An island getaway, without having to get away from Brisbane

Take the Tangalooma Island Resort ferry—this 75-minute trip departs four times daily from the Tangalooma Island ferry terminal, 20-minutes from Brisbane city.

Bringing the 4WD? Catch the Micat vehicle barge from the Port of Brisbane—just make sure you’ve got your 4WD permit from Mulgumpin Camping.

Accommodation and day-trip options

Wake up to the soundtrack of the ocean, soak in views of Moreton Bay, or relax on a timber deck nestled in the hills—Tangalooma has eight accommodation options to choose from.

For a touch of luxe, check into a four-star Deep Blue Apartment—open-plan, beachfront apartments with private balconies serving up views as far as the Glass House Mountains.

For resort-style convenience, look no further than the Kookaburra Lodge Hotel, 50-metres from Tangalooma’s white sands.

Not close enough to the beach? Try a Beachfront Villa and let the sound of the ocean be your morning wake-up call.

If you’re planning a longer-stay, book into a Resort Unit or Family Suite, fully equipped with kitchenettes, or Tangalooma Holiday House. These modern, spacious homes are perched on the hill, with timber decks perfect for sunset BBQs and al fresco dining.

Travelling on a budget? The Run of House rooms are a comfortable, affordable option, designed for those who’d rather spend their time exploring than indoors.

You'll need at least a few days to see Moreton Island properly, but if you’re short on time, you can experience a slice of Tangalooma magic on a Tangalooma Island Resort Day Cruise.

Day-trip options range from the Beach Day Cruise that’ll have you back in Brisbane by sunset, through to full-day trips featuring activities like whale watching and tobogganing.

Where to eat and drink

Grilled Moreton Bay bugs, spicy bang bang chicken, grass fed beef rib—Tangalooma offers options that’ll get your taste buds dancing.

Start your day with a buffet breakfast at Turisops or a flat white from the Coffee Lounge. For lunch or dinner, choose from burgers and pizzas at the Beach Café, wagyu rump or barramundi at the Beach BBQ, or savour Sichuan, Cantonese, Thai or Vietnamese flavours at Fire & Stone.  

Elsewhere, sip on a pina colada or a margarita at sunset at the Beach Deck, or enjoy a beer or wine while you listen to live music at B&Bs Bar.

What to do at Tangalooma Island Resort

Now that you’ve checked into your room, it’s time to explore! We’ve picked out six of the best experiences to help you make the most of your stay.

Dive or snorkel the Tangalooma Wrecks

No trip to Tangalooma is complete without exploring the Tangalooma Wrecks—17 deliberately sunken vessels have become a vibrant underwater world teeming with a kaleidoscope of marine life, including wobbegong sharks, dolphins, dugongs, and tropical fish.

Snorkel around the wrecks on a guided tour, paddle above them in a clear-bottom kayak, or scuba dive around them. Or keep your feet dry with a Wrecks Fish Feeding Cruise, or an Illuminated Wrecks tour and see bioluminescent natural organisms at night.

Take an ATV Quad bike tour

Jump on an ATV quad bike (think of it like an off-road, four-wheel motorbike) and take a guided tour through one of Australia’s best ATV tracks. Experience the thrill of riding along beaches and through undulating sand dunes and untouched bushland on a 45-minute ATV quad bike tour.

Thrillseekers can take the 45-minute ATV quad bike tour, while the Easy Rider Tour offers a more relaxed pace. Little adventurers can get in on the fun too—kids aged 10-15 can ride solo with an adult chaperone, while those aged 5-9 can ride as a passenger.

Hand-feed wild bottlenose dolphins

Imagine a pod of wild dolphins swimming around your feet, eating fish from your hands. You can experience this each night with Tangalooma Dolphin Feeding and feed dolphins from two families that have been visiting since the 1990s.

The resort ensures that the dolphins only receive 10-20% of their daily food requirements from the experience, meaning that they don’t become reliant on humans and must continue to hunt for themselves.

Toboggan down towering sandhills

Head out to the desert—Tangalooma Desert that is, an open expanse of sand dunes perfect for one thing—sand tobogganing!

Lie down on a waxed masonite board, hold on tight, and race down the dunes at speeds of up to 40km/h.

Got a 4WD? Drive yourself to the dunes or take the Desert Safari Tour to see Moreton Island by 4WD bus before your high-speed sand adventure begins.

Go on a whale watching cruise

Tangalooma offers Brisbane’s closest whale watching—witness magnificent humpback whales on the ‘humpback highway’ as they migrate from Antarctica to Queensland’s warmer waters from June to October every year.

See them from Australia’s largest dedicated whale watching boat (Tangalooma Whale Watch Cruises operating daily, departing from both Brisbane and Tangalooma), or take a Whale Watching Bus Safari tour and see them from the Cape Moreton cliffs.

Fly high above Moreton Island with a scenic helicopter tour

Take sightseeing to the next level—literally—with a scenic helicopter flight above Moreton Island. See Cape Moreton’s rugged coastline, the iconic Tangalooma Wrecks and the historic lighthouse from above as you spot dolphins, turtles and whales from above.

Choose from four different options, from a short loop high above the Resort and the Wrecks, to a 30-minute scenic adventure including hidden gems like World War II gun posts and secluded beaches.

Take a closer look at Moreton Island to prepare for your adventure.