Beautiful… yes, definitely beautiful.

I was in two minds about writing about my recent visit to Moreton Island. It was so incredibly BEAUTIFUL, I wanted to scream it from the rooftops, but one of the things that made it so beautiful was the peace, serenity… and lack of people… so I needed to decide whether or not I might just want to keep this one to myself.

Alas… keeping secrets is not one of my strengths, especially when it comes to amazing, beautiful (yes, that word again) and picturesque locations… so screaming from rooftops has won out in this instance.

Moreton Island sits north east of Brisbane and is in fact the third largest sand island in the world (I bet you didn’t know that!). Divided from the mainland by Moreton Bay, it is easily accessible by ferry, which runs from both Port of Brisbane (vehicles and pedestrians) and Pinkenba (pedestrians only).

And so the adventure begins. Amarok packed to the hilt – with all the unnecessary trimmings that you feel compelled to take when there is room – including generator (for the coffee machine and Nutribullet, that we put to good use making strawberry daiquiris instead of the more traditional, and ‘much better for us’, breakfast smoothies).

We took the ferry (MICAT) from Port of Brisbane, drove the car on board, and then made our way to the top deck to watch the scenic waterways of Brisbane fade behind us.



The trip itself takes about 90 minutes, and you might want to decide on a designated driver if you are going to hit the ferry’s bar as all of the normal road rules still apply. BTW, you will need a vehicle permit for the island if you are planning on taking the 4WD, and perhaps keep and eye on the tides (the boys had that covered) and booking in advance is a good idea too.

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Moreton Island is a visual experience from the onset; the Tangalooma wrecks is the first thing that you will see (although I did miss it because I was so busy taking in everything else as we disembarked the ferry, which is quite exciting in itself – ok, so I am easily distracted…)

Our destination point was Cowan Cowan. This is where my secret is safe to a certain point.

We were actually invited by friends who are members of the Moreton Bay Boat Club. This gives them the fortunate advantage of being able to stay at these odd little ‘huts’ RIGHT ON THE BEACH, at Cowan Cowan, just short of the old fort. I believe the huts that we were staying in are actually part of the old fort… lets just say they are very solidly built.

Now these are not luxury accommodation (if you want that, best stay back at Tangalooma at the resort there), but I absolutely loved it!

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We had adjoining huts. They are… rustic… but have everything that you need… especially if you have everything you don’t need amongst the things that you brought from home. I will add, that these huts are not available to the general public, which is why I haven’t listed any details. If you want to find out more you will just have to become an active member of the Moreton Bay Boat Club and then one day, this information may be made available to you… or if you have a good friend who happens to be a member, well, you are set… Having said that, there are plenty of great camping areas, and there is the aforementioned resort.

So if you didn’t catch on earlier, Moreton Island is just beautiful and the reason why is because it is so pristine. It is essentially National Park – approximately 98% so. There are long white untouched sandy beaches, and while 4WD’s traverse the coastline it is not anywhere near as busy as Fraser Island or Double Island Point. As an added bonus the stretch of beach directly in front of our huts was vehicle free area, which meant that you could wonder out of the hut, across the sand and straight into the azure blue waters without looking left or right. Or you could just sit on the edge of the dunes looking out to infinity (which was actually Scarborough and the beautiful silhouettes of the Glass House Mountains on the other side of the bay), watching ships of every description navigating their way through the channel.

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And let me just say that watching the sun set to the west, myriad vessels out at sea, waves gently lapping on the shore, good company, strawberry daiquiri in hand, is quite a magical experience.

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The heritage listed Fort Cowan Cowan, is quite an interesting feature to this little patch of magic, and I enjoyed exploring the area and the remains of the RAN 3 Controlled Mining and Guard Loop Station  that was once situated there – please note however, that most of the actual fortifications are strictly out of bounds due to a gradual erosion that has undermined the structures since they were operational back in 1945 as part of an anti-submarine harbour defence initiative for Moreton Bay. So… view from the outside only!

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I found a fabulous historical account on this website, which I wish I had found before I visited… oh well, looks like I will have to go again…

http://indicatorloops.com/comboyuro.htm

Then there are the Tangalooma wrecks. We did the 6km walk to the wrecks. I am surprised that we were so enthusiastic after the daiquiris of the night before. The walk was incredible, partly so, just because it was, but also due to the explosion of starfish that were washing up on the shoreline.

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*Little squeal of delight* I had never seen a real starfish before and was quite entranced by this phenomenon. I am not sure if it is a frequent occurrence or as a result of some strange weather pattern or some mass breeding ritual that encouraged these suicidal tendencies, but it took me quite some time before I actually became bored with photographing them… and then attempting to rescue them from a sun scorching demise on the sand by throwing them back into the sea. But their spectrum of colours was just amazing!!!!

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Amazing is also Tangalooma itself. http://www.visitmoretonisland.com/sights/tangaloomawrecks Originally a whaling station (thankfully closed in 1962), the bay houses the skeletal remains of fifteen vessels that were sunk as an attempt to form a safe anchorage for boaties. The wrecks themselves are hauntingly captivating and accommodate an infinite spectrum of sea life that has resulted in it becoming a popular snorkelling destination.

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We spent a bit of time there watching the silhouettes change under the light of day/clouds/sunset. I have decided it warrants further exploration… so I shall be back. The only drawback with Tangalooma is that is devoid of the serenity (read ‘lack of people’) that the rest of Moreton is blessed with, due to not only the Resort, but the fact that it is the departure/arrival point for the ferry, so masses of people are coming/going, snorkelling and sailing… and I was a bit perturbed when ascending from the deep after trying to get some close up shots of some live ‘in water’ starfish only to be faced with the hull of a boat who was equally oblivious of me. So a bit of caution, but it is still worth spending time there… it is quite peaceful once your head is below the surface… just don’t stay there too long!

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A little less populated are the wrecks to the north of the island at Bulwer. They are not quite as spectacular, and resting on the actual shore, but I love wrecks, and again, the history is an interesting read

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While I still have a bit of Moreton Island yet to discover, my overall favourite was the Cape Moreton Lighthouse. Well, to clarify, maybe not the actual lighthouse, but the short walk to the cape on the other side of the lighthouse. It is breathtakingly beautiful!

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The lighthouse is accessible by 4WD (4WD tours run from the resort). The surrounding buildings feature a museum and other items of interest. But the best part of all is the walk to the point. It is nothing short of spectacular. The dune leading down there is quite steep, and the sand was scorching hot due to the stinker of a day we were experiencing, but the pay off when you look up as you round the peak… wow… really, you just have to see it. Magical orange sands, sapphire blue seas, another gorgeous little lighthouse sitting on the peak… the mainland in the background. Very very pretty.

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Oh, and don’t forget to detour via the Blue Lagoon on the way back to camp. You won’t find Brook Shields and Christopher Aitkins skinny-dipping, but you will find a glorious patch of water which was an especially soothing reprieve from the heat of the day.

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Oh yeah… and then there is the fishing… we found a fabulous coastal fishing spot… which I will keep a secret. What I will tell you is that we had an incredible breakfast of grilled fish from our early morning fishing expedition.

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I learnt to stand up paddle board, did some snorkelling (brilliantly left my snorkel at home, but did a trade-off with my cherry babe), kayaked, swam, swam and swam some more, fished, explored, photographed and managed to perfect my strawberry daiquiri recipe… what more could a girl want?

I could go on and on, but I don’t want to make it sound too awesome… after all… there is that part of me that wants it to remain a secret, but it really doesn’t get much better than Moreton Island. It is all of the above and more, and I can’t wait to go there again. Big thanks to our hosts for sharing J

I forgot to mention the dolphins…

This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds



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