Your ULTIMATE Guide to North Stradbroke Island

Nov 1, 2021 2547 0 0

Want to know the best way to get around North Stradbroke? Here’s how!

We joined the North Stradbroke Island Tour which we highly recommend joining especially if you don’t want to stress about making your own itineraries!

We started the day off and met our small group and tour guide, Rio, in Brisbane CBD. There, we loaded up the van and took off on a 45 minute drive to Cleveland, where our ferry to paradise awaited.

On our way over, Rio ran through the day’s itinerary with us. He promised exciting wildlife encounters, and beautiful locations. We were so excited!

When we arrived on the island, we made our way over to our first stop. On the drive, Rio talked about the island, telling us that it was the second biggest sand island in the world! The first, being Fraser Island, just north of Brisbane. He also talked about the cultural and historical significance of the Indigenous people of the island, the Quandamooka People.

Brown Lake

Our first stop was Brown Lake, which was only a five minute drive from the port. When Rio first told us that the lake was a rich brown colour, I was a bit skeptical. I didn’t really know what to expect from his description, but upon arrival, I was blown away!

The water was calm and beautiful, perfect for activities like swimming and kayaking. The white sands leading to the lake were silky and soft, it was unbelievable! Rio told us that the lake’s brown hues and likeness to a mug of tea comes from the tea-trees surrounding the water, the leaves of which fall into the lake and give the water its iconic, rich brown colour!

Cylinder Beach

From Brown Lake, we made our way to Cylinder Beach. The beach was 20 minutes away from the lake, but with the wonderful sub-tropical landscapes Stradbroke had to offer, 20 minutes felt too short a drive.

By the time we arrived in Cylinder Beach, it was noon, and the sun was high in the sky. The sounds of the rolling waves were enticing, and I couldn’t wait to take a dip in the water.

The waves were a lot more tame that day, making the water sparkle in the sunlight, and the colours of the water really pop. Up close, we were all in awe of the crystal clear, cerulean waters! The cloudless sky, and blue horizon offered the perfect backdrop for taking pictures, which I can assure you, our entire group did.

I mean, with a view like that, who could blame us?

Lunch & Gorge Walk

Afterwards, for lunch, we stopped at a strip of restaurants to have a taste of Straddie’s famous fish and chips, and ice cream by Point Lookout. I had some of the chips for lunch, and true to its word, they were delicious! You definitely need to stop by and have a taste for yourself!

The hot and sunny day was also a perfect excuse to get some ice cream. My friend, Clarrine, treated herself to a popular rum and raisin flavour, which she enjoyed on our relaxing walk along Gorge Walk.

Gorge Walk offered a view over the ocean, where we watched on as plenty of people surfed, and swam to cool off the day’s heat. During the walk, we saw a lot of exciting wildlife. All along the trail, you could hear the excited sounds of our group, pointing to the water at a few sea turtles swimming around.

We had to put a stop to our walk for a bit, as part of the trail was closed due to erosion affecting that part of the trail. We made a detour to the other end of the trail, going by the main road again, where we were met with wild kangaroos!

It was a particularly exciting experience for Clarrine, as it was the first time she had ever seen a wild kangaroo out in nature! You can tell how happy she is by the bright smile on her face!

From there, we continued our tour of Gorge Walk, enjoying the views of the ocean and the surrounding nature. We hopped off the trail and onto a rocky area overlooking the ocean, where our group took plenty of pictures.

Amity Point

Our last stop of the day was Amity Point, where we spent the rest of our time on the island relaxing. Amity Point beach had a small area corralled by nets. The water is calm and free of waves, perfect for young children to swim in.

Clarrine and I made our way over to the jetty. There were a few people were fishing and swimming in the deeper water.

We took our shoes off and put our feet in the water, basking in the afternoon sun. The water was perfectly cool for a hot day!

Going home…

But the tour didn’t end there! On our ferry ride home, as we sat atop the vessel, sitting in the breeze. We were treated to the sight of dolphins! Everyone on deck was excitedly pointing them out, taking videos and photos as the dolphins briefly splashed across the surface.