Moreton, Brisbane's Wilderness Island
One of the Largest Sand Islands Lies East of Australia's Third City
Feb 25, 2009
Lying on a rough arc of radius 30 kilometres from the mouth of the Brisbane River is a series of islands, bounded by the Moreton Bay Marine Park. The most north-easterly of these, Moreton Island, is almost entirely a National Park.
Wildlife
The early morning boat trip from Brisbane takes one out past the mangrove-fringed estuary and into the bay. This is home to some 3500 wading birds of 16 species. A further 34 species, comprising 60 000 individuals, pass through on their annual migration from Arctic Siberia. Moreton Bay and its islands are important feeding stations on the East Asian - Australasian Flyway, one of eight major migration routes in the world. Sporadic visitors add to this total, so that more than 180 species have been recorded here.
Several parts of Moreton Bay are conservation zones and ‘go slow’ areas, created to protect the turtles and dugong that feed here. Grey nurse sharks are another endangered species that is protected in these waters.
Passing a collection of sunken ships, which act as an artificial harbour and reef, one lands at Tangalooma jetty. To the south of Tangalooma resort is The Desert, a large inland area of dunes in which the glaring white sand is piled sufficiently high and steep to allow one to toboggan, or even surf on a waxed wooden board.
Cape Moreton
To the north of the resort, a rugged sand track bounces through the scrub and scribbly gum trees to the east coast, which like that on the more famous sand island to the north, Fraser Island, acts as the main thoroughfare. This leads to the northern tip, Cape Moreton, where the only rock is to be found. This consists of a basalt bed overlaid by sandstone, on which stands Queensland’s oldest lighthouse, built in 1857.
The view to the south from here takes in the 40-kilometre curve of the island’s east coast and inland forests, dominated by Mount Tempest, claimed, at 285 metres, to be the world’s highest sand hill.
In the seas to the north can be seen Flinders Reef which, despite it small area of 10 hectares, contains around one-third the number of species to be found on the entire Great Barrier Reef. From this high point, one can also catch glimpses of sharks, loggerhead turtles and dolphins. In June, some 7000 humpback whales pass here on their way to the Great Barrier Reef, returning to the Antarctic between August and October.
On the rocky coastline of Cape Moreton is Honeymoon Bay, where one can share a pool with a striated heron or pied cormorant. The birds here are quite unafraid of the proximity of humans. On the coastal drive, one passes close by oystercatchers and masked plovers.
Lakes
Returning along the east coast, one can make a short detour to visit one of the inland lakes. Blue Lagoon is a window lake, where the water table is exposed at the surface. The smaller Honeyeater Lake is a perched lake, which has a watertight bottom, and having no rivers flowing into or out of it is fed only by rain and drained by evaporation. Much of the surrounding vegetation consists of Banksia flowers, which provide Honeyeater birds with a rich diet.
Because of the delicate wildlife balance of the island, controls are needed on visitors, the numbers of which increase by around 15% each year. Guided tours stress the importance of ecology, while independent travellers require a permit from the National Park Authority if bringing a vehicle or intending to camp. Certain beach areas are closed to vehicles.
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