Moreton Island stole our hearts!
It’s such a beautiful island and plenty to do for kids, or when you look for a nourishing holiday in nature.
Australian island Moreton is the third largest sand-island in the world and is just 75 minutes away from Brisbane (by ferry). The island is famous for its shipwrecks along the coast, its magnificent sandhills and the bright blue sea.
» We share our tips for an amazing five day holiday when you travel with kids to Moreton island. You also find all the practical links to book your stay, or find necessary information.
Because we travel with kids we like to take it slow and don’t do too many activities on one day. We don’t want to rush, and things usually take much longer than expected. The kids are easily impressed and like to spend hours exploring. And, there’s a lot to explore on Moreton!
Besides the activities in this itinerary there’s much more to see and do, and we could have stayed here for many more days. But, if you have five days at Moreton, following this travel plan will give you a great time.
We stayed on Moreton in August, so things might be different when you visit in another season.
Why we chose Moreton Island.
Moreton Island is like little Fraser Island, the better known island everybody goes to, but then without the dingos, the many tourists and with better roads. Like Fraser it has stunning white beaches and the same beautiful sea.
It’s only a short ferry trip from Brisbane (75min) which is great, because we don’t enjoy boats too much. And, it has shipwrecks covered with coral to snorkel to.
So, instead of going to Fraser, Moreton Island seemed like a better alternative. And it didn't disappoint!
First of all: Good to know when you visit Moreton Island with kids.
You need to take the ferry from Brisbane Port. Follow this link if you travel with a car like we did > Micat Ferry
You need a vehicle permit ($57,80) to access the island with a vehicle > get your vehicle permit here
The best camp sites can be booked through the governmental website or Mulgumpin website. With your booking you can buy your vehicle permit as well.
Check the tides schedule if you want to drive on the beach. You have to know when it’s safe to drive and when not. To prevent you from getting flooded or cornered by the sea.
Find the Map of Moreton Island here >
There’s wifi reception pretty much everywhere on the Island. Not great, but Google Maps works 😉
Lower you tire pressure. There’s a fuel station within 300m. from the ferry to release air pressure and to add air after your trip. We didn’t use our own material. Simply google: ‘your type of car’ beach driving tire pressure - ét voila! We lowered the tire pressure to 20psi for our Toyota Landcruiser Prado and it worked perfectly.
Things you need when you visit Moreton Island.
A fueled up 4 wheel drive. There’s not much fuel on the island and you can’t drive there without a four-wheel drive.
Enough food & water. This speaks for itself. Don’t expect a grocery store on Moreton Island.
Many camp sites have (cold) showers and non-potable water. Therefore, we always bring our Lifestraw bottles for filtered drinking water.
Firewood. You can make campfires on Moreton Island, but not with the Island trees. So bring logs, campfire food and snack. Marshmallows anyone?
Reef safe sunscreen
Mosquito repellent
Snorkel gear if you want to snorkel the wrecks. You can also rent these on the island, but for a pretty high price.
Fishing gear, if you like fishing. Everybody on this island seems to fish and pretty much all the fish is edible. It’s fun to do with kids. If you don’t have fishing gear. Make it yourself or go to a Kmart for the cheap stuff.
Our 5-day itinerary for Moreton Island with kids.
Day 1 : arriving on Moreton Island
Take the Micat Ferry at midday to arrive at Moreton Island in the afternoon.
We stayed at Ben-Ewa Campground, because we never drove on sand before, and this camp site was nearest to the ferry. There is another campground even closer, but that’s for people without cars and only a tent.
Set up camp and make it comfortable for yourself. Enjoy the beach and sunset. It’s gorgeous!
Day 2 : The Big Sandhills
Moreton Island is one enormous sand dune and parts of it are not covered by forest. Here you'll find the sandhills or dessert. These areas feel like you've stepped into a different world.
On day 2, go as early as possible to the Big Sandhills when the tides are changing and you can drive on the beach. Then you’re the first, because others will usually come when it’s low tide. At that time you’ve already concurred the dunes.
We drove to the Big Sandhills at 11:30 AM while low tide was not due until 3:30 PM. But driving was fine and we had the sandhills to ourselves for 1,5hours.
Bring lunch and enjoy a beach side break. We stayed at the base of the Big Sandhills.
Our kids loved to explore the beach that appeared when the tide got lower. There were thousands of little crabs to chase and a few other animals like fish, insects and starfish. A recurring activity this week was returning starfish that had washed ashore back into the sea.
We decided to head back to the camp site in the early afternoon to get the campfire started for some bread on a stick, hotdogs, potatoes and other campfire food.
Day 3 : The shipwrecks of Moreton Island
The shipwrecks are located at the point where the ferry dropped you off, so you have seem them already. This also means they're close to the campsite. However, don’t go to the wrecks first thing in the morning, but wait till low tide.
In the morning there’s a big change for tourist groups to be there, and at low tide it’s easier to get to the wrecks.
There might be a strong current, so bring things that help the kids float, like noodles, life vest, body boards, or anything that you might have.
Day 4 : Going North
With high tide the Champagne Pools are awesome, also for kids.
They are located on North-Eastern tip of Moreton Island. The spot gets its name from the sparkling ‘champagne’ effect created as the ocean waves crash over the rocks into small pools.
The challenge is that these pools only appear when it’s high tide, so be thoughtful where you park your car on the beach to prevent it from being swallowed by the ocean.
Just before the champagne pools there’s a small track going up the hills to another side of the beach. You’ll see the signs with ‘Honeymoon Bay’. Within 2 minutes you’re at a lovely secluded beach with beautiful rock formations and little pools as well. No champagne here unfortunately, but still great and probably even more fun for the kids.
Play around at the beach and bring a nice lunch. You can go fishing here if you’re into it, but otherwise it’s a wonderful place to relax.
On your way back to the campsite you can choose to have a look at the 5 hills look-out. At bright days you’ll have an incredible view. You can’t miss the look-out since it’s at the only sand road from the beach.
Day 5 : Heading back
Make it an easy morning to pack up and keep the holiday spirit.
The ferry usually arrives around midday, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the island a little more.
When back in Brisbane. Don’t forget to inflate your tires at the nearest fuel station, and don’t forget to clean your car!
Find a carwash that does beach wash, or underbody car wash, because the sand and salty water is not good for your car. Make sure to remove it all if you want to use your car for longer without rust.
We did the carwash ourselves, but there are many locations that can do it for you.
Final Thoughts
As we said, Moreton Island surely didn’t disappoint. The kids loved it and we were happy to have chosen this island instead of Fraser Island. If you like to be outdoors, enjoy the beach, but also like a little adventure Moreton Island is the place to be. Happy travels!
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