The lookout on the Neembeemba walking track
Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) is one of the most picturesque locations in South East Queensland, with beautiful beaches, spectacular rocky headlands and numerous freshwater lakes and wetlands.
Tailor-made for adventure, or as a haven from the bustle of big city life, ‘Straddie’ (as the island is affectionately known) is the perfect getaway destination, easily accessed by car and passenger ferries from Cleveland on the mainland to Dunwich on the island’s west coast.
Twin sand islands
Together with Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) and Bribie Island/Yarun, Minjerribah was formed over the past million years or so from sand swept north along the coast by wind and ocean currents and deposited in large masses around rocky outcrops. When the ocean dropped to its present level about 10,000 years ago, the sand banks became exposed as islands and defined as we see them today. North and South Stradbroke Islands were originally formed as a single sand mass but became separated in the mid-1890s at the narrow Jumpinpin Channel. Together, they partially enclose the south-east quadrant of Moreton Bay about 40km south-east of Brisbane. North Stradbroke is the larger of the twins, about 38km long and 11km wide, and at 275sq km it is the second largest sand island in the world, after K'gari (Fraser Island).
First inhabitants
The Noonuccal (Nunagal) and Goenpul (Goenbal) people have lived on Minjerribah for some 25,000 years, in one of the longest continuing Indigenous settlements on Australia’s east coast. They call the island Minjerribah (‘island in the sun’) and pay homage to the creator sea spirit ‘Quandamook', who took the form of a dolphin. Their occupation is recorded in many archaeological sites across the island in shell middens, bora rings, burial sites, fish traps and pathways. On 4 July 2011, the Federal Court formally acknowledged the Traditional Owners’ native title over the majority of Minjerribah, several nearby islands and parts of the surrounding waters of Moreton Bay.
As proud members of the broader Quandamooka people of Moreton Bay, the people of Minjerribah are keen to share their heritage through experienced Indigenous guides on a variety of cultural journeys that are enlightening, informative and entertaining. The signature event in Minjerribah’s cultural calendar is the Quandamooka Festival, which runs from early June to August each year and features an exciting program of live music, traditional dance, art and cultural workshops. The festival culminates with the annual Winnam Kunjiel (Corroboree), in which the best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers from across Australia compete for the Quandamooka Festival Cup.
European contact
In May 1770, Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island was sighted by James Cook, who named Point Lookout on the island’s north-east extremity and many other landmarks. Moreton Bay was unexplored by Europeans until Matthew Flinders' voyage in 1799. Flinders returned in 1803 in the cutter Hope, while returning to Sydney to mount a mission to rescue shipmates stranded on a coral cay after their vessel was wrecked in the Barrier Reef. He landed briefly on the north coast, where he was assisted by local Noonuccal people in replenishing water supplies that enabled him to continue his journey.
North Gorge is a spectacular feature of the walk around Point Lookout
From convicts to colony
In 1823, John Oxley explored Moreton Bay in search of a possible location for a penal settlement to relieve the pressure on resources in Sydney. On Oxley’s recommendation, a penal colony was established at Redcliffe in 1824 but was later moved to a site on the Brisbane River which offered a more reliable water supply. Under the command of Captain Patrick Logan, the settlement flourished and became the springboard for development of the river catchment and settlement by immigrants from Europe who soon outnumbered the convicts. In 1859, Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales, with Sir George Bowen its first governor and Brisbane as the capital.
Surf rolling onto the beach at Frenchmans Bay near Point Lookout
European settlement
European occupation of Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island began in 1825 with a pilot station at Amity Point. More fertile soil, good sources of fresh water and a better harbour were later found further south at the site of present-day Dunwich, and European settlement was concentrated there. A major Aboriginal camp was located nearby at Myora Spring and ethnic tensions between the two groups resulted in many acrimonious clashes. Undeterred, colonial authorities established a depot and staging post at Dunwich, where cargo was transferred from large ships into smaller, shallow-draught vessels to be carried over the sand bars of Brisbane River and up to the penal settlement. Around this time, the island was named Stradbroke, in honour of the Earl of Stradbroke, father of Captain Henry Rous who had recently charted Moreton Bay.
In 1849, a quarantine station was also established at Dunwich, and was put into service within a year when the ship Emigrant arrived with passengers infected with typhus, many of whom died and were buried on the island. From 1864, the quarantine station functioned as the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum for old and infirm paupers, inebriates and the badly disabled. This was expanded in 1892 by the addition of a hospital for patients with incurable diseases, mostly leprosy. The asylum and hospital were closed in 1947 and its residents transferred to mainland facilities. In 1893, the Myora Aboriginal mission was established at Moongalba, in the island’s north, and later operated as a state-run ‘industrial and reformatory school’ until it was closed in 1943.
History buffs can delve into the island’s Indigenous and European heritage at the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum in Dunwich. Opened by the Sixth Earl of Stradbroke in 1988, the museum contains permanent exhibitions on Minjerribah’s Indigenous culture, 200 turbulent years of shared history since European settlement, the Point Lookout Lighthouse and shipwrecks that have occurred along the island’s coast. Pick up a copy of the North Stradbroke Island Heritage Trail brochure and set off to explore the 30 places of interest listed around the island.
Tortoise Lagoon nestled among woodland along Kaboora Walking Track
Sand mining
Sand mining on North Stradbroke began at Main Beach in 1949, to extract silica and minerals containing zirconium, titanium and other rare-earth metals. By 1956, the beachfront had been exhausted of its high-grade resources and operations were moved inland. Using an extraction method called ‘dredge mining’, the sand dunes were stripped of vegetation, scoured of sand and the tailings re-formed using rudimentary rehabilitation techniques. As the industry expanded during the 1970s, the impact on the island’s natural ecosystems and Indigenous heritage sites increased dramatically. Anti-mining sentiment grew and the question of whether sand mining should continue was hotly debated, both locally and in the state parliament. Over the course of four decades, the controversy raged on through protests and legal battles until, ultimately, environmentalists won out. Since 2015, two of the three mines have been closed and the third will cease operating in 2025.
The urban landscape
Minjerribah (North Stradbroke) has a resident population of just over 2000 divided mainly between the three townships of Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout. Tourism is superseding sand mining as the island’s economic mainstay, with visitor numbers approaching 400,000 annually. The largest town is Dunwich, where the vehicle and passenger ferry, barges and water taxis arrive from the mainland. It has most of the island's services, with a couple of cafes, some general stores, a medical centre and a number of interesting attractions. Occupying the northeast headland, the upmarket Point Lookout is the island’s main holiday destination, with tourist apartments built atop ridges close to the beach to take advantage of sweeping ocean views. There are a few shops, a surf club and a caravan park nearby. Amity Point is the island’s smallest community, located on the north-west corner with some ofd the best views of South Passage and Moreton Bay. The township has developed as a holiday resort close to Flinders Beach where beach fishing and four-wheel driving are popular. It has a delightful bayside park with a jetty, a caravan park and a top-class restaurant in Sealevel 21. Sealed roads connect the three townships, and another crosses the island from Dunwich to Main Beach.
Disembarking from a regular ferry service at Dunwich
The natural environment
Minjerribah (North Stradbroke) is blessed with a rich diversity of native plants and animals, many of which are rare, threatened or found only on the island. Mangrove communities sustain breeding grounds and nurseries for marine invertebrates, fish and mud crabs, while the adjacent saltmarshes are foraging grounds for flocks of shorebirds across numerous species. More than 100 freshwater lakes and wetlands provide essential habitats for unique ‘acid’ frogs, pygmy perch and other aquatic species.
The two largest lakes are Blue Lake (Kaboora, meaning ‘deep, silent pool’), a site of great cultural importance to the local Indigenous people; and Brown Lake (Bumeira), a popular swimming hole with facilities for picnics and barbecues. ‘The Keyholes’ are a series of clear, freshwater lakes that are popular with canoeists.
A coastal wetland near Alfred Martin Way behind Main Beach
There's plenty of natural beauty to explore during your visit. The hinterland is covered in a patchwork of banksia heath, open woodlands and tall eucalypt forests, which collectively harbour an array of animal species, including 260 birds, 34 reptiles and 18 mammals. A genetically distinct population of koalas has evolved on the island in isolation from their mainland cousins.
The surrounding bay and ocean waters teem with marine life. Dolphins are common and increasing numbers of migrating humpback whales can be seen between June and October. Dugongs feed on the seagrass meadows on the western side of the island, while green and loggerhead turtles have nesting sites along the eastern beach. Manta rays and grey nurse sharks cruise offshore, and the rocky reef outcrops contain the world’s largest known aggregation of zebra sharks.
The panoramic view from the lookout on Tripod Track
Conservation
Currently, about 50 per cent of the island is protected by Naree Budjong Djara (My Mother Earth) National Park, including some areas that were formerly sand-mined and are now under rehabilitation. The national park is jointly managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC), representing the island’s traditional owners. Minjerribah Camping Pty Ltd manages the Minjerribah Recreation Area and issues all camping and vehicle access permits for it. The waters surrounding both North and South Stradbroke Islands are part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, which is managed solely by QPWS.
Bushwalking
There are six walking trails within the national park: five in the Kaboora section, 9km east of Dunwich; and one in the Mount Bippo Penbean section in the island’s north. All the tracks are one-way but the network around Kaboora can be combined to form a circuit, which takes in magnificent bushland, panoramic lookouts and the Blue Lake. In addition, the 1.5km (return) North Gorge Walk around the heritage-listed Point Lookout foreshore explores the headland’s unique geology of colourful rhyolite cliffs, deep gorges and blowholes, and provides expansive ocean views to the north and south. Viewing platforms are strategically located along the walking track where you can watch for marine wildlife in the surrounding waters and humpback whales passing on their annual migration.
A scribbly gum beside a walking trail in the national park
Fishing
Fishing opportunities on North Stradbroke are almost unlimited, with just about every kind of fish to be found in South East Queensland waters available in good numbers around the year. Popular spots include the rock retaining walls at Dunwich, the beach and jetty at Amity Point and anywhere along Flinders and Main Beaches. Rock species are available off the headlands around Point Lookout but, as with most rock fishing locations, this is a risky exercise due to their exposure to rogue waves. There are public boat ramps at One Mile (near Dunwich) and Amity for ready access to the calm waters of Moreton Bay and the passage between Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Mulgumpin (Moreton island). The waters around Minjerribah are part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and regulations impose bag and size limits of some species. Make sure you ‘know the zones’ and the rules that operate within them.
Four-wheel driving
Four-wheel driving enthusiasts will definitely enjoy getting offroad on North Stradbroke and there are a couple of scenic drives on offer. Main Beach (32km one way) is an easy two-hour run on firm sand with no creek crossings from Point Lookout to the island’s southern tip on the Jumpinpin Channel. Flinders Beach (7km one way) is a pleasant half-hour drive between Amity Point and Adder Rock, with a couple of shallow creek crossings. Both drives are tide-dependent and you’ll need a vehicle access permit. Normal road rules apply, and speed limits are enforced. The inland Tripod Track (11km one way) connects the East Coast Road in the north and the Alfred Martin way in the south. The track is very sandy, soft and rutted, and exposed tree roots running across the track make it a bit lumpy in places. It’s a two-way track but mostly single lane, so watch out for oncoming vehicles, especially on blind corners. A lookout about 2.5km from the northern end provides spectacular panoramic views across the hinterland to Moreton Bay.
For some advice on sand driving, check out this article 'Beating the sand bog blues'.
The access to Main Beach from Point Lookout
Camping
Minjerribah Camping manages camping facilities at seven locations. Five campgrounds at Amity Point, Adder Rock, Cylinder Beach, Home Beach and Bradbury’s Beach are accessible by 2WD vehicles on paved roads. They all offer powered and unpowered sites suitable for tents, camper trailers and caravans, and some have cabins (with ensuites), ‘glamping’ tents (with fridges) and self-contained, multi-bedroom houses. Amenities include potable water, flush toilets, hot showers (on timer), laundries (coin operated) and undercover barbecue areas. Two low-key beachfront camping zones are located on Flinders Beach and Main Beach, with limited facilities. Camping permits are required for all sites, and you’ll need a vehicle access permit for the foreshore camping zones which are only accessible by 4WD vehicles.
Beachside camping at Amity Point Caravan Park
If you want to keep the island paradise adventure going, check out some of Australia's other islands below:
- Bribie Island / Yarun, Qld: Best things to see and do
- Exploring K'gari (Fraser Island), Qld
- Plan the ultimate trip to Phillip Island, Victoria
- A guide to what to see and do on Rottnest Island, WA
- Explore the magical Tiwi Islands | Northern Territory
Contact information
P: 07 3059 4042
E: info@minjerribahcamping.net.au
North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum
P: 07 3409 9699
E: info@stradbrokemuseum.com.au
P: 1300 133 779 / 07 3488 5300
E: seq@sealink.com.au
P: 07 3488 5300
E: info@stradbrokeferries.com.au
Stradbroke Flyer (‘Gold Cats’)
P: 07 3821 3821
E: flyer@flyer.com.au
P: 0433 171 477
P: 07 3415 2816
E: admin@quandamookafestival.com.au
Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service
P: 0438 882 033
E: admin@yuratours.com.au
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