Moreton Island
Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world (we were told). It is located about 40km from Brisbane, across Moreton Bay. Access is via a 75 minute ferry ride from Brisbane. The island is a national park and heavily regulated. The Tangalooma resort is the only game on the island and they provide all services, including restaurants, groceries and all recreational. All beach activities and nature activities (snorkeling, sand toboganning, fishing) are associated with the resort. There is a man-made reef for snorkeling, created by scuttled boats.
Mad-made reef
The Tangalooma site was formerly a whaling station but has now been converted to a resort (the old flensing sation, where the whales were hauled out of the water and processed, is now a covered games area.) There are a few private residences, but they were all on the cusp of the resort property.
For all of the commercial aspects of the resort, it really is a quiet natural area. In the height of summer it could be a different story, but we were able to find a section on the beach where there were only three or four other people, there were no sea-doos or loud boats. The only activity we saw was a group of about 4 dune buggy vehicles travelling along at about 1km an hour and a few people trying to learn how to use a Segway. We really felt like we had the entire resort to ourselves.
Quiet beach (we weren't lying!)
The beaches are beautiful white sands in a very quiet harbour. We were able to walk out about 200m from shore and still stand with our feet on the sand, the water no higher than our shoulders (mid-stomach for Jim). The water was like a tepid bath and the sand was hot enough to cook an egg (an interesting concept but, like having a floor clean enough to eat off, not necessarily practical). We spent a couple of hours swimming and relaxing in the sun and were still home by six. We were expecting a crowded and commercial resort, but it was a very pleasant surprise and we will definitely be back.
No comments:
Post a Comment