Brisbane - Around Brisbane

Moreton Bay

At the mouth of the Brisbane River is the Moreton Bay. It is reckoned to have some 365 islands. The first white settlement in Queensland was Redcliffe, 35 km north of city. Aboriginal people called it Humpy bong (Dead Houses).

Most popular for its great beaches and surfing is North Stradbroke. At Tangalooma on Moreton Island you can participate the dolphin feeding. The most inviting coastal suburb is Manly, with its large marina and pleasant cafés. It has actually the largest marina in the southern hemisphere after Fremantle in Western Australia.

There are yacht races out in the bay every Wednesday and many of the captains take guests on board free of charge. You can ask about that at one of the Yacht Clubs along the waterfront. The “Moreton Bay Lodge” offer a night in a dorm for A$ 19.

North Stradbroke Island

The quit town of Cleveland is the main access point for North Stradbroke Island. It’s a 30-minute ferry ride to this lovely sand island, popularly known as Straddie. There are excellent surf beaches and some good places to stay and eat. A playground for 4WD drivers is on the wild south eastern coast, for example the “Eighteen Mile Beach”.

Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout are three small settlements on the island, all on the northern end. The nicest place to stay is Point Lookout, on the main surf beach. “Blue Lake”, nearby Dunwich, is reached by a sandy 4WD track. There is a pleasant 2,7 km walking trail through the forest and this freshwater lake is a beautiful spot for swim. This island is also famous for sand surfing, fishing and snorkelling. The “Straddie Hostel” offers a night in a dorm for A$17 and the “Stradbroke Island Guesthouse” for A$ 22.

Moreton Island

Moreton Island is north of Stradbroke and comes a close second to Fraser Island for excellent sand diving and wilderness.

There are a few rocky sand headlands and the highest coastal sand hill in the world, the Mt Tempest towering to 280m. The birdlife on this island is prolific and there is a very old lighthouse on the northern tip, built in 1857. There are also a number of artificial shipwrecks off the west coast, like the “Tangalooma Wrecks”, which provide good snorkelling and diving. Moreton Island has no paved roads, but you can drive the 4 WD vehicles.

You can join the wild-dolphin-feeding in Tangalooma, every day around sunset. Bulwer, Cowan Cowan and Kooringal are the other settlements on Moreton Island. The “Big and Little Sand Hills” are on the southern end of the island.

St. Helena Island

St Helena Island was a high-security prison until 1932. This little island is 6km from the mouth of the Brisbane River and now a national park. You can see the remains of several prison buildings and parts of Brisbane’s first tramway (built in 1884) on the prison island tour.