Lazy Beachcamping on North Stradbroke Island

Just 45 minutes by ferry from the metropolis of Brisbane is the 2nd largest sand island in the world, North Stradbroke Island.

For Brisbanites, this is a special place to go 4wdriving, beach camping, and enjoy an amazing place.

We aired down our tyre pressures, then let Hughie do his 4wd heroics ploughing through deep sand and across firm beachsand whilst we kept to tide times to avoid being washed off the beach at high tide. Also quite tricky, were the deep sand gutters formed by the freshwater creeks exiting and meeting each tide – quite a drop if you weren’t paying attention.









Two weeks pass quickly with walks on the beach, watching other 4wds and caravans getting bogged, going for a swim in the warm ocean, savouring the scent of our campfire, and having a yarn with neighbours.

We take a half day away from the beach to visit Lookout Point, bustling with tourists enjoying cliff walks, surf beaches, and tasty gelatos.

Our campsite was perfect: tucked amongst trees behind the beach line. We had quite a cast of creatures to provide us with endless amusement.

The bush stone curlews stand immobile all day unless they spot a marauding goanna which they shepherd away with wings outstretched. The curlews, known as murder birds because they scream murder at night, spend hours totally motionless, stirring to eat crabs or share our happy hour morsels.

Life as a family of goannas is one long day of being mobbed by everything else. In fact, there is a distinct mobbing order in play here: friarbirds mob nesting Torresian crows which in turn angrily mob goannas.

A mob of seriously muscled roos nonchalantly browses around us and occasionally indulges in spectacular Kungfu fighting.

Other birds included Australian Magpie, Noisy Friarbird, Torresian Crows.

Amazing that all this peace and quiet in an immensely enjoyable, wild setting, is just an hour away from one of Australia’s largest cities.









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North Stradbroke Island, Straddie, Queensland, Beach, Warwick, Flinders Beach, Main Beach, Point Lookout, QLD, Lace Monitor, Goanna, Birds, Stone-curlew, Fighting Roos, Fighting Kangaroos