How to get to North Stradbroke Island

Catching the ferry to Straddie is an exciting part of the experience!

Working out how to get to North Stradbroke Island can be a bit of a pain, so I thought I’d get it down in black and white and make it easy for new visitors to the island.

North Stradbroke Island is accessible only by vehicular ferry or by water taxi. (I suppose you could sail or power boat over!). Either way, you need to travel to Toondah Harbour by car or public transport. Here’s how:

Getting to Cleveland, then on to Straddie by public transport:

Queensland rail operates a regular air conditioned train service to Cleveland (the last station on the line) every 25 minutes or so. From the Cleveland station the ferry companies run free buses to the departure point with the buses timed to meet water taxi departures.

The water taxis take around 25 minutes and both boats have recently been upgraded with TV’s etc.

Two water taxi companies leave Toondah Harbour, one going to Dunwich and other the “One Mile” jetty. Once again they have complimentary time tables and both water taxis are met by Stradbroke Buses (except the last boat  – normally around 7pm). In any case, you should probably book so it pays to confirm that a bus is available. There is also an island taxi service which can be expensive in small numbers but it is courteous, comfortable and reliable.

STRADBROKE BUSES TICKET PRICES COVERING 2 ZONES – DUNWICH TO POINT LOOKOUT

adult single $4.10
adult daily $8.20
adult weekly $32.80

child single $2.10
child daily $4.20
Child weekly $16.80

Qld only: pension, seniors and tertiary
same as child

Useful Public Transport links:

Train Time Table

Stradbroke Flyer Water Taxi

Stradbroke Ferries

Stradbroke Buses

Getting to Straddie with a car:

Cruising to Straddie in the sunshine!

From Brisbane City, travel down Old Cleveland Road to Cleveland and then follow the signs to the harbour via Middle street. It is dead easy with very clear signage. From the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, find the Gateway Motor Way exits and once again follow the signs to Cleveland.

Two Ferry companies operate with slightly different time tables that compliment each other. Costs are the same, so your only decision is which time table suits you. Both offer online booking and the trip takes around 50 minutes. Here are the links to book a car Ferry to Stradbroke Island online:

To book a barge, follow these links:

Stradbroke Ferries

Sea Stradbroke

There you go, how to get to Straddie in a nut shell. Now you can enjoy this type of view!!!

Fishes Cafe for great food, views and bike hire

Dolphins as seen from Point Lookout headland

Clasje Goebel wins Arnette #2 QLD U18 Surfing Titles #2

AN increase in swell over night saw the final day of competition at the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles conclude in style as competitors in the Under/16 and Under/18 boys and girls divisions reveled in the offshore 1.5m to 2m conditions at North Stradbroke Island’s Main Beach.

In the U/18 girls, Point Lookout’s Clasje Goebel used all her local knowledge and scored an impressive 11.57 to outclass Amiya Doyle (Coolangatta), Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach), Chiana Ireland and Charlie Roach (Maroochydoore).

QLD Junior Surfing titles, North Stradbroke Island

Series winners will join a prestigious group of Queensland surfers that have won state junior titles, including 2007 World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), current World no.1 Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta) and ASP World Tour competitors Bede Durbidge (Currumbin) and Dean Morrison (Coolangatta).

Top seeds from events 1 and 2 will be eligible to compete in the final event on the Sunshine Coast on August 8-9. The top 24 rated – U/16 and U/18-year-old boy surfers and the top eight U/16 and U/18-year-old girl surfers will be invited to contest the final event.

More info

Straddie Coronas get it going on at Fishes Cafe

Fishes Cafe had a real island music vibe going on last night as the Straddie Coronas performed to a full house.

The $15 main course menu was a huge hit as 70 island residents listened to Ra’s dulcite tones and Fishes chef Pete Kenny’s mesmerising guitar work.

Enjoying the Straddie Coronas at Fishes Cafe, North Stradbroke Island

To see the menu and more info go to Fishes Cafe

White humpback whale Migaloo spotted off Australian coast – Times Online

White humpback whale Migaloo spotted off Australian coast – Times Online

Shared via AddThis

Migaloo, who has been compared to the fictional Moby Dick, regularly travels along the Australian east coast during the whale migration season. According to the Hawaii-based Pacific Whale Foundation, it is the only known occurrence of an all-white humpback whale.

He was seen of straddie onlines Camera last year and it is awesome to see him return in 2009.

Straddie Whale Count 30/06/09

30/06/2009 John & Jenny Truman from the Oceanic Gelati Shop report 601 humpback whales past Point lookout this season.

The weather on Straddie is fantastic and clear and with a little patience the Humpbacks are easily seen. Stradbroke Island Whale Trail Map.

The Coronas Return to Fishes Cafe

After a sell out last time, local musos Pete & Ra are back doing their thing at Fishes Wednesday July 1.

We’ve put on a $15 main course menu and quality wines at perfect prices!

Fishes Cafe, Coronas, North Stradbroke Island

For more information go to Fishes Cafe website

Arnette QLD Junior Surfing Titles come to Straddie

QLD Junior Surfing Titles, North Stradbroke Island, Straddie

North Stradbroke Island is set to host the hottest and hungriest Queensland groms as competition ramps up in the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles – The Notorious Shootout ’09.

From Tuesday the 30th of June, event two of the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles kicks off, with the best Queensland surfers under 18 battling for their position in the deciding competition on the Sunshine Coast, in just over a months time. The Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is the premier junior series, determining the Queensland team to compete at the Arnette Australian Surfing Titles. Top seeds from events one and two will be eligible to compete in the final event on the Sunshine Coast on August 8 – 9.

Learn more about this Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles

Learn about Fishes Cafe at Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island

Not a Straddie School but funny

Maroochydore School answering machine message

Whale Count past 586, 29/6/09

The whale count past Point Lookout has now reached 586 according to John & Jenny from the Oceanic Gelati Bar

Whale Count 27 June 09

Point Lookout whale count  417.

Oceanic Gelati Bar, North Stradbroke Island, Point Lookout, Straddie

Whales worth more Alive!

The Federal Minister for the Arts and Environment, Peter Garrett, has been singing the whale song on behalf of the slowly re-growing humpback whale population. Sometimes you just want to say “dur’, but it is great for our leviathan friends that this sort of research surfaces.

Funchal, Portugal, June 24: Whales are worth more alive than dead, an Australian minister said Tuesday, as campaigners publicised the billion-dollar whale-watching industry on the sidelines of the IWC conference.

Australian Environment Minister, Peter Garrett

Australian Minister for Arts & Environment, Peter Garrett

Environment Minister Peter Garrett welcomed a report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which said that in 2008 whale-watching generated 2.1 billion dollars (1.5 billion euros) of tourism revenue worldwide. Learn more about this story.

North Stradbroke Island or Straddie to repeat visitors is a perfect land based whale watching venue.  Learn more about watching whales on Straddie