Moreton Island & Straddie Tours from Brisbane

What a Moreton Island day trip is actually like

Every trip starts with the ferry across the bay, where dolphins and turtles are regular and humpbacks pass in winter and spring. On Moreton the 4WD takes over. The famous stop is the Tangalooma Wrecks, sunken ships off the beach that turtles, coral and thousands of reef fish have moved into; you snorkel the hulls with a guide, conditions permitting. Inland is The Desert, towering dunes you toboggan down at serious speed. Then the tea-stained Blue Lagoon, the coloured cliffs at Harpers Rock, and Cape Moreton Lighthouse, a natural wildlife lookout.

Straddie runs slower: a swim in amber Lake Bummiera (Brown Lake), stops at Amity Point, Cylinder Beach and Flinders Beach, and the Whale Walk at Point Lookout, where humpbacks cruise past in season and kangaroos sometimes wander onto the beach.

Which Moreton Island or Straddie tour is right for you

Moreton Island 4WD Eco Sightseeing Tour, from $189. Maximum ten guests. Blue Lagoon swim, the North Point hike to Honeymoon Bay and the Champagne Pools, Harpers Rock and Cape Moreton Lighthouse, with picnic lunch and guided nature walks. Bring $100 per person on the day ($80 parks and ferry fee plus a $20 fuel levy), paid to your guide. The pick for scenery over stunts.

Moreton Island 'Get Wrecked' Tour ex Brisbane, from $189. The all-action day: guided Tangalooma Wrecks snorkel, transparent kayaks over the fish, sand tobogganing at up to 70km/h and the 4WD 'Tough Bus' to The Desert, with wetsuits, equipment, lunch and return bus transfers from Brisbane. An $85 access fee is paid to the driver on departure. The pick for wrecks and dunes in one go.

North Stradbroke Island Day 4WD Tour, from $149. Eight hours on Straddie with an expert guide: Lake Bummiera, the beaches and the Whale Walk at Point Lookout. Guide, 4WD and ferry included; an $80 parks and ferry fee is paid on the day. The pick for a quieter island and land-based whale watching.

Moreton Island 2-Day 4WD Tour (Glamping), from $489. Two days covering the 15 Tangalooma wrecks, sandboarding at The Desert and Big Sand Hills, the Blue Lagoon, Cape Moreton Lighthouse and Five Hills, linked by 40km of beach driving. Nights at a glamping camp 50 metres from Bulwer Beach with real mattresses, linen, private toilets and hot showers; most meals and gear included, with $80 per day in fees paid to your guide. The pick for the island after the day-trippers leave: campfire, stars, first crack at everything next morning.

Practical tips for Moreton and Straddie

Every tour has a parks and ferry fee paid on the day on top of the booking price, so check the amount and bring it. Pack swimmers under your clothes, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a refillable bottle; sand islands have little shade. Winter and spring, roughly June to November, bring the humpback migration past both islands. Sand tobogganing covers you head to toe, so keep clean clothes for the ferry home.