North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island
5
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Melissa M
Queensland, Australia18 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
What a beautiful piece of Australia just a 45min barge trip from Cleveland Qld. Great views, pristine water, whales, dolphins, kangaroos and cheeky kookaburras. Wonderful fishing. Happy and helpful locals. Great for families and the private get aways.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken B
19 contributions
June 2023
Many tourists and indeed Queenslanders and Brisbane mainlanders don’t realise how easy it is to get to North Stradbroke Island (Straddie to the locals). Just hop on a ferry from Cleveland and you’re in Dunwich in less than half an hour. You can book on line or via Sealink’s “Go Blue” app. The island bus service meets the ferry and will take you to Point Lookout (a comfortable 20km drive away) where you can indulge in swimming, eating, walking and sightseeing.
We went in mid-June, at the start of the whale watching season, when the humpbacks are making their annual trip northwards up the coast to Hervey Bay. We saw countless whales from the cliffs at Point Lookout headland. Although a kilometre or so offshore, we could still see them expelling water from their blowholes and occasionally breaching, or showing their flippers and tails.
I recommend a stroll around the North Gorge Walk, which is quite picturesque and displays the sea’s powerful erosive action on the rock side walls of this unique gorge. This walk also permits beautiful outlooks of Frenchmans Bay to the north and the impressive Main Beach stretching out, seemingly forever, to the south.
There’s a mob of kangaroos that regularly resides in this area and we were luck to see, up close, a mother and her joey grazing near the northern end of the gorge walk. We also caught a glimpse of an osprey, looking for a fish feed off the headland.
South Gorge Beach offers safe paddling and swimming, as the shallows go a long way out. If you want to go further south to Main Beach, however, then take care to swim between the flags (where the beach is patrolled) as there are many rips and gutters.
We went in mid-June, at the start of the whale watching season, when the humpbacks are making their annual trip northwards up the coast to Hervey Bay. We saw countless whales from the cliffs at Point Lookout headland. Although a kilometre or so offshore, we could still see them expelling water from their blowholes and occasionally breaching, or showing their flippers and tails.
I recommend a stroll around the North Gorge Walk, which is quite picturesque and displays the sea’s powerful erosive action on the rock side walls of this unique gorge. This walk also permits beautiful outlooks of Frenchmans Bay to the north and the impressive Main Beach stretching out, seemingly forever, to the south.
There’s a mob of kangaroos that regularly resides in this area and we were luck to see, up close, a mother and her joey grazing near the northern end of the gorge walk. We also caught a glimpse of an osprey, looking for a fish feed off the headland.
South Gorge Beach offers safe paddling and swimming, as the shallows go a long way out. If you want to go further south to Main Beach, however, then take care to swim between the flags (where the beach is patrolled) as there are many rips and gutters.
Written 23 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sylvie
Australia146 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
2-3 days is just enough to get around and see the sites on this lovely island. Depending on your accommodation it would be worth staying even longer if you can during this non-busy period of the year. Our highlights were the Gorge and Whale walks, Cylinder, Frenchmans and Flinders beaches. All very different and absolutely pristine with white sand and clear warm seas. Our accommodation was at Kangaroo Point which was literaly 3 minutes walk to Cylinder beach.
We found it all very casual on this island. No upmarket 5 star restaurants rather casual and budget friendly dining with friendly and professional staff. We recommend taking your food with you and doing lots of BBQ's or experience some of the fresh seafood shops for your outdoor dining.
We also recommend trying the Saint Stradbroke wine bar in Dunwich. They are open past 3pm and offer excellent service, wines and coffee plus light meals. Right behind the Saint Stradbroke wine bar is also the Brewery which is worth a visit as well.
The island offers great camping spots by the sea. Very handy to the ocean beaches if you prefer waves. There were no large hotel resorts or high-rise hotels we could find. The island manages to balance the crowds, the development, national park and natural aesthetic as well as you can find anywhere. Also, we loved that there were no fast-food restaurants on the island. The locals are very friendly and helpful, and it is an island that is very respectful to its indigenous owners, history, and visitors.
If you visit in the month of May, (during a non-school holiday period) you will find few tourists and plenty of parking and access to everything. So, we felt we had the beaches to ourselves. Incredibly quiet and beautiful with lots to explore. Amity Point was full of birdlife, with flat seas and lots of wilderness right up to the water. 4WD best for exploring there.
We discovered a golf course up in the middle of the island with some nice views as well. Brown lake was nice, but not amazing. Lookout Point was the jewel of the island. You will find some dog friendly beaches there and good access to the headland with its vast sturdy and winding wooden boardwalks that hug the coastline. Top on our list was the Cylinder, Gorge and Whale Walkways. We were enthralled by the beauty of the island. The Main Beach stretches thirty-eight klm long and 11 klm wide. 4 Wheel Driving is a must on this beach, however when we visited it was not permitted due to the high tides. On our brief stay we spotted lots of kangaroos; kookaburra's; wild dolphins; two wedge tail eagles; many sea birds and bush stone curlews. In summary a nature lovers haven. NOTE: Patchy internet across the island and please be mindful of the speed limits on this island, i.e. 30klm per hour at Point Lookout. Wildlife crosses the roads regularly. Remember to take your rubbish and if you walk along the beach and you see some plastic washed up, pick it up and remove it to a bid up on the roadside. If we all do our bit, this will remain another South East gem of the Queensland coastline.
We found it all very casual on this island. No upmarket 5 star restaurants rather casual and budget friendly dining with friendly and professional staff. We recommend taking your food with you and doing lots of BBQ's or experience some of the fresh seafood shops for your outdoor dining.
We also recommend trying the Saint Stradbroke wine bar in Dunwich. They are open past 3pm and offer excellent service, wines and coffee plus light meals. Right behind the Saint Stradbroke wine bar is also the Brewery which is worth a visit as well.
The island offers great camping spots by the sea. Very handy to the ocean beaches if you prefer waves. There were no large hotel resorts or high-rise hotels we could find. The island manages to balance the crowds, the development, national park and natural aesthetic as well as you can find anywhere. Also, we loved that there were no fast-food restaurants on the island. The locals are very friendly and helpful, and it is an island that is very respectful to its indigenous owners, history, and visitors.
If you visit in the month of May, (during a non-school holiday period) you will find few tourists and plenty of parking and access to everything. So, we felt we had the beaches to ourselves. Incredibly quiet and beautiful with lots to explore. Amity Point was full of birdlife, with flat seas and lots of wilderness right up to the water. 4WD best for exploring there.
We discovered a golf course up in the middle of the island with some nice views as well. Brown lake was nice, but not amazing. Lookout Point was the jewel of the island. You will find some dog friendly beaches there and good access to the headland with its vast sturdy and winding wooden boardwalks that hug the coastline. Top on our list was the Cylinder, Gorge and Whale Walkways. We were enthralled by the beauty of the island. The Main Beach stretches thirty-eight klm long and 11 klm wide. 4 Wheel Driving is a must on this beach, however when we visited it was not permitted due to the high tides. On our brief stay we spotted lots of kangaroos; kookaburra's; wild dolphins; two wedge tail eagles; many sea birds and bush stone curlews. In summary a nature lovers haven. NOTE: Patchy internet across the island and please be mindful of the speed limits on this island, i.e. 30klm per hour at Point Lookout. Wildlife crosses the roads regularly. Remember to take your rubbish and if you walk along the beach and you see some plastic washed up, pick it up and remove it to a bid up on the roadside. If we all do our bit, this will remain another South East gem of the Queensland coastline.
Written 10 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debbie K
8 contributions
Sept 2021
Plenty of infrastructure here. Lots of things to see and do. Spectacular views abound. Easy access from Brisbane.
Written 9 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oriti claire
Gold Coast, Australia123 contributions
Nov 2024 • Friends
One of the most beautiful natural islands in south-east Queensland. It is the 2nd largest sand island in the world. Plenty to see & do for 3 days. Camping grounds available or accommodation in units/houses. There are a small number of restaurants, bars & cafes & a few small supermarkets. Picturesque wild ocean beaches, great walk from Point Lookout.
Written 8 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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