Stradbroke Island Eco Day Trip from Brisbane – Wildlife & Beaches
Description
Discover North Stradbroke Island on a small-group eco day tour from Brisbane, featuring wild koalas, kangaroos, coastal walks, and beautiful beaches. Travel by ferry to Minjerribah and explore this natural wildlife haven with a knowledgeable local guide. As an Ecotourism Australia Certified operator, we promote responsible travel that protects fragile ecosystems and supports the island’s cultural and environmental heritage. Spot wild koalas, kangaroos, and dolphins year-round — and migrating humpback whales from June to October. Explore iconic sites like North Gorge Walk, Cylinder Beach, and Amity Point while learning about the island’s rich ecology and conservation efforts. This isn’t just a tour — it’s an immersive journey into the wild, natural beauty of Queensland.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Enjoy a scenic ferry ride across Moreton Bay, where you might spot marine life, seabirds, and stunning coastal views. This eco-friendly transport adds to the adventure before arriving at Stradbroke Island.
Experience one of Stradbroke Island’s most breathtaking coastal walks. Follow the boardwalk along dramatic cliffs to spot kangaroos, wallabies, seabirds, and—during winter months—humpback whales (June-Oct).
Take in sweeping ocean views from Queensland’s most easterly point. This is one of the best land-based whale-watching spots in the world between June and October.
Sink your toes into the soft white sands of this pristine swimming beach. Enjoy free time for a swim, beach games, or simply relax by the turquoise water.
Visit a tranquil coastal reserve surrounded by native gum trees. Wild koalas can often be seen resting in the treetops, and dolphins are frequently spotted close to shore.
Relax on the scenic ferry ride back across Moreton Bay as the sun begins to set. Keep an eye out for dolphins playing in the water as you reflect on a day of wildlife, beaches, and breathtaking island views.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up is at 8:35 AM in the undercover driveway at the Pullman King George Square. Look for our white Toyota Hiace minibus with Stradbroke Island Tours signwriting. Please arrive on time, as the bus cannot wait for late arrivals. Child Safety Seats Children under 7 years old in Queensland must travel in an approved car seat. If you are travelling with a child requiring a car seat, please inform us at the time of booking and provide the child’s age so we can prepare the correct seat in advance. Children must have their own seat and cannot sit on a parent’s lap.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- At Stradbroke Island Tours, we are dedicated to ensuring that all our guests have a memorable and enjoyable experience. While our current tour and small minibus, does not have wheelchair access, we are committed to providing personalised support to meet individual needs. Our tour guides are trained and experienced in assisting guests with a variety of accessibility requirements. We understand that every guest is unique, and we are here to help make your visit as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. If you have any specific accessibility questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how we can best accommodate your needs and ensure that your day with us is everything you hope for.
- Language: If you would like to select a French or Spanish speaking guide, please send us a message when you do your booking and we will do our best to ensure we schedule your preferred language guide on for the day. Please note that we can not gaurantee this, however if we know in advance your preferences we will do our utmost best to make it happen!
Reviews(106)
I read all these glowing tour reviews with a bit of suspicion because how could it be that good? Surprise... It lived up to the hype. Note the Brisbane pickup is not at 10a but 835a. We had near perfect sunny 68F weather making it the ideal day IMHO to walk and see animals. In early August we saw whale after whale. Lots of calves jumping out of the water or slapping their flukes around. Lots of kangaroos, too, including where we stopped for lunch. A mother roo with her joey stopped to graze about 3' away as I ate my prawn and avo roll. My one suggestion is to prepare for 1 hr stop at the beach. I wish I had a towel to dry my feet. The guide had various sports balls and pickleball racquets to play beach games but I just walked 30 mins down the beach then returned back. Capped the night by seeing a lovely sunset and 2 wild koalas. Pickups and dropoffs were right on time. Our guide - his name sounded like Ivy - was one of the best guides in Australia. The van a/c worked great. Ferry ride was enjoyable because the water was like glass. Lots of toilets and able to try the Straddie beer at the onboard cafe.
We had a great day spent with Ivy - and Leo-in-training. Small group, easy vibe, very relaxed but super informative. All needs catered for. We saw numerous whales and dolphins, a sea turtle, kangaroos in various places and even koalas! Recommend The Prawn Shack for lunch after the board walk. Delicious. Huge thanks to Ivy. This trip is highly recommended.
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! It sounds like the perfect day — whales, dolphins, a sea turtle, kangaroos and koalas all in one trip is such a rare treat. We're so glad the small group made for a relaxed, easy-going vibe, and that Ivy and Leo took great care of you along the way (Leo will love hearing that, he's just starting out!). Thanks too for the Prawn Shack tip, we'll have to pass that along to other guests. Really appreciate the kind words and the recommendation, hope to have you back on Straddie again soon!
I would say it was overpriced for what you got but can't fault our guide Ivy. He was awesome. Very knowledgeable on the island
Thanks for your honest feedback — we really appreciate it. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the experience with Ivy and his knowledge of the island. We’ll take your comments on board as we continue to improve.
This trip was excellent for wildlife spotting. Our guide Ivy was nice and a pro at spotting the wildlife. We saw an impressive 10 koalas in the wild, plus many kangaroos including joeys, humpback whales, dolphins, a turtle, a kookaburra, a pelican (and other birds), and flying foxes. The logistics were well taken care of (no need to worry about logistics all day, good recommendations for lunch, and our guide worked hard to make sure we could see the wildlife).
That’s an incredible list of wildlife sightings. We’re really glad you could relax and enjoy the day while everything was taken care of, and that you got to see so much in the wild. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Tour was excellent. Very laid back. The tour guide was wonderful and it was a very lo stress tour. Highly recommend
Really glad to hear you enjoyed the relaxed pace of the day. It’s great to know it felt easy and stress-free from start to finish. Thanks so much for the recommendation.
This was a fun day when you stay in Brisbane for a few days. We saw koalas, kangaroos and dolphins. After lunch there was an hour and a half free on the beach. Perhaps it is an idea to leave the choice between quick lunch and an hour and a half off or to opt for a longer lunch break without free time. Now we had to eat very quickly and we would have preferred to walk around there rather than the free time on the beach. Only thing we regretted was that the guide was French. We were hoping for just a little more info from locals. The explanation was certainly good, but it could be better. But definitely worth doing this trip with a small group.
Bedankt voor uw uitgebreide feedback en fijn om te horen dat u genoten heeft van de dag en de vele dieren die u heeft kunnen zien, waaronder koala’s, kangoeroes en dolfijnen. We waarderen uw suggestie over de lunch- en vrije tijdsindeling. We proberen een goede balans te vinden tussen sightseeing, strandtijd en ontspanning, maar nemen uw opmerkingen zeker mee in onze toekomstige evaluaties van de tour. Wat betreft onze gids: hoewel sommige van onze gidsen oorspronkelijk uit andere landen komen, wonen zij al jaren in Australië en hebben zij een grote passie voor North Stradbroke Island en de lokale natuur, geschiedenis en cultuur. We begrijpen echter uw voorkeur voor een lokaal perspectief en waarderen dat u dit met ons deelt. Nogmaals bedankt voor uw bezoek en voor het aanbevelen van onze tour. We hopen u in de toekomst opnieuw te mogen verwelkomen!
Ivy is an excellent guide with a great personality! He made sure everyone was included and showed many great photo spots and were supreme at locating wild animals!
Thank you so much for your great review. We’re delighted you had such an enjoyable day and appreciated the inclusive atmosphere. It’s wonderful to hear you found so many great spots and wildlife along the way.
We had a great day exploring Stradbroke Island with our guide Jack. Starting with picking us up at a central Hotel and taking the ferry ride to the island. We took a trail around the the highest points with awesome views and flora and fauna. We then had lunch at our choice of great island restaurants. Then spent the afternoon at the beach. There were 11 people in the group from UK, USA, Italy, Switzerland and Australia. We all got along and had a great time. Jack was courteous, knowledgeable, and entertaining his smile was infectious and made the trip memorable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone. 10/10
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re delighted you had such a great day and enjoyed the mix of scenery, wildlife, and beach time. It’s great to hear the group atmosphere made the experience even more special. We really appreciate your recommendation.
It was such a fantastic day!!! Such a great experience. Learnt so much. Ben took us to so many places and we were able to travel in a small group. Never been to Straddie before and would recommend it to anyone.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re delighted you had such a fantastic day and enjoyed discovering Straddie for the first time. It’s great to hear you learned so much and appreciated the small group experience. We really appreciate your recommendation.
Loved the knowledgeable guide and all the wildlife viewing opportunities! The beach, boardwalk and animal area were extraordinary and the small group kept things moving on schedule for the busy day.
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We’re delighted you enjoyed the wildlife, the scenery, and the small group experience. It’s great to hear the day ran smoothly and felt well paced.
