The beach at Amity Point
One of the great sand islands that protect the inner waters of Moreton Bay from the surging tides of the Coral Sea, North Stradbroke Island is located at the southern end of the bay. It is home to 3,000 permanent residents and in the summer months the population doubles with the influx of tourists. The island is 37km in length and 10km in width providing magnificent sandy beaches, great fishing and whale watching from the cliffs of Point Lookout.
“Straddie” has long been a favourite holiday resort for Brisbane families. It is less than an hour by ferry from the town of Cleveland, 30 minutes south of Brisbane. Visitors can transport their vehicles by barge, though it is wise to pre-book in the summer. The island retains a natural environment for camping and bush walking with both surf beaches and sheltered bays. The waters around the island are the home of dolphins, turtles, mantra rays and many species of fish. The island is renowned for its natural beauty and the ocean beaches of glistening white sand attract surfers from Brisbane and beyond.
There are two inland freshwater lakes on the island. Brown Lake is a favourite family picnic spot, providing safe swimming and kayaking and Blue Lake National Park is a bird watchers paradise with natural springs and sub tropical forests. The lake is named from its crystal clear, blue waters and can only be accessed by the Neembeeba Lookout track (3km) which takes about 2 hours for the return journey or the slightly shorter Karboora track (2.55km)
The ferry port of Dunwich retains its original charm and is steeped in Aboriginal and European history. The North Stradbroke museum at Dunwich contains many relics from Aboriginal and early European history. From Dunwich you can drive or catch local transport to the other villages. Four wheel drives are required for access to much of the interior of the island. Rutile is extracted and exported by sand mining companies that hold leases over large tracts of the island and these areas are not accessible to the general public.
Amity is a quiet fishing village that is a popular destination for holiday makers. It has a reputation for fresh, locally caught seafood that is hard to beat.
Point Lookout has in recent years been transformed from a quiet seaside retirement village to an up market holiday resort with a wide variety of cafes and restaurants and first class accommodation.
The headland at Point Lookout is the best vantage spot to view the magnificent humpback whales as they migrate northwards from their Antarctic feeding grounds to their calving area in the sheltered waters of The Great Barrier Reef. The migration season begins in June and lasts until November.
nland there are freshwater lakes that provide safe swimming and great picnic spots, natural springs and sub tropical forests. This is a bird watchers paradise.
The island offers bowling, golf, bushwalking and for the more adventurous, there is scuba diving, snorkelling, wind surfing, dune driving.