including creating dedicated areas for e-scooter parking around the ferry terminal and village precincts.

They predict visitor numbers will rise by 98,259 over the next ten years, and visitor nights will increase by 295,000 — a whopping 808 years worth of sleeps when stacked end-to-end.

“Current available visitor accommodation is estimated at 720 rooms made up of 600 rooms in hotel, resort and hostels, and 40 Airbnb properties with an estimated 120 rooms,” the plan reads.

“It is acknowledge that long-term accommodation and worker housing is a current challenge on the island and is currently being addressed by the Magnetic Island community groups.”

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Townsville Enterprise visitor economy director Lisa Woolfe said over the entire 12-month consultation period, there was overwhelming support for more protection for the island’s environmental and cultural heritage.

“The committee conducted online forums, face-to-face workshops, meetings, newsletters and online submissions,” Mrs Woolfe said.

“We heard many different perspectives about the challenges and opportunities for the Island.”

The masterplan identified 26 initiatives to improve island life for locals, visitors and industry.

- For locals: enhance ‘quality of life’ through major public infrastructure projects and increase connection with Traditional Owners

- For visitors: More tailored experiences to attract ‘the high value traveller’, increase visits during off-peak times

- For industry: Create a competitive sustainable tourism industry

The Magnetic Island Koala Hospital will be central to encouraging these changes, alongside a future ‘eco resort’ and plans for a Magnetic Island Resilient Reef Centre of Excellence (to be done with Reef HQ).

For locals, one of the most exciting plans is for continued investment in an Island-wide walking and cycling trail network.

Picnic and Horseshoe Bay have been earmarked for a facelift, alongside the ferry terminal at Nelly Bay.

The masterplan also pushes for better mobile and internet connections on the island to help business owners.

“Given the strong appeal and demand for Magnetic Island, history demonstrates that growth in tourism is likely to continue even without implementing this plan,” the masterplan reads.

“The draft plan aims to direct this growth in a sustainable way.”

The masterplan can be read at: https://bit.ly/3VDk6kW

Originally published as Magnetic Island’s future mapped out in tourism masterplan: Koalas, bike trails, e-scooters