Southern Moreton Bay Islands Ferry Loop
$Four islands in a day on the ferry locals use as a bus
Ride the island ferry out of Weinam Creek at Redland Bay and step off at all four Southern Moreton Bay Islands in a day. SeaLink runs the service for TransLink, so each leg costs 50c and boats leave roughly every half hour, seven days a week. Karragarra comes first, about twelve minutes out, with the best white sand of the four and no shops at all. Lamb has a convenience store and a swimming enclosure. Macleay has the cafes, the bowls club and the galleries. Russell is the largest and the furthest.
Step by step
From start to finish, what to expect.
Park at Weinam Creek Marina, Banana Street, Redland Bay and take an early sailing
Karragarra first for the beach, the swimming enclosure and the picnic BBQs
Back on for Lamb Island and a coffee at the convenience store
Spend the middle of the day on Macleay — lunch at the Blue Parrot Cafe or the bowls club, then the arts complex and galleries
Finish on Russell before the run back to the mainland
Cost breakdown
Estimated per person, in AUD.
How you get there
Your options for the trip.
Public transport
Drive yourself
Local tips
Stuff your mates would tell you.
Check which stops each sailing calls at before you board, because only some services run via Karragarra
Give yourself an hour ashore on each island — miss a connection and the next boat is half an hour off
Go on a Wednesday afternoon or Saturday morning to catch the Macleay organic farmers market
Take lunch with you if Karragarra is where you want to linger, as it has no shop or cafe
Hire a bike on Macleay if you want to see past the terminal, since it is far too big to walk in a stopover
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The world's second-largest sand island, a ferry ride from the city
$Tamborine Mountain
Rainforest walks, boutique wineries, and quirky village shops in the Gold Coast hinterland
$Bribie Island
Queensland's most accessible island, drive straight onto pristine beaches and calm bay waters