North Stradbroke Island, Qld

Located 30 km southeast of Brisbane, North Stradbroke Island are only 13 km from the seaside suburbs of Cleveland and Redland Bay by regular ferry services.

North Stradbroke Island is about 38 km long and 11 km wide while

North Stradbroke Island is a predominantly sand island, although it is not a true sand island like Fraser and Moreton Islands. It is noted for the long, clean white beaches of its eastern coastline, the rich diversity of its flora which includes wild orchids, and its isolation and peacefulness.

Dunwich

The ferries, barges and water taxis from the mainland arrive at Dunwich on the western side of North Stradbroke Island.

Blue Lake National Park

The island's greatest attractions are undoubtedly its natural attractions. The beautiful 445 ha Blue Lake National Park, located 10 km east of Dunwich, has an unusual freshwater water table lake set in sand dunes.

The lake itself covers 7.3 hectares and is 9.4 metres at its greatest depth and is incredibly blue. The fauna in the park includes swamp wallabies, skinks, ospreys and the mottled tree frog and the flora ranges from dry sclerophyll forest through heath, swamps, marshes, and scrub. It is possible, although rare, to see the golden wallabies in the area.

The Blue Lake (the native name is Lake Kaboora) can be reached by taking a 2.5 kilometre walk from the Trans-Island Road. If this walk is done either in the early morning or the late afternoon visitors are likely to see the fauna of the area.

Brown Lake

Brown Lake (the native name is Bumeira) offers freshwater swimming and Eighteen Mile Swamp supports a rich variety of native fauna. Brown Lake is only five minutes from Dunwich.

It can be reached by taking a short gravel road which turns off the main Trans-Island road. There are good picnic and barbeque facilities around the lake's edges and it offers excellent freshwater swimming.

There are walking trails around the edge of the lake and it is possible to see a range of orchids growing wild. The main settlements - Dunwich, Amity Point, and Point Lookout have become popular holiday resorts with camping and caravan facilities.

Point Lookout

Point Lookout is Queensland's most easterly point. Many people tend to think that the coast bends eastward north of Brisbane but in fact North Stradbroke Island is the state's most easterly island. In recent times, with whale watching becoming one of Queensland's major attractions, Point Lookout has become a popular destination.

Its steep cliffs afford an excellent vantage point between June and September when the Humpback whales make their way past the island on their way to the breeding grounds further north. There are a number of excellent walking tracks in the area. Twenty-Two Mile Beach To the south of Point Lookout is Twenty-Two Mile Beach

Amity Point's location means that it is vulnerable to tidal action. This has caused considerable beach erosion in recent times. A number of houses and a kiosk have been victims of beach erosion in recent times. The township has a particularly delightful park which not only is ideal for picnics but also provides excellent views over Moreton Bay. Now a popular tourist destination (although hardly in the same class as the Gold and Sunshine coasts) the popular activities include swimming and fishing.