ATTRACTION NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND

Beachtrekkers offers you a full day tour, starting with hotel/accomodation pick-ups from 6:50 - 7:30am and drop-offs around 5:30pm. After all pick-ups have been made, we head north to catch the car ferry to North Stradbroke Island, one of the worlds largest sand islands. On the way we make a brief visit to Yatala Pies for a toilet break and a quick breakfast, if necessary, before continuing on to Cleveland - 'The Gateway to Moreton Bay', where we may be able to see some wallabies and wild koalas in their natural habitat, before boarding the ferry.

From Cleveland to North Stradbroke Island is a 45 minute journey across the waters of Moreton Bay, on the spacious modern car-ferry 'Quandamooka'. Morning tea is served on the ferry, which you can enjoy as you stroll around the decks, taking in the panoramic views of Brisbane, Moreton Island and Stradbroke Island, while keeping an eye out for dolphins and dugongs in the calm waters of the bay.

Main Beach offers 32 kilometres of unspoilt sand, dunes and surf. It is popular with boardriders and bodysurfers who enjoy big swells. The waves are large and powerful and the views are spectacular. The headland is the best vantage point for watching the surfing action and spotting dolphins. Main Beach is best during northerly winds, when snorkelling and scuba diving are ideal along the north wall.

North Stradbroke Island's impressive headland walk North Gorge Walk is an absolute must do! The 1.2 kilometre boardwalk follows the headland of Point Lookout offering views which are simply breathtaking. The clear waters make it easy to spot for marine life including turtles, dolphins and manta ray, a treat in itself. It is also the best vantage point on the island to see the migrating humpback whales pass between the months of June and November. The Gorge Walk is a North Stradbroke Island icon and reveals just how pristine and unspoiled the island truly is. Access to the Gorge Walk is on Moloomba Road at Point Lookout, opposite Fishes Cafe and the Oceanic Gelati Shop.

Cylinder Beach is a picturesque cove between Cylinder and Home Beach Headlands. It is popular with families because it is easily accessible with a carpark situated only metres from the beach.The waves at Cylinder are often smaller and therefore it is perfect for sun bathing and swimming during good weather conditions. However during strong southerly winds there is a side sweep which may carry you parallel to the beach. Cylinder Beach is also a favourite with surfers when the conditions are right. Lifeguards and lifesavers patrol this beach.

North Stradbroke Island is synonymous with good times and peacefulness. Its residents also felt the heartache that WWI handed mainland Australia. An Honour Board to those who served in WWI, funded by Thomas Welsby was installed in the Dunwich Hall. The Dunwich Benevolent Asylum provided accommodation for some returned servicemen at the end of the war. Dunwich was much more populated during WWII and many more were able to participate in this war. A white painted cairn was unveiled by Premier Frank Nicklin on 11 March 1967, as a tribute to Stradbroke locals who had enlisted in all conflicts including WWI. Tellingly, the Aboriginal flag flies alongside the Australian flag at remembrance services. Even though Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not considered 'Australian' back in 1914, many enlisted, about 500 nationally according to the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not recognised as citizens of Australia until 1967. The plinth remembers later conflicts too: WWII, Malaya, Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam. Stradbroke's most famous poet (and activist) Oodgeroo Noonuccal, known also as Kath Walker, served as a telephonist in the armed forces in WWII.

This rocky reef off North Stradbroke Island near Brisbane is ranked in the top 10 dive sites in Australia, and attracts marine life like a magnet (especially over the warmer months). Manta Rays are the main attraction, with groups of three or four regularly spotted swimming together. Also common are leopard sharks, shovelnose rays, wobbegong sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, pelagic fish and turtles.

On North Stradbroke Island, Blue Lake National Park protects coastal wallum and a freshwater lake of special significance to the local Aboriginal people, the Quandamooka. Walk through wallum woodlands with stunted eucalypt trees, wallum banksias and a flowering heath understorey to Blue Lake. Take your camera and binoculars. Look for birds, sand goannas and swamp wallabies early morning and late afternoon. Enjoy the wildflowers in spring. Blue Lake or Karboora is a window lake formed with a hollow in the islands water table. Blue Lakes' crystal clear, blue waters are home to the soft-spined sunfish.

Flat Rock is one of the most exciting dive sites off Brisbane. Surrounding this rocky island are beautiful coral reefs. Encounter turtles, leopard sharks, eagle rays, reef fish, pelagic fish and even the odd manta ray. It is most famous for its grey nurse shark population, which gather at a site called "Shark Alley" each Winter.