Moreton Island 4WD

The road

Moreton Island is 38km of sand island 40km off Brisbane. The entire island is national park. Getting there requires a barge from Scarborough or Toorbul, and once on the sand the only roads are beach and 4WD tracks through the dunes. The eastern beach run from Bulwer to Cape Moreton is the main track - 38 kilometres of open ocean beach with no other vehicles except other 4WDs, seasonal waders on the tide line and the occasional humpback whale in the channel offshore. The beach surface is firm at low tide and soft at high. Driving at mid-tide is fastest. At Cape Moreton the lighthouse sits on the northernmost rocky headland, with 270-degree ocean views. The snorkelling at Tangalooma on the western side is among the best accessible from Brisbane. The island has one resort, one general store at Kooringal in the south, and nothing else. It is as close to wilderness sand driving as you can find within an hour of a capital city.

The region

Moreton Bay Marine Park surrounds the island and supports the resident pod of humpback dolphins, seasonal whales and dugongs. The Tangalooma Resort on the western beach is the only accommodation on the island. Camping is available at three national park campgrounds - book through Queensland Parks and Wildlife before departure as sites fill weeks ahead in school holidays.

Before you go

Barge from Scarborough or Toorbul - book ahead in school holidays. Deflate tyres to 20-22 psi for beach and 18-20 psi for soft sand areas. Reinflate before loading back on the barge. A portable compressor is essential. Tidal timing matters - avoid high tide on the eastern beach as the soft dry sand above the tideline is significantly harder work. Fuel is not available on the island - fill up before the barge. Speed limit 50km/h on beaches, enforced.

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