Moreton Island Adventure

Overview

If you’ve ever enjoyed a Moreton Bay Bug and been wondering where on earth these delicious crustaceous herald from, then you’ve just hit gold! Moreton Island lies to the east of Moreton Bay, flanked on the other side by the Coral Sea, off of the south eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. It’s a tropical island paradise that is 37 km in length and 13 km at its widest. As the third biggest sand island in the world (behind Fraser Island and North Stradbroke Island), it also has the highest stabilised coastal sand hill in the world, Mount Tempest, at 280 metres.

Four small settlements reside on the western side of the island, including a private resort where guests can feed a pod of dolphins who regularly visit this previous whaling station. There are also multiple areas for private camping, as well as a glamping option at Castaways in Bulwer, the northernmost settlement on the island. Used as a fort in World War II, visitors will find multiple relics and old rusty bunkers washed up on shore, after drifting from their once sandy heights.

Moreton Island is accessed through Tangalooma, where a ferry transits passengers back and forth from Brisbane. Private vehicles can alight the ferry however be require a permit as the island is a national park. Bear in mind that only 4WDs are appropriate on this rough and sandy terrain!

The island is known for its adventure activities and the Tangalooma shipwrecks, which visitors can snorkel, dive, swim and kayak around. Sunset Safaris adventure tour group have also introduced night kayaks, which have a clear bottom and lights to allow the shipwrecks and marine life to be viewed at night! Keep a look out for wobbegongs, trevally, kingfish, yellowtail… and turtles!

Itinerary

Day 1

Micat Ferry: Brisbane to Moreton Island
Lunch at Castaways
Moreton Island tour
Cape Moreton Lighthouse
North Point Lighthouse
Honeymoon Bay
Champagne Pools
Eagers Beach
Blue Lagoon
Beach drive
Beach sunset
Dinner
Campfire and songs
Overnight Glamping

Day 2

Breakfast
Free time on the beach
Beach drive
Sand duning in The Desert
Lunch
Kayaking at Tangalooma Wrecks
Snorkelling at Tangalooma Wrecks
Micat Ferry to Brisbane

Day 1

Ferry from Brisbane to Moreton Island

The Micat provides an exceptional 90 minute passage from the mainland to the your tropical paradise holiday destination. There’s generally an early/mid morning ferry (don’t be rigid with your time as the variation on departure time is quite variable) and an early/ mid afternoon return ferry. I was advised to be at the Port of Brisbane departure dock at 8.30am and the ferry ended up leaving around 10am. It takes a while for the 4WDs to pile onto the craft. Likewise the final day was cut short with an early departure. Be flexible however, you are about to experience one of the most incredible sand islands in the world.

On board is a range of hot food, snacks, cold drinks and beer/wine. There’s also fun merchandise with their iconic catchphrase:

The exit out of the Port of Brisbane is memorable with a bevy of large tankers to cast your eyes upon.

Keep your eyes peeled for whales and dolphins! On this stretch of ocean they love the freedom to breech the surface and show off!

Once Moreton Island comes into vision, you’ll adore the views of the sand dunes, low growing shrubs and aqua blue waters.

Lunch at Castaways

The ferry duration is roughly 90 minutes, so we arrived close to lunch time and were getting some pesky hunger pains after disembarking the vessel.

Once on the shore, we were directed over to a Mars Mission looking vehicle which was basically a square box on heavy duty wheels with a small driving cabin at the front. It did absorb the shock of the bumpy sandy terrain to a certain degree but let’s just say that Wayne, our driver, had the best seat in the house, braced upon an intricate shock suspension system.

Our destination was north to our accommodation at Castaways, located in the small township of Bulwer, a short 20 minute drive from the Micat landing point. It’s a beautiful trip on the sand running beside the aqua blue water on the left and native flora on the right.

We were shown to our rooms to drop our bags while our guide made us a hearty and somewhat Australian ‘throw together’ lunch: ham, salami or vegetarian wraps, rosemary potatoes and leftover cold sausages from the evening before with a healthy accompanying salad. It really did cater to all dietary requirements in a fulfilling way.

Moreton Island tour

Our post-lunch journey took us north of Tangalooma Wrecks to a stunning headland with two lighthouses (Cape Moreton & North Point) flanking a gorgeous sandy alcove called Honeymoon Bay.

The North Point Lighthouse and Honeymoon Bay can be seen in the photographs below.

From here we walked to the light-catching Champagne pools nestled within the granite rocks jutting out at the ocean edge and then continued onwards to a long stretch of beach, the northern tip of which was banned from vehicles.

A short drive onwards took us to Moreton Point, where the original lighthouse stands, once inhabited by keeper Thomas Griffin and his wife, Mary Ann, mother to 16 children. A small plaque commemorates her life, which was lost during childbearing, as well as 3 children who passed during the process. Built in 1857, this is Queensland’s oldest lighthouse and after Mary Ann’s death, it became mandatory for pregnant women to return to the mainland six weeks before the birth of their children.

The journey back took us down Eagers Beach and towards the Blue Lagoon, where a dip in the warm water was enjoyed as the afternoon sun was starting to commence its downwards trajectory. This is a popular place for families, overnight campers and day trippers to enjoy a variety of watersports.

From here it was another white-knuckle adventure across the uneven sandy terrain past the scribbly gum and fleeting glimpses of wildlife.

Beach drive

The day included one last beach drive along the western side from the Tangalooma Wrecks to Castaways before it was time for a relaxing eve by the campfire and beach. Fortunately we managed to arrive at Castaways shops before 5pm, just in time to purchase some beers and wine to complete the evening. Not before a lovely drive at dusk with the fading sunlight having one last dance through the trees.

Beach sunset

If you’re splitting hairs between the adventure tour on Moreton Island or staying at the Tangalooma Resort, perhaps this is a selling point. A short walk from Castaways is your own ‘private’ beach, a secluded section of the western island with unobstructed views across to the Glass House Mountains and Brisbane.

There is also another shipwreck at the water break, to frame the most gorgeous photos as the sun sets. Once the most vibrant colours in the sky were on their downward trend to the dark of night, we walked back to our glamping site.

Dinner

Wayne was simply showing off tonight with his cooking. We were treated to the most tender barbecued beef steaks, sausages, stirfry vegetables and to top it off… chocolate brownies. Myself and my newly made friends (hello to some new favourite Brazilian mates!) were a little quiet to start with after a day in the sun and ravenously devouring our meals. However it wasn’t too long before the chit chat ramped up again and stories were flowing!

Campfire and singing

Naturally, after a big day and a solid meal, it was time for stories and songs by the campfire. Again, Sunset Safaris delivered the goods with some marshmallows to toast while we all selected songs we wished to hear on the acoustic guitar. It wasn’t long before the musical ante increased, with Aboriginal hitting sticks, a harmonica and shaker added to the instrumental repertoire. After smashing out some belters by Elton John, Oasis, Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton, it was time to hit the sack.

Overnight Glamping

Castaways has some basic shared rooms with bunk beds or a glamping tent option. The bunks are adjacent the cooking / campfire area, whilst the glamping tents are a 50 metre walk next door.

Day 2

Breakfast

The culinary camping delights continue as Wayne concocts his incredible pancakes. Topped with fresh strawberries and maple syrup (or nutella for the chocolate fans), there’s no wonder the nearby shop keeper’s son is found hovering around the Castaways campsite in the morning on a regular basis. There’s also a selection of cereals for the boring guests. Eat up and ready yourself for a day of activities!

Free time on the beach

An hour of free time whilst awaiting the incoming morning Micat with another group of passengers joining our tour, allowed a moment to wander along the beach at your own pace or, in my case, climb a nearby sand dune.

This vantage point showcased a fantastic view of the Micat leaving Brisbane and heading in to shore past the Tangalooma wrecks.

Note of warning:
This dune is desceptively tall and requires a reasonable level of fitness to ascend! Allow 20 – 30 minutes to the top.

A quick welcome later, we said hello to some new friends, changed vehicles into a larger heavy-duty overlander and set off for our next adventure.

Beach drive

It was a southward drive on the beach and along a sandy wild west track to reach our dune boarding destination named The Desert. En route, we rescued an ambitious vehicle towing a perilous trailer along the very soft sand. It took close on 10 adults to shift and highlighted the importance of only driving in these regions with a purpose built vehicle and experienced driver. Nevertheless, the camaraderie built during these moments is priceless.

Sand duning in ‘The Desert’

Finally we arrived and were given strict instruction on the dunes after receiving our thin plywood boards:

• Take no expensive cameras
• Keep your elbows up
• Hold the front of the board in curved toboggan-appearance fashion and
• Use your feet as ‘rudders’ to steer the board if going off track

Easy, right?!

The walk across the sharp sand peak reminded me of traversing dunes in Namibia, albeit lighter coloured sand. It’s completely captivating walking for the first time across an untouched dune.

I must admit that despite a history of bungee jumping, skydiving, white water rafting, jetboating, mountain biking down mountains and multiple other extreme sports, I was a little nervous at the prospect of sand duning. It’s probably because of the multiple bones I’ve broken during these activities in the past, yet I was of course wondering what the fuss was about! I was compelled to give it a go and what an absolute delight to have done so!

Even though many scoffed at the advice given by the guides, I saw many sand boarders enjoying a ‘Moreton sand-wich’ and embarrassingly having to walk half way down the dune, for simply not lifting the front of the board and keeping their elbows up. It’s simple to get right if you follow those two instructions.

Lunch

I am not going to lie: Moreton Island drums up a real appetite! Fortunately this is not Sunset Safaris first walk around the block and they once again delivered the goods: German kranskies or hot dogs with cheese and a variety of sauces and mustards, complete with a quintessential Australian accompaniment – Cottees cordial. For those still unfulfilled, there were muffins and apples to go.

Kayaking at Tangalooma Wrecks

Picture this: it’s a perfect sunny day, slightly too hot actually so you apply a layer of suncream, with a still calm air, waves lapping at the shore, turquoise blue water akin to Nungwi Beach in Zanzibar, foreboding shipwrecks jutting out of the water and clear-bottomed kayaks ready to take you on an adventure of discovery. This could be you!

Sunset Safaris have a fleet of see-through kayaks which allow passengers to visualise the wrecks as they float over the top of them. We spent around an hour paddling around the wrecks, watching the schools of fish beneath us in awe. The kayaks fit two people but are very easy to navigate with a single passenger also.

Snorkelling at Tangalooma Wrecks

Once you’ve finished kayaking, your wet suits, flippers, gloves, snorkels and life vests are ready and waiting for you! The personalised jetski is awaiting for you to ‘kit up’ and take you out to the wrecks for a different experience: snorkelling. This brings with it a more comprehensive, immersive version, whereby the fish are invading your personal space and the wrecks are before you in imposing form, descending to the depths below.

Micat Ferry to Brisbane

After an entirely enthralling weekend of beach driving, swimming, discovery, eating, singing, campfires, sunsets, glamping, sand duning, kayaking and snorkelling, the Micat will appear on the shores of Moreton Bay once more to take you back to Brisbane. There’ll be one last chance for some last sneaky pics of the wrecks on the way back …

To continue onwards with adventures in Brisbane, see my posts on extravagance in Fortitude Valley and the South Bank.