MORETON ISLAND
April 30, 2023
Accessibility: 4/10
Accomodation: 5/10 ** very dependent on your camping set up
Bathrooms: 6/10
Activities: 6/10
Highlights: Beautiful beaches, Gutter bay and their Moreton Bay Bugs and changing scenery.
What to watch for: Sections of soft sand and Tides when driving
It’s an island. With an island you can bet there is a hell of a lot of sand. As you would all be very aware, sand is not your friend when wheels are your mode of transport. This one teeters on the line of a WC friendly location. It is one of those places where if you are willing to think outside the box and have good upper body strength and skills, you could make it work. It also helps that this is the kind of destination that you would usually get a few mates together to go visit, so there is that as a backup. The main reason I thought hey this is a tricky one BUT possible, is because of the bathrooms. We stayed at Comboyuro campground for 4 nights which is on the western side of the island and had nice calm waters to swim in.
*Side note: we are from Vic and this was our first QLD swim. OH MY GOD, the water. It’s so warm.
Anyway, the bathrooms. There were ramps taking you up to the toilets where you had the largest toilet cubicles I had come across, all were this big. Big tick for space hey! There are also showers, these are cold showers, lucky it’s warm in QLD so it doesn’t really bother you that much. These were slightly trickier to get to with a small but manageable step at one end. I have taken a video that shows you the showers and toilets.
At the campground there was one area which had harder dirt to camp on and were right next to the bathroom blocks. My thought was this would be the spot to set up camp if you were to stay. I have taken a picture of this area. The area is large enough for a large group and caravans. YES, that’s the other thing. If you are lucky enough to have a completely adapted caravan, Moreton island is caravan friendly. Don’t let the sand put you off. Lower those tyre pressures to 18psi, including the caravan and use 4wd. If you are worried at any stage, use low range. We were able to drive up and down the beach in high range 4wd with no issues and saw many large caravans travel along the beach. Only thing to watch is the tides, but never fear, there are countless inland tracks so you can travel around the entire island no matter the tide. If you do have a caravan, I would choose to get a camping permit for the western side of the island. They are easier to get to from the ferry.
Getting to the island. Probably helpful hey. So you will need a ferry ticket, camping pass and 4wd pass. The ferry company is called MICAT and departs from 14 Howard Smith Dr, Port of Brisbane. It costs between $70-100 and takes about 90 minutes from the time loading starts to the last vehicle is unloaded. I highly recommend you book ahead of time as the ferry books out. We booked about a month in advance and weren’t able to get the date we originally wanted. We did book at a time that was a busier time though so maybe different. When we booked our ferry we bought our 4wd permit with the booking. The 4wd permit cost: $55.90. The camping passes cost $7 per person per night. There is a fuel station around the corner of the ferry depot on the Brisbane side so you can pump your tyres up there, unless you can convince someone to do it for you on the ferry when you return. You will have to stay in your car for the ferry ride as the seating area is upstairs. Not to mention that pack you in, I almost had to stay in the car myself on the way back, there was some creative car climbing going on for me to get in and out of the car.
Here are the links to the ferry, 4wd and camping passes. Note you can purchase your 4wd permit when booking the ferry.
So we have covered where you can sleep, what about what to do on this island. Top activities would be hanging around at the beach, travelling down to the bar that is down south, fishing and exploring the island. Now you are probably thinking, Sheree, there’s sand at the beach and I’m in a WC. Hold up. To anyone that knows me or any of my fabulous clients would know. I’m a problem solver and I don’t like the idea of anyone missing out. So here are my suggestions for how this could work. Now I know that each person will have different mobility needs so this may not work for everyone, but maybe it will get your problem solving cogs turning. The upside of Moreton is, unlike a normal beach you can drive your car on the beach. So to me that means great, I can drive my car on to the beach, transfer and then I only have a few metres to fight the sand for instead of metres and metres. **Disclaimer, don’t park your beautiful 4wd too close, salt water and 4wd are not a happy mix, use some common sense my friends. The water is quite shallow for a fair bit so makes a great spot to sit in the water and sink a few tinnies. Now I’m not so big on fishing, but I respect that many are. Driving onto the beach is also my solution to this activity.
Exploring the island is one of the easiest activities, you can drive around the island so it’s as simple as driving around and seeing what you can find. It isn’t a huge island and if you really wanted to, you could drive the entire island in a day, we chose to do one half one day and the other another day. Unfortunately the hikes are definitely not WC friendly. Crikey, some of them were barely Sheree friendly, sand is hard to walk on when it is directly up until the top of a mountain, definitely earned those bevvies at the end of that day!
The pub, I’ve got your attention now right? The bar is called The Gutter Bar, it is down the very southern part of the island and is a great place to try a Moreton Bay bug. The entrance is well….sand, although your hard work will be rewarded with some great seafood and a beer if that’s your style. There is a ramp to the bathroom so that’s taken care of.
Overall, who doesn’t love the island life?! It’s not the most accessible places you will ever visit but depending on your mobility and armed with this information, maybe you can be living the island life for awhile.`
Well everyone, if I have still got your attention, thank you and hope have found the information handy. I am travelling AUS, so if there is a destination that you would like me to suss out for you, send me a message on insta!
Over and out,
Sheree
Aus 4 All 