North Stradbroke Island

We will be in Brisbane in early December and want to take a day tour to Stradbroke Island. We have narrowed it down to two tour operators.

Queensland Day Tours and Tours to Go.

Both offer the identical itinerary and costs.

Can anyone tell me if they have dealt with either of these companies and if there were any issues from booking to the tour itself?

Thanks, Norm

We will be in Brisbane in early December and want to take a day tour to Stradbroke Island. We have narrowed it down to two tour operators.

Queensland Day Tours and Tours to Go.

Both offer the identical itinerary and costs.

Can anyone tell me if they have dealt with either of these companies and if there were any issues from booking to the tour itself?

Thanks, Norm

Try Ports of Call - Australia and NZ for a response from visitors.

Most locals just drive to Straddle or take local bus tours which only run a few times a year.

Try Ports of Call - Australia and NZ for a response from visitors.

 

Most locals just drive to Straddle or take local bus tours which only run a few times a year.

I was wondering about his question . If you were on a cruise and only had 1 day in Brisbane ,would you have enough time to do North Stradbroke Island ?

Just thinking of the timing for the trip there and then the return ferry trip as well. Might not have much time on the Island.:eek:

I am really puzzled why you would want to go to North Stradbroke Island. The fact that there are not many tours to the island confirms our opinions - that it isn't really worth visiting unless you are a local with a lot of time.

There are a lot of attractions in the Brisbane area that we feel would have priority over going to North Stradbroke. Some visitors go to Tangalooma on Moreton Island. Tours go every day.

I am really puzzled why you would want to go to North Stradbroke Island. The fact that there are not many tours to the island confirms our opinions - that it isn't really worth visiting unless you are a local with a lot of time.

 

There are a lot of attractions in the Brisbane area that we feel would have priority over going to North Stradbroke. Some visitors go to Tangalooma on Moreton Island. Tours go every day.

I'd have to agree. Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island is much nicer, easier to get to, and better set up for tourists than North Straddie. You'll find a lot more tour options on Moreton than Straddie.

Moreton is a wild island with a few tiny villages. It's very like a mini version of Fraser Island. Straddie is nice, with great beaches, but it's almost suburban compared with Moreton.

All of the Bay Islands are difficult to do on a port visit because the ferry timetables don't work out very well for a day trip.

I was wondering about his question . If you were on a cruise and only had 1 day in Brisbane ,would you have enough time to do North Stradbroke Island ?

Just thinking of the timing for the trip there and then the return ferry trip as well. Might not have much time on the Island.:eek:

Good question. I guess it depends how long the ship will be in port. The organised day trips to Straddle take 9 hours from the city. I love Straddle, which is a spectacularly beautiful island, and visit at least once a year. There are always small commercial tourist busses on board the ferry, and they all cover a similar route. Everyone gets out of their cars and busses, whilst on the ferry, and foreign visitors mingle with locals in the cafe upstairs.

Try Ports of Call - Australia and NZ for a response from visitors.

 

Most locals just drive to Straddle or take local bus tours which only run a few times a year.

Aus Traveller - My comments were a bit confusing. Commercial tour operators visit Straddle most days of the week. Local bus companies run day tours to lots of different places in the region, including Straddle Island, a couple of times a year. e.g. you can get local bus tours to Straddle from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast at less than half the price of commercial tours.

Hi All, thanks for the suggestions.

I should have said that we are cruising from new Zealand to Sydney on Solstice and then are doing a land tour for 12 days and we had one day at the end in Brisbane that we had no plans for. We do not have a vehicle and that is why the thought of a local tour to Stradbroke might peek our interest as the pictures looked nice.

Is Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island a better choice for a day of relaxing and seeing different part of the area?

Can anyone suggest a good reliable tour company to use?

Any help is always appreciated!

Cheers!

Hi All, thanks for the suggestions.

I should have said that we are cruising from new Zealand to Sydney on Solstice and then are doing a land tour for 12 days and we had one day at the end in Brisbane that we had no plans for. We do not have a vehicle and that is why the thought of a local tour to Stradbroke might peek our interest as the pictures looked nice.

Is Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island a better choice for a day of relaxing and seeing different part of the area?

Can anyone suggest a good reliable tour company to use?

Any help is always appreciated!

Cheers!

Whilst I love Moreton Island (I flew there for my honeymoon and have holidayed at the Tangalooma Resort since), I think Stradbroke Island is better for a day trip. Both are beautiful islands.

Google Tangalooma day trip and Stradbroke Island day trip reviews to compare which you would prefer.

Hi All, thanks for the suggestions.

I should have said that we are cruising from new Zealand to Sydney on Solstice and then are doing a land tour for 12 days and we had one day at the end in Brisbane that we had no plans for. We do not have a vehicle and that is why the thought of a local tour to Stradbroke might peek our interest as the pictures looked nice.

Is Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island a better choice for a day of relaxing and seeing different part of the area?

Can anyone suggest a good reliable tour company to use?

 

Any help is always appreciated!

Cheers!

There is nothing wrong with Straddie, it's a beautiful island. The main difference between it and Moreton Island is that Moreton is essentially wild and undeveloped (apart from the Tangalooma Resort) and Straddie has a number of sizable towns on it and well developed roads and such in the northern part of the island.

I can't tell you about tour companies as I have only ever been to both islands in my own vehicle. I think that Tangalooma is better set up for tourists and the tours for Moreton island all start from there. They have the dolphin feeding there, which I don't agree with, but to each his own.

If you want a 4WD sand driving experience Moreton is definitely the go. If I only had one day that is what I would do.

The town of Point Lookout on Straddie is a great place to stay. Outstanding views from almost everywhere, especially this time of year when the whales start to pass by the point on their migration.

I still think that, with limited time in Brisbane, there are other options I would choose rather than Moreton or Stradbroke. Part of the reason for saying this is the time lost in crossing the Bay in both directions in a one day trip.

I still think that, with limited time in Brisbane, there are other options I would choose rather than Moreton or Stradbroke. Part of the reason for saying this is the time lost in crossing the Bay in both directions in a one day trip.

They are doing a land tour of 12 days with one day free at the end in Brisbane. I didn't take it to mean that was their only day in Brisbane region.

I actually think most people in Brisbane don't appreciate these beautiful islands so close to the city. I recently repeated a wonderful day boat trip from the Gold Coast to Brisbane, past the bay islands (with a bus trip back). You can do this trip in reverse from Brisbane.

I actually think most people in Brisbane don't appreciate these beautiful islands so close to the city.

That's true. I think that tourists very often don't have their options properly explained to them when visiting Brisbane.

If you want to see koalas head for Lone Pine Sanctuary. Apart from that the Brisbane CBD is not all that much to write home about. Perfectly nice, but nothing special.

If you head east out into the bay you might find something special, like a couple of the largest sand islands in the world. Fraser island might the biggest and best, but Moreton and Straddie are not far behind and you don't need to travel a couple of hundred kms to get to them. You can sit under the palms on the beach at Tangalooma and watch the sun set behind the high rises of the Brisbane CBD across the bay.

If you don't have a vehicle, how are you going to get to either departure points for Moreton or Straddie? If you're staying in Brisbane, you can get a train to Cleveland then the free 4 minute bus trip to the Ferry terminal at Toondah Harbour then the Straddie Flier (passenger ferry) to Dunwich for $19 adult return or $9.50 Senior return. Dunwich has a very interesting historic cemetery as you hop off the ferry and a 5 minute walk takes you to a great museum. A local bus meets every ferry and you can take the 20min trip to Pt Lookout for less than $10 or just a few dollars for seniors. Both townships, Pt Lookout and Dunwich are worth walking around and Pt Lookout has a great board walk to see the gorges and you will always see turtles and dolphins and can have a pub lunch with the best view in Australia! Plenty to see on Straddie and the boat trip over on a good day makes the effort worthwhile. If you want to do an organised tour of the island which includes the lakes, Dave Thelander (Kingfisher Tours) will pick you up from the ferry and is guaranteed to keep you entertained all day!

Here you go!

http://www.tangalooma.com/location-transport/moreton-island-resort-ferry-schedule

Transfers and Shuttle Services

Tangalooma runs transfers to and from Brisbane CBD, Southbank and Kangaroo Point hotels, Brisbane Transit Centre, and Gold Coast hotels.

Bookings are essential for all transfer services; for further information, prices and bookings please contact Tangalooma Reservations on 1300 652 250 (overseas guests please call +61 7 3637 2000). Pick-up times will be confirmed upon booking.

Depending on what you want to do once there I would think Moreton Island more of a destination for doing activities and seeing things, while Stradbroke for lazing around a pool and eating / drinking.

Depending on what you want to do once there I would think Moreton Island more of a destination for doing activities and seeing things, while Stradbroke for lazing around a pool and eating / drinking.

Having holidayed on both islands a number of times, plus day trips, I have to disagree re Straddle. It is an unbelievably beautiful island, with choice of bay (Amity Point), ocean (Point Lookout, where you can see whales when they pass, sting rays, etc.) and inland freshwater lakes, National Parks, plus long ocean beaches where you can drive 4WDs.