We’ve been to North Stradbroke island (affectionately known as ‘Straddie’) twice this month to watch whales from the land. (The annual humpback migration north goes right past the east/northest side of the island). Foolishly I didn’t bring my camera the first time because I didn’t realise how beautiful it would be. But the second time, a week later, I did. Both winter days were beautifully warm and sunny, and the ride over on the catamaran a real joy, letting us see dolphins and seabirds each time.
Even from the ferry port, the view was lovely.
Herons in the mangroves
Across Moreton Bay
On the ferry ride, the sea was a jewel. Cormorants on a sandbar
On the island, we were whisked from the ferry terminal up to Point Lookout, the main place to see whales. You can’t see them in this picture, but there are dozens of them out there 🙂
Look, I got a couple of almost recognisable shots! We saw lots of mothers with calves, but also some males slapping fins and breaching. No photos of that, sadly.
At Point Lookout, you can take a walk around North Gorge, giving you more views of the whales and some of the small amount of stone on this sand island. That’s Doug out on the edge in the first one:
Beautiful rocks
And crystal clear water
Seaward, north facing beach on the other side from the ferry. Much of the island is national park, although it had previously, shamefully and highly controversially mined for mineral sand. Fortunately that’s stopped now, leaving nothing but perfect beaches and beautiful sand flora and fauna for visitors to enjoy.
Jealous yet? 🙂