South Stradbroke Island
Australia

Day trip or stay on South Stradbroke Island and you won't be disappointed.  A great little getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast. South "Straddie" separates the ocean from the northern parts of the Gold Coast stretching in the south from the Gold Coast Seaway (Southport Bar) to Jumpin Pin Bar.  On the mainland the island stretches approximately from Biggera Waters to just north of Jacob's Well.   This gives two sides to this beautiful, quiet sand island - the calmer inner waterways and the deserted ocean beaches separated by virtually untouched bush where you will find interesting Australian wildlife and bush plants. The island is mostly kept as bushland with only a couple of places to stay - Couran Cove Island Resort, Couran Point Beach Resort, some private houses and camping grounds.

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Things To See and Do on South Stradbroke Island Australia

• Jumpinpin - also incorrectly known as Jumpin Pin and Jumping Pin. This area is great for fishing or to anchor up and enjoy the beautiful beach and sand - however, the Jumpinpin Bar can be quiet treacherous so beware if you don't know the area or are inexperienced on the water.

• Surf Beach - 22kms of surf beach.  Privately patrolled flagged area near Couran Cove Island Resort.  Pristine beach with hardly a soul in sight.  Beware of the 4WD and tractor tours though!

• Whale Watching - mid-June to late October is the main season.

• Sand Tobogganing or Sand Sledding - take your boogie board and toboggan down a massive sand dune.  On ocean beach side approximately in line with Couran Cove Island Resort.

Serious sand sledding at South Stradbroke Island	Sand Tobogganing at South Stradbroke Island

• Bushwalking – best to do this with a guide especially if you are inexperienced.  A local will be able to guide you and tell you all there is to know about the area and local flora and fauna.

• Fishing –  fishing off boats on the eastern broadwater side you will typically find estuary fish such as bream, flathead, luderkick, tailor, whiting and jewfish. Occassionally you may be lucky and find the larger mangrove jack or trevally. There are also bountiful sandcrabs to be had. Resorts such as Couran Cove have fishing guides to help you with general fishing information and local fishing tips.  They also arrange fishing trips to take you to the best spots! 

• Beach Walking - you can walk along the 22kms of surf beach with spectacular views to the north and south, back to the Gold Coast seaway.  

• Water Sunrises and Sunsets - Watch the sun rise over the water in the east and sun set over the water in the west.  This is one of the few places you can see this on the east coast of Australia!

• Spot the Golden Wallaby - this rare wallaby is only found in this area, spotting one can be a real treat. 

• Water sports - surrounded by water, it makes sense that resorts provide access to water activities (at an additional cost) such as jetskiing, parasailing, diving, sea kayaking, sailing, surfing, windsurfing, fishing trips and boat tours.

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Accommodation on South Stradbroke Island Australia
The main thing about accommodation on South Straddie Island is that you really need to book it before you get to the island.  

Accommodation styles include hotel style rooms, self contained apartments, villas, lodges, eco cabins, houses and camping grounds.  The main accommodation is found in the resorts and some private owners offer their properties directly although they are within the resorts.


South Stradbroke Island Resorts

• Couran Cove Island Resort

• Couran Point Beach Resort

• South Stradbroke Island Resort

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Other Accomodation Options on South Stradbroke Island Australia

• Camping - there are four camping grounds on South Stradbroke Island.  Two at the northern end - Bedrooms and Tipplers.  Two at the southern end - North Currigee and Currigee.  All have amenities blocks and some have other limited factilities.  All are surrounded by native bushland. North Currigee is located around an inlet which makes it great for mooring and camping.

South Stradbroke Island Australia Information Click to find on this page Things to See & Do Accommodation Golf info Beach info How To Get Here

Golf Information for South Stradbroke Island Australia

There are no golf courses on South Stradbroke Island!  Only Bush golf!  If you want a golfing holiday, this is not the place to stay.  If you want to play golf whilst you stay at one of the resorts, Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island golf courses would be the closest by water taxi or ferry.

• Hope Island Resort Golf Course

• The Pines
• The Palms

Beach Information for South Stradbroke Island Australia
There are no official beach patrols, but there is a flagged area close to Couran Cove Island Resort on the ocean side.  

As with any unpatrolled areas, swimmer beware.  Also be particularly careful at Jumpinpin Bar as the tides can make this particularly hazadous for swimmers, canoists, kayakers, small boats etc.

As well as the ocean beach there are some smaller beach areas on the broadwater side of the island, and a large expanse of beach at Jumpinpin at the northern tip of the island.  The broadwater side of the island is more bushland some some areas do not have a real beach area.  South Stradbroke Island Resort has a reasonable beach particularly at low tide.

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How To Get To South Stradbroke Island Australia
There are several ways to get to South Stradbroke Island:

• By Water
• Boat hire or charter
• Ferry
• Water taxi

• By Air
• Helicopter
• Sea plane

Gold Coast departure options include:

• Marina Mirage - Main Beach

• Runaway Bay Marina

• Sanctuary Cove Marina

• Hope Harbour - Hope Island

• Jacobs Well - northern Gold Coast

South Stradbroke Island Australia Information Click to find on this page Things to See & Do Accommodation Golf info Beach info How To Get Here

Looking for other Queensland Island Holiday destinations?
Other south east Queensland options include North Stradbroke Island and Moreton Island including the fabulous Tangalooma.

Further north is Fraser Island.

When is the best time to visit? 
That depends upon what you want to do, when you can come, your budget and what kind of weather you'd prefer! Check out my guide to the best time to visit the Gold Coast.

Want to know what to do in the Gold Coast?

So many things to do, so little time - take the challenge check out the Gold Coast main attractions and plan your trip to make the most of it.