Magnetic Island ferry fares

Important information for standard tickets:

• Valid for 6 months (183 days) from first travel date.
• Family return ticket - all passengers travelling on a family return ticket must travel together in both directions.

*Student & Concession tickets - A valid Australian concession or student card is required to receive these fares and must be presented when purchasing & at boarding at all times.

Prices are effective from 1st of February 2026.

BOOK NOW

Special Offers & Discounts

Travelling is even better value with a range of special offers and discounts available. Early risers can save with our sunrise saver deal on early morning departures, students get great deals during the school holidays, and families can make the most of our year-round family offer.

SPECIAL OFFERS

If you are a resident, local or staying in the region for a few days our flexi tickets are the affordable way to see both Magnetic Island and Townsville.

• Each flexi ticket allows 10 one-way trips (5 returns).
• Valid for 6 months (183 days) from first travel date.
• Can be used by a maximum of two persons travelling at the same time.
• Designed for regular travel during this period.

*Student & Concession tickets - A valid Australian concession or student card is required to receive these fares and must be presented when purchasing & at boarding at all times.

Prices are effective from 1st of February 2026.

BOOK NOW

SeaLink offers a variety of affordable tickets for frequent travel.

• Each ticket allows the user to make unlimited trips between Magnetic Island & Townsville for the validity of the ticket.
• Each ticket can only be used by one person.
• Weekly - ticket holder's full name is printed on the ticket.
• Monthly & Six monthly - ticket holder's full name and photo is printed on the ticket for identification purposes.
• Available for purchase only at Breakwater or Nelly Bay Terminal only (not on vessels).

*Primary student passes are for primary students travelling to/from Magnetic Island to attend primary school.

Prices are effective from 1st of February 2026.

Please contact our sales team on 07 4726 0800 if you require any further information.

CALL NOW

*Prices are effective from the 1st of February 2026.

Dear Residents and Regular Travellers between Townsville and Magnetic Island,

As of 1 February 2026, there will be an increase in ferry fares between Townsville and Magnetic Island. This increase is necessary to offset a portion of our escalating operational costs, and to ensure we continue delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality ferry services.

Key drivers of these cost increase include labour, maintenance, ongoing capital investment back into our fleet, and essential infrastructure. Our fares continue to offer flexibility to travel on any service with no fare changes during peak periods.

The table below provides a breakdown of the fare increases. For the convenience of our regular patrons, we continue to offer a variety of cost-effective options, such as flexi tickets (10 trips) and unlimited travel on our weekly, monthly, and 6-monthly tickets, tailored to frequent travellers' needs.

We remain committed to maintaining our current operating schedule, providing up to 17 daily services between Townsville and Magnetic Island, along with our ongoing commitment to community support, sponsorship, and investment.

The new fares will take effect from Sunday 1 February 2026.

Fare increase statement and adjusted fares.

Department of Transport and Main Roads – 50 Cent Fare

Change on Public Transport Frequently Asked Questions

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) recently announced a 6 Month extension of the 50c fares from Monday 5 August 2024 until Sunday 9 February 2025.

There has been some confusion whether the 50c Fares apply to the SeaLink Magnetic Island Ferry Services or Palm Island Ferry Services.

DTMR (TransLink) has again clarified that the 50c fares only apply to Public Transport operators.

Please refer to extracts below from TransLink Frequently Asked Questions:

Does this fare change apply to Coochiemudlo Island ferry, Magnetic Island ferry, Stradbroke Island Flyer, the Hopo Gold Coast ferry, the Moggill ferry or SeaLink car ferry?

No, none of these ferry services are Translink services so our fares won’t apply to them.

Does this fare change apply to regional ferry services? No, regional ferry services are not Translink services, so our fares won’t apply.

Only Translink network services are included in the six-month trial

Which modes of transport will the 50c fares apply to?

In SEQ, 50 cent flat fares will apply to Translink network bus, train, ferry, tram and on demand services (including North Stradbroke Island buses).

In regional Queensland, 50 cent fares will apply to Translink network bus services only.

Further details of the initiative can be found on the Translink website – https://translink.com.au

No need to pre-book ferry tickets—just turn up when you're ready to travel! Our ferry tickets aren’t tied to specific departure times/ days, so you have the flexibility to choose the service that suits you. With boarding starting around 15 minutes before departure, we do recommend arriving at the terminal at least 20 minutes before departure to give yourself time to park your vehicle, buy your ticket (if you haven't already) or grab something from the Café.

Ferry fares to Magnetic Island vary depending on the type of ticket you need—whether you're travelling one-way or return, as an adult, child or family for example. To see the full list of ticket options and prices, please see the fares listed above

Yes! If you're travelling with a group of 15 or more people to Magnetic Island, discounted fares are available when you book directly with SeaLink North Queensland. We also offer special rates for school and university groups. To find out more, just get in touch with our Groups Coordinator at [email protected]

While there aren't traditional cafés on-board, all SeaLink North Queensland vessels feature fully licensed bars. You can grab a cold drink, some chips, or a chocolate snack bar from our friendly crew while you travel. Alcoholic beverages are available from 10am to midnight, with a few restrictions on days like Good Friday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.

You can grab a barista made hot drink from the Cafes at our Terminal in Townville & Magnetic Island, before boarding our vessels.

Unfortunately there are no designated changing rooms, however toilets are located on-board all our vessels and in both the Breakwater Ferry Terminal in Townsville and Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal on Magnetic Island.

For complete details on child travel policies, including age requirements and supervision guidelines, please refer to the 'All children under the age of 12' section on our Terms & Conditions page.

"Go SeaLink Ferries" APP

Purchase your ticket via our app and save today! Learn more on our Go SeaLink Ferries app page.

How do live timetables work?

As soon as a service is amended in our booking system it will be updated on the app. You will be able to see additional services available during peak times and cancelled services will not be displayed. If the service is running late this may not appear on the live timetable, however. our standard procedure will still apply: all affected customers will be notified if their service is cancelled or delayed.

What do I do if something is not working as it should on the App?

Sometimes things don’t go as planned… If you are having trouble logging in or accessing your purchased tickets please email [email protected] with the ticket booking number, your name, contact details and screenshots. This feedback will allow us to update and improve the app.

SeaLink E-Tickets

SeaLink's electronic ticketing solution provides a new and faster way to pay for and travel on our North Queensland services. By replacing the older ticketing system, this upgrade allows us to continue to offer you new ways to travel.

These efforts to digitalize ferry transportation and improve the efficiency of outdated fare collection systems through contactless ticketing also align with our sustainability goal of reducing our environmental impact by no longer requiring printed tickets for every passenger.

When purchasing tickets online through the SeaLink website, you will no longer need to queue at the sales counter to obtain a boarding pass because your online ticket will include a barcode that can be scanned by our crew upon boarding. If you prefer not to use a mobile device to display the barcode, your online confirmation email including the barcode can be printed and presented to the crew.

Similarly, any tickets purchased from the team at the sales counters in the terminals and onboard the vessels will have a barcode that will be scanned upon boarding.