The Beaches

The Heart of any Moreton Island adventure has got to be hanging at the beach. Stretches of white sandy beach line the island's ocean side making it ideal for swimming, surfing, and fishing, while the sheltered western edge offer a calm environment protected from the ocean waves and sometimes strong easterly winds for those after a more relaxing experience with crystal clear blue water gently lapping against the white sandy beach. The three island settlements are all located on this side, at Kooringal in the south, Cowan in the middle and northern Bulwer. A book, some sunscreen, a frisbee or ball and some refreshments is all you need for hours of relaxation and good times.

Bulwer Beaches

The beach in front of Bulwer offers calm, crystal clear blue waters, white sandy beach, safe swimming and good fishing near the Bulwer Wrecks or on the beach in front of Bulwer. Bulwer beach runs for 8.5km and extends from Comboyuro Point and curves its way up to Cowan Point. The bulwer wrecks has a nice wide area of beach between the wrecks is a safe area for children to play with no through traffic and is protected from the waves. The Beach is usually calm and offers a low tide frontage of about 100m
The wrecks also offer a safe swimming enclosure and snorkeling opportunities and a great spot to watch the spectacular sunsets back across Moreton Bay as it falls behind the mainland mountain ranges and Glass House Mountains.

Northern Beaches

The northern shore of Moreton Island extends for 11 km between Comboyuro Point and 20 m high, rocky North Point. Whille somewhat protected from winds and waves averaging less than 1 m and smaller to the west, it is a very dynamic shoreline, with the low, with Heath Island comprising two crenulate sand spits usually with rapid flowing Main Creek flowing out between the spits

Yellow Patch beach curves between the eastern end of Heath Island and North Point. Like Heath Island it is a very dynamic beach,formed from sand that move around North Point and are is pushed by the waves along the beach. Making the beach ever changing and reforming. It is Usually relatively safe to swim in this area. Behind the spits is a shallow salt water lagoon that usually fills and empties with the tide known as Main Creek. When waves exceed 1 m however, a strong westerly current runs along Yellow Patch and Heath Island Beaches, with occasional rips.

Honeymoon Bay and Cape Moreton Beaches

The northern tip of Moreton Island consists of a 1.5 km section of rock outcrops between 20 m high North Point and 120 m high Cape Moreton. Lighthouses are located on both headlands and the whole area is Commonwealth land. This ridge of bedrock is the only rock on the large and otherwise sandy island. Between the two headlands is an open, north-east facing,bay, within which are four small pocket beaches. One of which is Honeymoon Bay, the most famous, picturesque and the easiest to access. All four are backed by rocky cliffs rising in places over 60 m. There are steep access tracks down to each of the beaches. These Beaches are great for exploring, and usually completely secluded there are even some hidden caves in the rocks.

Honeymoon Bay lies immediately south of North Point and is backed by 15 m high bluffs, This gives easy walkin access from North Point either over the dunes or around the point.The beach is 50 m long and wedged in between rocks, together with some large rock outcrops on the beach. It faces east and receives waves averaging 1 to 1.5 m. This beach is usually cut by rips and strong seas. This is a harzardous beach to swim at dominated by rips, hidden rocks and big waves.

Cowan Beach

Cowan has no through traffic and the beach is closed off to all vehicle through traffic making it an ideal destination for families with small children. The beach still has remains of war time relics in the middle of the beach and collapsing from the foredunes.

The Surfisde

The 27 km of bay shoreline contain six, near continuous beaches, making up what locals call the surfside totalling 27 km in length,

Tangalooma Beach

Tangalooma Beach is a 8km long, west facing beach gently curved between the southern Tangalooma Point, past the 1km long settlement with its two jetties, up to Cowan Cowan Point, site of an island airstrip. Much of the beach is backed by a 50 to 100m high, vegetated sand dune , with two bare faced dunes next to Tangalooma wrecks that are usually climbed for a great view up and down the length of the beach. The beach consists of a narrow high tide beach, getting wider at the point in front of the tangalooma campgrounds.

Kooringal Beaches

Kooringal Beach fronts the settlement of Kooringal. It face west across the bay. It is fronted by sand tidal flats that extend for some distance at low tide. The beaches in front of Kooringal receive no ocean swell and are usually calm except for some wind waves at high tide. There is a 9 km section of mangroves between Kooringal and Little Sandhills on the western side. From Kooringal down to Tangalooma Point the high tide bach is somewhat narrow with a very wide sandy tidal flat most of the length, backed by vegetated high sand dunes.The whole length of beach is relatively calm and safe.

Surf Safety

Keep in mind no lifeguards patrol the beaches on Moreton Island so caution should be used when in the water. The most common concern is rips, which are strong currents running out to sea usually seen on the surf side of Moreton Island. They can easily sweep a swimmer from shallow water up to several hundred metres off shore. Rips can occur on all beaches and there are always plenty on the surf side.

The most dangerous part of a rip are the broke calm unbroken water. Look for common signs of rips like murky water caused by sand being stirred up from bottom, foam on surface extending beyond wave breaks, waves breaking on both sides of a rip but none breaking in centre where rip is, a ripple effect on surface of water like a flowing river, deeper looking water in a certain area.
WARNING- Do not swim alone, If you get caught in a rip, do not try to swim against it, swim across to the side then swim to shore.