Moreton Island Australia is somewhere to explore! It’s so much adventure packed into one small place. From Sandboarding to snorkeling. Travelling to Moreton Island is an amazing experience.
As many adventures start, this one started before sunrise! It was dark and there was a slight chill in the air, being winter and all. I had basically all my possessions with me, since I had a flight right after my tour and wasn’t planning on going home for a total of 6 weeks.
Well the tour bus met me down the street from my YHA hostel. So, in the wee hours of the morning, I made the trek to the bus station in Brisbane. Now Brisbane is not “really” a dangerous city, but I always get this pit in my stomach when I’m walking around with everything I have alone in the dark. Can you blame me though?
I was the first one to get on the tour bus, and since I was going to be the only solo traveler, I got the passenger’s seat of the 4WD giant off road vehicle. My tour guide was basically my age and hilarious! So, it didn’t make for a difficult day. He knew the best things to do on Moreton Island.
Travelling to Moreton Island
Look at that boat!
Moreton Island is just off the coast of Brisbane, Queensland. It takes a ferry about 45 minutes to get there. Our 4WD bumped and bounced its way onto the boat, and we all sat in the café with a coffee. I sat near the window, having a second to get some work done while I watched the sunrise over the horizon. The purples and pinks filled the sky. It was one of the best sunrises I had ever seen.
The ferry stopped right on the sandy beach. I watched in awe as it rolled up onto the shore, and slowly the vehicles offloaded. We waited for our 4WD on the warm golden sand, and momentarily after we got in the brilliant adventure started. Off to the side of the ferry were the shipwrecks that we would later get a close-up with.
Driving Sand Roads
Cool sand road! You can see the turquoise water peaking through!
Moreton Island is the second largest sand island in the world after it’s big sister Fraser Island which is also in Australia just a bit further north. Every single road on Moreton is just made of sand and needs to be taken via the heavy duty 4WD vehicles.
I can honestly say I’ve never driven on roads that were so crazy. But let’s be real, it’s more like vehicle tracks through the jungle. Literally the vehicle would run into giant jungle trees along the way. The branches would crack and break as we went speeding by. It was honestly like a thrill ride.
Sandboarding on Moreton Island!
Here’s where we will Sandboard!
One of our first stops was basically a desert in the middle of na island. Sand was billowing around, and it burnt our feet in the hot sun.
I grabbed a board and without thinking jumped right in! I was sprawled out on my stomach, barreling down a giant hill made out of sand. I’m pretty sure that it took me days to get the sand out me! From my hair to my eyes to the amount I inhaled/swallowed.
Getting Stuck!
We’re stuck!
After finishing sandboarding we headed back to the 4WD, trying desperately to get to shake the sand off, and see out of my sand filled eyes! Guess what happened? We got stuck! Our 4WD rolled back into the bushes and it sunk straight into the sand! It took a while for our driver, who was making jokes the whole time to get us out! There was a lot of pushing and pulling…
Adventuring to The Beaches on Moreton Island
For lunch our 4WD made its way through the jungle to the lighthouse. I have a small obsession with lighthouses and was actually so excited. But it gets better than that! From the hilltop you get an amazing view of the island, and that’s where I got one of my favourite pictures in all of Australia.
Walking Through the WW2 Base
What is this?
Along the beach there is remnants of the old WW2 base on Moreton Island. It was used as a signal post and to stop people from getting to Brisbane. The wreckage now lays covered in a layer of sand and dust, as though time has forgotten about it.
Miles of Beach on Moreton
Being a completely sand Island, Moreton Island is full of beaches. Not necessarily ones you can swim off though, many have shark infested waters, just like Fraser Island.
Moreton Island is peaceful, adventurous and amazing. Travelling to Moreton was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I barely did since I was only in transit in Brisbane. I can’t believe I almost didn’t go. Definitely is in my top places to travel in Australia.
