Stradbroke Island is the kind of tropical paradise you only dream about. Quiet, unassuming, yet vibrant but without the buzz of frenetic tourists; it still appears and feels much the same way as you picture it would have looked 50 many years ago.
Located only an hour by ferry or barge from the thriving city of Brisbane, which is the capital town of Queensland in Australia; to become on North Stradbroke is to feel like you can be a million miles from anywhere. Stradbroke Island is really a fabulous place for a holiday or holiday.
North Stradbroke Island is 1 from the biggest sand islands within the world, with kilometers of pristine sandy beaches on the eastern coastline and the gentle waters of Moreton Bay lapping the western shores. This can make it the perfect destination for anybody who enjoys the variety of water sports obtainable – from surfing, sea kayaking or swimming in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean to fishing, sailing and skiing within the calmer waters bayside.Colloquially recognized an ‘Stradbroke’ or ‘Straddie’ to the locals, the island’s peaceful environment may be the ideal place for couples, families or groups like a week lengthy calming break or a weekend getaway. What’s much more, the temperate sub-tropical climate can make it perfect all year round.
Accommodation on North Stradbroke Island
Accommodation on Stradbroke is as diverse as the island itself and caters for all budgets and requirements.
* If you’re looking for all of the luxury of resort style lodging on Stradbroke, you will find it. You can indulge inside a luxury suite, take a dip in the heated, saltwater pool followed by an invigorating spa, or call on the solutions of the in-house beauty therapist or masseuse. The resorts on Stradbroke cater for everybody from romantic honeymooners to big households.
* Stradbroke also offers a range of motel lodging from budget priced via to luxury suites as well as a wide selection of serviced apartments from studio size to 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms for large families and groups.
* There are a quantity of rental properties available as well, from simple beach-side shacks to architecturally created houses with each and every mod con you could imagine in your house away from house.
* North Stradbroke has 1 caravan park with onsite cabins too as powered sites for your own caravan or camping gear.
* For those who like all of the comforts of home, Stradbroke Island lodging also consists of a quantity of B&Bs, where you’ll be provided with meals and a comfortable bed with 1 from the very friendly locals.
* A quantity of visitors come to Straddie to ‘get back to nature’ and set up camp right beside the beach. North Stradbroke offers a variety of camping sites and beachside parks; some are equipped with showers and bathroom amenities too as barbecue facilities and children’s playgrounds while other campsites are simply that – a designated location to put up your tent.
Before you can camp on Straddie, be sure to get a camping permit. No matter what your idea of a perfect vacation escape is and regardless of your budget or the size of your family, accommodation on North Stradbroke Island provides you everything you could possibly wish for, and much more.
Don’t be 1 from the visitors who miss South Stradbroke Island off your Gold Coast trip itinerary.
You can day trip to South Stradbroke for any half or full day tour. Or base your next Gold Coast vacation on this unique Queensland island. South Stradbroke is really a very different design of holiday location towards the hustle and bustle of Surfers Paradise.
When I first came towards the Gold Coast, I wanted to go to South Stradbroke but it wasn’t high on my list. I certainly couldn’t picture why anybody would want to invest their entire vacation there.
All that changed when I finally made it over to South Stradbroke. Now I am complete convert! A full day or half day trip is great if that is all you have time for, but South Stradbroke is definitely worth of considering as a great location to stay in the Gold Coast.
So what does South Stradbroke, or South Straddie, offer a day tripper or visitor?
Firstly, South Stradbroke is totally amazing to visit, regardless from the time of year. The isle itself is fairly small being only about 22kms long and about 2.5kms broad, yet there is so a lot to do and experience. Alternatively, you are able to just chill out at one of the island’s three resorts.
South Stradbroke Island hugs the Gold Coast mainland from Runaway Bay in the south to just north of Jacobs Well in the north. The island forms a barrier between the Gold Coast Broadwater and the Coral Sea.
South Stradbroke Island is a sand island that was once connected to North Stradbroke Island by a narrow sand wall. This wall was eventually penetrated by the ocean through a combination of explosions from a shipwreck, rum plundering locals who apparently lowered sand dunes to make the plundering easier and by heavy seas during the last few years from the 19th Century.
The passageway is now known as Jumpinpin Channel and is considered to be very treacherous to cross by experienced seafarers and locals.
The sand island supports sand dunes, subtropical rainforest and may be the only place where the Golden Wallaby lives.
So what is it that I fell in love with?
South Stradbroke Island has the benefits of lengthy, deserted stretches of pristine ocean beaches, calm water playground for boating, jet skiing, sailing, kayaking and other water sports, estuarine fishing, ocean fishing, bushwalking and camping grounds.
In the summer it is a fabulous haven away in the hustle and bustle from the Gold Coast, within the winter you are able to still enjoy all the water sports plus you get the opportunity to spot the great hump back whales in the beaches! From leisurely walks along the beach, to keeping the children entertained, this isle caters for all ages and tastes.
It is really a location to truly relax and enjoy the comforts of modern living, whilst being surrounded by natures’ elegance at its best. Most of South Stradbroke Island is a Conservation Park designed to protect the island from over commercialisation. This means that it is now, and will remain, an excellent retreat from the fast lane from the Gold Coast! The island has a variety of accommodation but it is limited and of varying quality.
Jumpinpin, South Stradbroke island is the stuff of many local legends! It is located at the northerly end of South Stradbroke Island. The name comes from the local indigenous peoples word for the root of the pandanus tree – Jumpinpin or oumpinpin. The words is often misspelled or mispronounced as Jumpin Pin, or Jumping Pin.
The area is house to 1 from the most picturesque beaches on the Gold Coast, but one that numerous visitors never get to see. For visitors it is best seen with a guide or on tour. By land you can try a 4WD tour, or by water a fishing tour, a guided kayak expedition, water taxi, charter boat or houseboat.
South Stradbroke island hugs the mainland from the Gold Coast from Runaway Bay within the South to Jacobs Well within the north. The isle forms a barrier between the mainland and also the Coral Sea createing the fabulous Gold Coast Broadwater. The Broadwater is really a calm water playground for locals and visitors!
There are numerous sand islands along this part of Australia’s east coast, stretching up to the largest sand isle within the globe, Fraser Isle (about 4 hours drive further north). South Stradbroke island was once connected to North Stradbroke island by a narrow 40m sand wall. During the 1890’s several events contributed towards the sand wall’s demise.
In 1894, heavy seas led to the shipwreck from the barque “Cambus Wallace”. Legend has it that locals plundered the wreck for rum, beer and whiskey. To make it easier to carry off their plunderings they apparently lowered the sand dunes.
Whether that was what lowered the sand dunes, or whether it was the controlled detonation of the explosives salvaged in the wreck either way, the narrow sand wall was eroded consistently by tides and heavy seas over the next few many years.
By the late 1890’s the Coral Sea surged through the narrow opening widening it and changing dramatically the tidal channels and flows inside bay area between the islands and also the mainland.
These events had a catastrophic effect on some from the locals including the oyster farmers in the broadwater channel. The oyster farmers persevered against the tidal and water level changes, until they all eventually abandoned their oyster leases and moved on to other activities.
Today, we are blessed by the amazing, but treacherous Jumpinpin Bar. The area is stunningly beautiful and attracts daytrippers, campers, kayakers, fishermen and sightseers to view the azure water and pristine sand. If you’re lucky you might catch a large Mangrove Jack or Trevally, or see a dugong or turtle.