Island life - surf, wildlife and beach chills
- Jasmin Montgomery
- Oct 26, 2017
- 3 min read
Unless you have your own over water transport, you will need to take Stradbroke Ferries across to the island. For the budget conscious it can be a little costly to take a car over but if you are a group of friends heading over it's fine when you split the bill (price list). Walk on only is very affordable and there is a bus line on the island.
There are plenty of accommodation styles available, but my preference is at Cylinder Beach.
It is quite a small park for tents only. The draw card for me is the fact that it is right on a beautiful beach! (Great for surfing and swimming)
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The facilities are always clean and the toilet block is number coded to get into for security. There is a small playground but no pool for the kids which I actually love as it encourages them to enjoy what nature has to offer.
The pictures above show what you encounter just a few steps from your campsite at Cylinder beach. As you may see in the pic to the right, there is a small headland. If you climb those rocks there is a great walk to a massive sand hill that is great if you bring some cardboard or a boogy board to slide down. (See pic below)
From this point you can just keep walking around the bend to the next beach (It is quite a long walk but my 11yr old was fine) and at the end if its low tide, there is a pretty cool little cave (your kids will love it).
(Having a rest in the cave before our walk back to the campsite. I reckon it would be nice if the tide was just coming in to see if you could relax in some water as well)
If you make it to the cave you can look up, and the headland above you is part of the North Gorge walk. From your campsite the North Gorge walk is only a 4min drive or 30min walk up the road (map). The walk is a 1.2km loop from the restaurants at the lookout. It could be done at any time of day but I wish I experienced this walk at sunrise...I believe the view would have been even more spectacular!
The kangaroos on the North Gorge walk are wild and very much at home. They are not too bothered by the public and if you are quiet you may be able to see one up close. It is a very easy walk with no steep inclines or declines.
Back to the campsite again and another great draw card for Cylinder Beach is all you have to do is walk onto the sand, turn left and walk up the stairs by the rocks and it will take you to the Stradbroke Hotel a great pub with pool table, restaurant and bottle shop.
If you are a fan of dolphins, take a trip to Amity Point jetty at either sunrise and sunset and you will be super stoked when they come right up to the jetty for a play. They come so close you could almost touch them! Get a good spot a bit earlier as it is starting to get quite popular and there will be a bit of a crowd when the dolphins turn up. Amity Point jetty is right in front of Amity Point campgrounds and is about a 20min drive from Cylinder Beach.
Another venture to do on Straddie is a visit to Brown Lake. Don't let the brown water put you off as it is clean, fresh water simply stained by the tea trees around the lake to give the brown tinge to the water. Bring a picnic and some floaty toys and you are set for the day.
Brown Lake is about a 25min drive from Cylinder Beach.
North Stradbroke is a great spot for repeat visits as it is always a new experience each time. It has the annual Island vibe festival that I am looking forward to checking out one year. If you have been let me know all about it!
Check out the gallery below for other photos taken on our family camping trip to Straddie.
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