Around the World

We rushed to get to the vehicular ferry on time at 10am. The weather was beautiful. Alan, Faye and I went to Flinders Beach to set up camp after we dropped off Trebor, a friend, at his caravan. It was a challenge setting up in the wind. We made a big pasta dinner and I slept on the beach.

North Stradbroke Island is one of Australia's premier natural treasures and a perfect escape destination in the Redlands Shire.

North Stradbroke Island, colloquially referred to as ‘Stradbroke’ or ‘Straddie’, is one of the largest sand islands in the world, with kilometres of white sandy beaches fringing the island's eastern side. The calm waters of Moreton Bay lap against the shores of the island's western fishing towns.

North Stradbroke Island is easily accessible by fast water taxi or vehicular ferry from Cleveland.

In the morning we went to pick up Gavin and Donna at the ferry terminal. We visited the caravan park, pumped yabbies, and had tea in Dunwich.

On Sunday we went to Point Lookout, hiked around the gorges, and drove down main beach in the Landrover. We swam in the surf with our hats on. Later we took a dip in Blue Lake, a fresh water lake. Donna and I hung around the caravan camp and spent our last night . We saw a spectacular sunset.

With an incredible diversity of experiences to offer and beautiful spots to explore, North Stradbroke is a popular holiday destination for families, couples and adventure-seekers alike. It is perfect for day trips, short stays or week-long breakaways. The townships of Amity Point, Dunwich and Point Lookout have a range of attractions to offer.

Stradbroke's unspoilt beaches and headlands are perfect for swimming, surfing, sailing, sea kayaking, diving and fishing all year round. Whales, dolphins, turtles and manta rays can often be spotted from the spectacular Point Lookout at the northern tip of the island. See whales and marine life for details.

The island has been listed as one of the world's most ecologically important wetlands and has several freshwater lakes, waterways and lagoons.

Amity Point
A fishing village on the calm waters of the channel between Straddie.

Brown Lake
A natural perched lake, pure yet tinged brown by the native teatrees. The island has two freshwater lakes, Brown Lake and the beautiful Blue Lake situated in Blue Lake National Park.

Cylinder Beach
This Beach derived its name from 1932 as an embarkation point for the supply of gas cylinders for the Point Lookout lighthouse

Deadman’s Beach
Deadman's Beach got its name from a gruesome discovery. In 1902 a ship named Prosperity en route from Sydney to north Queensland with a cargo of sugar machinery sank in the Coral Sea off Point Lookout. A local stockman cared for five survivors of the shipwreck but more than 50 years later a skeleton and a boot were uncovered in the sand on a nearby beach. He was believed to be the ship's cook and the beach was named Deadman's Beach following the discovery of his remains.

Flinders Beach
Flinders Beach stretches between Point lookout and Amity Point, offering excellent fishing.

Frenchman’s Beach
Frenchman’s Beach is flanked by two magnificent rocky headlands.

Home Beach
Named after Home Rock, the headland separating Home and Cylinder Beaches.

Main Beach
Main Beach is the most popular swimming and surfing and fishing beach at Straddie. Stretching for 32 kilometers from Point Lookout to Jumpinpin at the southernmost tip of the island, Main Beach is a vision, disappearing into the distance in a haze where the sand, sea and sky merge on the horizon.

Point Lookout
Point Lookout gets its name from the most eastern and majestic of the rocky headlands.

The climate is subtropical, with sunshine almost all year round. Temperatures in coastal South-East Queensland range from an average of 20°C in July to an average of 28°C in February.

We returned to Cleveland on the vehicular ferry. We inflated the tires onboard. That evening we prepared for our trip to North Qeensland. After looking at all the options with buses and trains, we decided to drive a car.