A Great Travel Destination Near Brisbane - North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island, located 30 kilometers east of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia, is the world's second largest sand island. It combines the best parts of the Sunshine Coast and Byron Bay, far away from the hustle and bustle, making it a perfect holiday destination for all kinds of travelers. There are three towns on the island, with comfortable holiday homes and hotels, as well as vibrant beachside camping grounds. Watching dolphins, sea turtles, and manta rays is the most popular activity here. There are also countless natural attractions such as freshwater lakes, cape lookout towers, and headland trails to meet travelers' needs. June to November is the best time to see humpback whales.
This year, I looked forward to my birthday for a long time. It was like this year's pandemic — it came for a long time and was reluctant to leave.
Later, I decided to stay on the island for a few days. It was the first time I celebrated my birthday in such a special way.
North Island is about 40 kilometers in a straight line from Brisbane city. It's about 30 kilometers from home to the ferry terminal, a 40-minute roll-on/roll-off ferry ride to the island's terminal, and then about a 40-minute drive to Point Lookout, which has the best scenery. We prefer this area, so we arranged our accommodation nearby. There are many types of hotels; tourism development here is very mature. There are also many homestays, camping grounds, and pre-set tents. There's a wide range of choices. We had already been there twice last year, so this time we didn't need to do any research. (For a detailed guide to this island, you can refer to a post I wrote last year: https://you.ctrip.com/travels/queensland25026/3906656.html)
The water is particularly beautiful — deep blue in the distance and emerald green near the shore. Kangaroos are everywhere on land. Many people say there are also many koalas, but I didn't see any during my three visits — a small regret. In this sea, just stand by the coast for a moment, and you can see whales spouting in the distance, dolphins and sea turtles playing nearby, and even sharks.
At Amity Point, the pelicans — everyone who visits here has photos of them. From morning to night, they are either swimming or squatting here.
This kangaroo is a screenshot from a video, not very clear. It must have been startled by the sound of our car, hopping from one side of the road into the forest on the other.
Small animals in the backyard of the hotel!
Last year, we hiked in the national park at the other end of the island. This time, we purely relaxed in the sun, centering our activities around Point Lookout. Most of the time, we spread a blanket on the grass or on the beach to sunbathe, and we also walked around the boardwalk again and again, enjoying the coastal scenery.
On the first night on the island, we set two crab pots at Amity Point. The wind was too strong; we waited for a long time, got a belly full of wind, and caught nothing. Actually, the crab pots should be left overnight and collected early the next morning for a sure catch. We didn't want to get up early or come back here, so we waited a while that night and left due to the wind. I remember last year we caught some sea urchins here.
Amity Point:
The clouds were thick, and the rain varied in intensity.
We watched the sunset at Cylinder Beach Foreshore (as shown on my phone). It wasn't as good as the two spots last year, because the sea had distant mountains behind it. The red sun set behind the mountains, lacking the eerie and amazing feeling of being swallowed by the sea. The clouds were also not good — not stunning. One day it even rained, with thick clouds until evening.
Rocks near Cylinder Beach Foreshore.
However, the restaurant Manra Ray near the wide beach was great — sitting outdoors, enjoying the seaside atmosphere was wonderful.
That day, we stood on the hilltop at Point Lookout for a long time, watching two young people chatting and surfing in the clear waves. The next day without them, the beauties on the beach suddenly became dazzling, and the distant scenery also caught our eyes.
On the long shallow beach, without big waves, we were gently wrapped by the seawater and fine sand.
The sea changes every day.
Fishermen on the beach!
Main Beach Headland Reserve is a great place to watch whales and the sea.
A good spot for ice cream, coffee, chatting, and daydreaming.
Every day we came, we would sit here for 1-2 hours. Almost everyone had a cup of ice cream in hand.
The hotel (The Islander Holiday Resort) was far inferior to last time — an apartment-style, old-fashioned resort hotel from many years ago. Many places on the island have no internet; at least the hotels this time and last time had no signal or wifi in the rooms. During the long nights, we passed the time with TV and a quickly falling-apart book from the hotel. We originally wanted to book the place we stayed last year, but because it was a short holiday, we couldn't get a room.
At check-in, the front desk said that due to this year's pandemic, everyone is staying local. In previous years at this time, more than half the rooms were empty, but this winter, rooms were hard to find. No one dares to risk a spontaneous trip of hundreds or thousands of kilometers. Not daring to leave the state, even the distant Great Barrier Reef within the state (1800 km from Brisbane; we only reached the outer reef at 1200 km at Christmas, accessible by plane or self-drive) has few visitors from other cities; everyone gathers nearby.
If I had to recommend places to visit nearby, I'd recommend North Island: close, good ecology, beautiful scenery, and quiet. Closer Moreton Island (Dolphin Island) has been suggested by friends several times, but never came to fruition. After reading others' guides and introductions, feeding dolphins (we've touched them in oceanariums), sandboarding, and surfing are things we can't do — not very attractive — and I haven't seriously researched it. If there's time and opportunity, maybe we can go once.
A drawing by a child on the island.
The only inconvenience on the island is that there is no large supermarket, only small fruit and vegetable markets. If staying long, resupply is not convenient. There are few restaurants, and limited food choices.
Happy!
