South Stradbroke Island is located in south-east Queensland, Australia.  This area of Queensland has been popular with tourists from other parts of Australia and from overseas for many years due to its subtropical climate and magnificent sandy beaches. South Stradbroke Island (called “South Straddie” by the locals), is a little piece of paradise with vast sandy beaches, sand dunes and subtropical forests.  It is an extremely pleasant place.  Some of the flora and fauna, such as the Golden Wallaby (a small kangaroo), are unique to the island. Our Eco Cabin is located in the centre of the island between the main Resort facilities and the Surf Beach (see icon on map).

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History

Once connected to the nearby North Stradbroke Island, South Stradbroke was separated during a storm in 1896. Separation started during a storm several years earlier when a passing ship carrying a cargo of rum ran ashore on the sandy beach. Locals from nearby Southport trudged across the sand dunes to recover the rum from the shipwreck. To make their work easier, they used farm ploughs to lower the height of the dunes to near sea level. In the following years, the sand began to be eroded by the wind and sea.  In the storm of 1896, the waves finally broke through, splitting the island in two.

You can now visit the area, known as Jumpin Pin, with local guides - or if you are adventurous, by foot (take plenty of drinking water and let someone know your plans as it is several hours walk).  The area appears to be so remote from the rest of the world, but is only a short distance from the busy mainland.

You can often see surfers paddling across the seaway from the Spit on the mainland to the island in a quest for better waves.

If you are lucky, you may see dolphins passing between the islands, or even whales further out to sea.