OUT THERE: KATIE'S DAY ON MINJERRIBAH (NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND)

Leaving Brisbane behind...

The ferry from Toondah Harbour in Cleveland - a easy 40-minute drive southeast of Brisbane - cuts through the blue waters of Moreton Bay with a quiet sense of adventure. Known by its traditional name, Minjerribah, and sitting just 30 kilometres southeast of Brisbane City, it feels like a whole other world.

Minjerribah is the second largest sand island in the world (after K’Gari), and is home to pristine beaches, sparkling clear bays, and rich bushland filled with wildlife. After a few days spent exploring the sights of Brisbane, I was looking forward to a day immersed in one of Australia's most beautiful natural settings. 

Meeting Elisha, Our First Nations Guide

Once we arrived, we were met by Elisha from Yura Tours. Elisha is a Quandamooka woman living and working on Minjerribah, generously sharing her deep knowledge of the land and the culture passed down from her Elders with visitors to the island. Quandamooka people are the traditional custodians of Minjerribah, Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), The Bay Islands and Redlands Coast regions, and have had a continual connection to these lands for thousands and thousands of years.

Walking beside Elisha, you begin to see Minjerribah differently - not just as a place of extraordinary natural beauty, but as a living story. Elisha shared how the Quandamooka people have lived and foraged, their creation stories and insight into the sacred flora and fauna. As we listened, I was deeply grateful for my better understanding of the importance of this land and the people that live here.

As we arrived at Point Lookout, the colours and landscapes took my breath away. These views are the kind that stop you mid-sentence and make you pull out your phone again and again for just one more picture - but never quite capturing how beautiful it really is. The weather was showing off for us today (as it so often does on 'Straddie') - vivid cobalt meeting bright-white sand, sky stretching overhead in endless blue above the green tangle of bush. We watched surfers paddle lazily out through the break as wedge-tailed eagles circling overhead, keeping quiet watch. In the trees, kookaburras sat like sentinels, and more than once we froze at the silhouette of a frogmouth wedged perfectly still against a branch. Every so often Elisha would pause and point above, directing our gaze to the little grey circle of a koala snoozing peacefully overhead.

But it was on the water that the island excelled. Elisha pointed out into the open ocean - dolphins, more than I've ever at once - arced and tumbled just offshire, alongside the shadows of turtles just beneath the waves. Even in April, well into autumn, the island was at it’s best - brilliant blue skies, warm weather, inviting ocean spray.

An Elevated Post-Swim Lunch

It was almost impossible to pull ourselves away. Almost.

We were lured away from the incredible views with the promise of lunch - and what awaited us there redefined what a beach lunch could be. As we stepped onto the warm sand, the scene that greeted us was nothing short of theatrical: a live-fire BBQ station manned by a Brazilian chef, a full bar set up with speakers humming softly, cocktail tables scattered just so. We dove into the water - much warmer than expected - for a refreshing dip, and on our return were greeted with a welcome glass of chilled rose.

Still in our swimmers, we settled into our places at a long dining table set right in the sand, shaded from the afternoon sun. What followed was far from the slightly-sandy sandwiches or Mr Whippy's I usually enjoy post-dip - Moreton Bay Bug, wagyu steak, freshly grilled barramundi, truffle burrata, focaccia with the best olive oil. It was an absolute marvel the way

delicious treats kept appearing before us, produced

from just one pop-up cooking station as if by magic.

The ferry home was peaceful in the way only a full day in the sun and sea can make you. Sleepy and deeply content, watching Minjerribah recede across the water, I thought about what the day had held: an ancient culture shared with generosity, wildlife in jaw-dropping abundance, and a lunch table in the sand that somehow managed to be both completely indulgent and exactly right for its surroundings.