Leave busy Brisbane for a full-day tour that showcases the natural beauty of North Stradbroke Island. Swim in the surf or freshwater lakes, take a short guided hike, view whales and other marine animals from the beach and coastal lookouts, visit small towns including historic Dunwich and Amity, and go in search of the island’s population of wild kangaroos and koalas. Your small-group tour has numbers limited to 21 people, which ensures a more personalized experience with your knowledgeable guide.

Look for dolphins, turtles, manta rays, and whales in the waters of Moreton Bay
Take a guided hike along the scenic headlands of North Gorge Walk to Point Lookout
See koalas and kangaroos lounging in their native habitat
Small-group tour limited to 21 people ensures a personalized experience with your guide

What's Included

Driver/guide
Live commentary on board
Local guide
National Park fees
Bottled water

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Lunch
Coffee and/or Tea

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

222 Margaret St
222 Margaret St, Brisbane City QLD 4000, Australia
Tours depart at 7:45am (Check In 7:35am) from the loading zone in front of 222 Margaret Street, Brisbane. This is outside the Skytower Apartments and between Albert and Edward Streets. Hotel pickups are not available.

Start time

07:45 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Get an early start with pickup from the Transit Centre, then ride in an air-conditioned coach to the North Stradbroke Island ferry stop, located about one hour away. Board the ferry for the 30-minute crossing of Moreton Bay to reach the island.

During your day out on North Stradbroke Island, your guide takes you to all the top sights, allowing you to do and see more without the hassle of driving and navigating.

Have time to take a refreshing dip in the lake or relax on the white-sand lakeshore beach. You’ll also stop at Myora Springs, a freshwater spring surrounded by tropical forest, and hear about its significance to the local Aboriginal people.

Take a guided walk coastal trail called North Gorge Walk where you can spot migrating humpback whales (from May to October), dolphins, turtles or manta rays swimming below and at Point Lookout. Your guide also takes you to locations in the interior where you might find wild koalas munching eucalyptus leaves and kangaroos lounging in the grass.

Visit small developed areas including the historic town of Dunwich, the fishing village of Amity, Cylinder Beach and Frenchman’s Beach. You’ll then have free time in the afternoon to explore at your leisure.

Rejoin your group at the designated time to return to Brisbane where your tour ends in the late afternoon.

North Gorge Walk

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Myora Springs Conservation Area

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cylinder Beach

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Amity Point Beach

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Point Lookout

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 5 years
Closed-toe shoes are recommended

Please bring hat and sunscreen.
Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 21 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

The walking might be a little strenuous for someone with difficulty walking, but we all enjoyed it and had lovely views.

Use some insect repellent though, as the little so and sos were out in force early in the February day.

Reviews

4.5

236 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 236 reviews

Awesome Trip!

Jean_B, Sept 2023

Awesome day when we came across a Koala on the sidewalk and then 2 different families of kangaroos. Beautiful Island! A bit cool & very windy on the day we were there.

Wonderful day!

Kelly_D, Aug 2023

Brian was an awesome tour guide and was very knowledgeable! We saw so much wildlife, which we were so excited about! We saw koalas, kangaroos, turtles, and humpback whales! Be sure to eat lunch at The Prawn Shack for the best prawn and avocado sandwich!

The Long and Winding Road

Tim_B, Aug 2023

Our guide/driver, James was knowledgeable and affable. He helped us to experience a lot of wildlife; koalas, Roos, whales, rays, turtles. You will spend most of the day in the bus or on the ferry because of the distances involved. The island is gorgeous and deserves a longer, more leisurely look, but if you only have a day then this is a good option.

Super

Chantal_M, July 2023

Great trip! Super Nice and friendly guide! A lot to see and learn, beautiful animals. Book this trip

Great trip!

Inge_V, July 2023

Very nice trip, best thing I did in Brisbane! Saw some wildlife (koala’s, whales, kangooroos, a dolphin and bats). Friendky guide who gives enough information about the animals and nature.

Response from Host, July 2023

Hi, Thank you for your review. It was good to hear our Tour was the best thing you did in Brisbane Regards Sophie

Not to be missed

Sarah_M, July 2023

A brilliant trip with the excellent guide James. From start to finish he entertained us with facts about all the places that we visited. His knowledge of wildlife etc was phenomenal. I just wish we had longer as we could have stared at the views and paddles on the beach forever. Cannot rate this trip highly enough. Pure paradise.

Excellent tour of North Stradbroke Island

Paul_R, May 2023

A very well organised tour of the world's second-largest sand island with very informative comments from our tour leader James who happens to also be a highly experienced spotter of wildlife. I can highly recommend this tour.

A great day away from Brisbane suitable for adults if the weather is sunny

Raami_F, Apr 2023

It was a great trip and James was an excellent tour guide. i would highly recommend it to others for a relaxing day away from the city. there were also enough food and beverage options during the tour so we didn’t end up needed to bring anything.

North stradbrook island tour

luke_r, Apr 2023

The whole family had a great time. The gorge walk was amazing and we saw a lot of kangaroos and sea turtles as we walked around. Our guide was outstanding with friendly attitude and wonderful knowledge found us a lot of koalas to see as we toured around the island.

Day trip to stradbrooke

allison_d, Mar 2023

Excellent day trip … brian our driver was fabulous and provided very interesting and informative information throughout the day… Really enjoyed Stradbrooke Island and the beach was beautiful too

Totally worth it, great trip!

Karen_A, Feb 2023

This was my 2nd time on this trip. Both were amazing. Very organized, James was wonderful, searched for wildlife for us, kept us on track and gave great commentary. Scenery was incredible. Even with a rainy day we had a great time. Highly recommend!

great trip

marta_z, Jan 2023

great trip, very happy how the day goes . nice tour guid . seen some koalas ganiging on the tree . .

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Marta. Thank you for taking the time to send in a Review. We very much appreciate it. Regards Jo-Anne

Great trip. I would highly recommend it.

Brenda_S, Jan 2023

Beautiful scenery. I was excited to see large turtles and Mantra’s in the ocean. The tour guide was very informative.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Brenda. We are so happy you enjoyed you day on North Stradbroke Island and got to spot some of the local wildlife. It is good to hear that the guide was "very information". Thank you. Regards Jo-Anne

Absolutely give it a go!

Karen_A, Jan 2023

Great trip! James gave great commentary and informative information about the area and Australia in general. Was always on the search for wildlife for us as well. Highly recommend, incredible scenery and a nice walk. I will do it again.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to send in a Review and thank you for the 5 stars. I'm glad you were able to see some wildlife on the Island. We appreciate the recommendation. Regards Jo-Anne

Helena

Helena_K, Dec 2022

North Stradbroke island is one of the Australians secret gem. A very beautiful island well worth a visit. The driver was great, made a lot of effort to help us see turtles, koalas, kangaroos and birds. Short stops though, would have loved to have at least an hour for both lunch and for the swim at the beach.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi Helena, Thank you for taking the time to Review our tour to North Stradbroke. It certainly is a beautiful Island and we agree it is a secret gem. It is also a great place to spot some of our iconic wildlife. Regards Jo-Anne

Great trip!

AImee_W, Nov 2022

Our guide James was great. Very knowledgeable about all things Australia. Pleasant bus ride and ferry. Looked for koalas and James found some for us. Went on the Gorges hike. I was worried about my mother’s back and she was able to walk the loop fine. There are plenty of places to stop and rest. There were a couple of places to have lunch and gelato at the end. Real quick trip to Myora and then back to the ferry. Returned to pick up spot at 4:30. This was a lot of fun. My 14 year old said it was her favorite activity on the trip. Thank you James and thank you Viator!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi. We appreciate your time in sending in a Review and our apologies for being tardy in responding. We are so glad you enjoyed your Tour with us and we were so happy to hear your daughter rated our as her favourite activity of your trip. We will ensure James reads your Review. Regards Jo-Anne

Just incredible!!

Erin_R, Nov 2022

The sights are amazing! And we saw two sea turtles, koalas, kangaroos and a variety of birds in the wild. Highly recommend!!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to Review our Stradbroke Tour. Your recommendation is appreciated. Regards Jo-Anne Jo-Anne

great day of the second biggest sand island

Stefan_B, Nov 2022

Brian was very informative and knowledgable. He was worried not being able to find Koalas but we were able to see one up close climbing down one tree and climbing another. The pace was good as well as we had enough time for lunch and at the beach afterwards. Just before lunch at the lookout point there were a few kangaroos. Because of the rough see with the big swell we didn't see turtles or dolphins.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi, Thank you for sharing your experience on our Stradbroke Island tour. Yes koalas aren't always around and it is great that one put on a display for you. Regards Jo-Anne

Beautiful day, but painful if you get the wrong seat on the minibus

Angela_A, Nov 2022

Firstly, having completed the trip we were impressed with guide Brian’s knowledge and facts about the area of Brisbane and North Stradbrook Island itself. We saw some fabulous scenery and were lucky enough to see both koalas and kangaroos in their natural setting. Being in a small group has its pros and cons, but the major issue for us was the size of the transportation. Although we arrived at the pick up place in plenty of time, there were only single seats available in the bus so we could not sit together. Also, the minibus held only 12 + the driver, so there was no spare room; my husband ended up sitting in the seat restricted by the rear wheel hub, so even less leg room than others. There is a lot of driving on the tour, so by the time we got back he was suffering from leg and back pain. Overall, our ‘average’ rating is based on the balance of good and bad elements of the tour and logistics of transportation across the day.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi, Thank you for your Review. The bus is actually a 13 + driver and we leave one seat spare deliberately so we only ever have 3 persons in the back seat not 4 (unless guests choose to sit 4 across). . My understanding is that you were the last two guests checked in and the only seats left were two single seats one behind the other. Your husband had the rear seats which does have a wheel arch to the side but there was a spare seat left next to him. He should have had more leg room than other guests on the Tour. We always start loading buses 10 minutes prior to departure and we load in the order that our guests booked if they are present as we request. Our trips are popular and mostly they will go full. Given we run small group tours it would be unreasonable to think we wouldn't try to fill every seat. We appreciate all comments. Regards Jo-Anne

Fabulous Day

Linda_S, Sept 2022

Amazing day from start to finish. Weather was great so the crossing to Stradbroke as very smooth. Our driver was great and gave great commentary and was enthusiastic. We saw our first Koalas in the wild, kangaroos, turtles, Dolphins, Humpback whales and a Manta Ray. The scenery was stunning and we had time at the end for a dip in the Ocean at cylinder Beach

Response from Host, Oct 2022

So glad that you took the time to send in a Review. We appreciate your comments and rating. Stradbroke sure is a magic place and it sounds like you got good weather as well! Regards Jo-Anne

...