Moreton Bay Islands

Brisbane, is Australia’s third largest city, the capital of Queensland. It is an international tourist destination on the sub tropical coast, bathed by the Pacific Ocean, but protected by the islands of Moreton Bay. Captain Cook visited Moreton Bay in 1770, and discovered the many islands.

There are some 360 plus islands in the bay - many uninhabited, and uninhabitable sand islands, but some are popular residential or tourist areas.

The larger islands are North Stradbroke Island (or Straddie as the locals call it), Moreton Island, Bribie Island, South Stradbroke Island, and in Redland Bay area, Macleay, Lamb, Russell, and Coochie Mudlo.

Moreton Island is almost all National Park, and is formed entirely of sand except for a small rocky headland.

Access around the island is by four-wheel drive vehicles, and many of the tourist groups have tours for those without their own vehicles. Vehicle permits are necessary, and can be purchased on the ferry. The closes ferry to the island departs from Scarborough, on the Redcliffe peninsular. Bookings on all car ferries are essential.

The island was the home of a whaling station, and in the whaling days the bay was almost depleted of these wonderful sea creatures.

Today, Moreton Island is known for its tourist and fishing industry - it has a wonderful beach 38 kilometres long, and the highest sandhill in the world, Mt Tempest.

On the western side of the island is the tourist resort of Tangalooma, where dolphins come into shore at night to be hand fed. There are wonderful walking tracks, and many fishing spots. Day trippers, or holiday makers without a four wheel drive, can access the island via the “Tangalooma Flier.”

North Stradbroke Island too, is only accessible by boat - vehicular and passenger ferries depart from Cleveland and Redland Bay. Straddie has a residential population at three main settlements - Dunwich, where the ferry boats pull in, Amity Point, and Point Lookout.

North and South Stradbroke Islands were one island, until a storm in 1896 forced a channel between them. The island was known by the Aborigines as “Minjerriba” (Giant in the Sun). Aborigines lived on the island for thousands of years, and there is still a small population on the island.

The Goompi Trail is a one hour guided tour, led by a local Aboriginal guide, gives one insight into the local history of the island.

Dunwich was the quarantine station for Brisbane in the 1820’s. Just near the “Little Ships Club” is the historic cemetery where the 28 victims of cholera are buried in the epidemic that raged in 1850. A visit to the cemetery to read the details on the headstones is most interesting.

Amity Point is the islands oldest settlement, a sleepy little fishing village, perched on the northwestern tip of the island.

Point Lookout, on the northeastern tip of the island, is a popular residential and tourist spot. It is from this area that each June, the migrating whales are recorded, as they head for Hervey Bay, further north.

North Stradbroke Island is known for its mining of mineral and silica sand, which is shipped to the mainland and used for making glass.

The island’s economy is based mainly on the mining, tourism, and fishing.

There are many wonderful places on the island for the tourist, including the 500 hectare Blue Lake National Park, which is a sanctuary for the island’s wildlife. There are a number of freshwater lakes, and swimming is permitted in the Blue Lake.

The island is home to some rare flora and fauna, including Australia’s largest ground orchid, the swamp orchid, and the mangroves at Myora are the home of the false water rat, a rare mammal.

South Stradbroke has some tourist resort activity, with an Eco Tourist Resort. Access to South Stradbroke Island is from Southport and Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast.

Bribie Island is the northern most island of the bay, and is approximately an hour’s drive north of Brisbane, with a one-kilometre bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

The island is now a thriving community with two main townships, Bongaree on the Pumicestone Passage side of the island, and Woorim on the surfside. Visitors to the island can benefit from the quiet waters of the Pumicestone Passage, or the surf on the eastern side of the island.

Much of the island is National Park, and because of the safe calmer waters of the passage, is popular for pleasure craft and fishing.

The parks light up in spring with the wildflowers which include fragrant boronias, bottlebrush and wattle.

Mathew Flinders landed on the island in July 1799, and reported a population of 600 Aborigines. Within a century all of these people are gone, and near the bridge on the mainland is a monument honouring the last of the island’s Aborigines, Kal-ma-Mutha who died in 1897.

One of the smaller inhabited islands is Coochiemudlo Island - in the southern waters of the Bay. There is a small population, with a resort, a convenience store, and small restaurants. It is popular for holidays and day trippers. Access is by boat, - a regular vehicular ferry services the island from Victoria Point, and a passenger service services the island both from Cleveland and Victoria Point - the latter with the shorter trip and the most frequent.

Day trippers picnic on the beaches facing Victoria Point, and swim in the quiet waters of the beach, or fish, or use a variety of watercraft.

A mini bus meets each passenger watercraft, and for a small fee takes the visitor on a round island trip complete with fascinating commentary on the island, or locals to their homes.

Other interesting places to visit on the island include the Pottery, and the Dyeworks where fabric is dyed using the local soil. The Aborigines used the red coloured soil to paint their bodies for ceremonies.