The Island is a Beach
Moreton Island is the world’s second largest sand island, with an area of 18,500 hectares. The island is 37km in length and 10km in width and together with North Stradbroke Island, forms a barrier between the surging waters of the South Coral Sea and Moreton Bay.
Although Moreton Island is only 60km, and 75 minutes by catamaran, from the city of Brisbane, its pristine environment of giant sand dunes and sparkling lakes and streams has been largely preserved. Most of the island is a national park which is administered by The Queensland Park and Wildlife Service. Visitors are welcomed and each year the island is visited by over 150,000 tourists.
The island is surrounded by The Moreton Bay Marine Park which protects the unique cultural, recreational and commercial amenities of the bay. The marine park protects the feeding and roosting habitats of many species of shorebirds and the seagrass gardens which attract turtles and dugongs.
Moreton Island is part of the southern Queensland sand mass which includes the Cooloola coast, and islands of Fraser, Bribie and North Stradbroke. These islands were formed from sand particles originating from erosion of the granite belt of northern New South Wales. The sand particles were carried 200km to the north by the prevailing east coast current. Moreton Island consists entirely of sand apart from a small area of sandstone and rhyolite at Cape Moreton and North Point. The contour of the island constantly changes from the action of wind and tides.
History: Indigenous cultural heritage includes shell middens that are evidence of thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation.
Accommodation: Moreton Island has three small townships which are Bulwer, Cowan and Kooringal and also has a large tourist resort called Tangalooma.
Tangalooma was originally developed as a whaling station in 1952 and over the next 10 years processed around 600 whales per year. The buildings and surrounding areas were then converted into a tourist resort. It has a range of accommodation options including a hotel, self contained units and beach front luxury apartments. The resort offers a range of island tours and has a general store and restaurants.
The townships contain many holiday homes which are available for rent and also offer camping sites, general stores and some take away food facilities. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is required if you wish to explore the island.
Camping: Moreton Island has five managed camp sites around the Island with toilets, showers, BBQ facilities and picnic grounds. . However tourists seeking solitude can stop and pitch their tent, by a lake, in the bush or on the foreshore. Camping permits must be pre-purchased on the mainland and there are some strict guidelines on waste disposal, lighting fires and on protecting the habitat. Many sites will only be accessible by foot or by four-wheel-drive.
You will need a vehicle access permit to drive on Moreton Island and you will need a camping permit to camp in the national park or recreation area.
Activities: The waters around the island provide some of the best fishing in the world. Catches include tailor that run north along the beaches to their breeding grounds in early spring and return south in December. Beach fishing will also provide opportunities to land Jewfish, Trevally, Whiting, Bream and Flathead throughout the year, while Snapper, King Fish, Tuna and Mackerel and Marlin can be caught in deeper waters off shore.
There are many reefs surrounding the island whose crystal clear waters, shelter swarms of dazzling reef fish and magnificent coral formations. Snorkelling or diving around the Tangalooma shipwrecks is an opportunity not to be missed. Water temperatures usually remain above 17 degrees Celsius even in mid winter.
There is much to explore around the island. The first lighthouse was built at Cape Moreton in in 1857 by convicts, using local sandstone. Five more lighthouses were subsequently built at various locations on the island. During WWI, extensive coastal fortifications were commenced, as the island was seen as the first line of defense for Brisbane. These were extended during WWII and remains can still be seen at Cowan Cowan and Toompani Beach. The island also contains graves of shipwrecked sailors from the many disasters that occurred before the introduction of lighthouses.
Moreton Island is home to a wide variety of bird life. Over 180 species of birds have been recorded on the island including Sea Eagles, the rare osprey and many varieties of waders including the pied oystercatcher and the red-capped dotterel.
The Island is serviced by three barges the Combie Trader from Scarborough to Bulwer, Micat from Whyte Island to Tangalooma Wrecks and Kooringal Trader from Amity Point to Kooringal