Why this little-known island resort needs to be on your radar
THIS spectacular spot is just an hour from Brisbane and has everything — without the crowds. But most Australians have no idea it’s there.
I FELT a little embarrassed when I stepped off the ferry after arriving at this island resort.
Two months earlier, I’d never heard of Tangalooma. Even after it was suggested as a place I should visit, I struggled to get the hang of the name. (“It’s a place called Tangorama … Toomalangy? Hang on, I’ll look it up again.”) It was as foreign to me as undiscovered villages on undiscovered lands in untouched corners of the globe.
But as I took in the view from the jetty, I felt slightly ashamed by how long I’d gone without a clue this place existed. And I was not alone.
Even though it’s just 75 minutes by ferry from Brisbane’s CBD, most Australians have never heard of Tangalooma Island Resort, a fully-equipped resort set on a pristine stretch of coast on Moreton Island (south of the more famous Fraser Island). Even people from Brisbane have never heard of the place, staff told me when I arrived.
These are the secrets I uncovered at Australia’s most beautiful, underrated holiday spot that we’ve been missing out on — even though it’s been right under our noses this whole time.
IT’S THE BEST DAY AT THE BEACH YOU HAVEN’T HAD YET
On the mainland, any beach this pretty would be swarming with boisterous families and lobster-red tourists.
But the beach at Tangalooma, with its calm, clear waters and blinding white sand, is mainly the domain of guests at the private resort. And wherever you are, it’s hard to avoid an eyeful of that billion-dollar view — which is also the scene of a seriously spectacular sunset.
In and around the beach, guests can fill their days with as much or as little as they want.
Relaxation-seekers can kick back at the pools, restaurants and the bar, or even indulge in a massage or facial.
But if adventure is what you want, you got it. Sand tobogganing, quad biking (that was brilliant), scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, whale-watching, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing and Segway touring are among the ways to fill your time.
Helicopter rides are a great way to take in the rest of picturesque Moreton Island — one of the four biggest sand islands in the world — but I went for an exhilarating parasail over Moreton Bay.
IT’S A RIVAL TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
The best thing I did during my three days at Tangalooma was a snorkelling tour of its dramatic shipwrecks.
The ships were scuttled between 1963 and 1984 to provide a safe harbour for recreational boats. Now, as well as being an intriguing point of interest, they’re the setting for a coral reef that’s home to thriving marine life, which includes a massive variety of colourful fish, green sea turtles and (harmless) wobbegong sharks.
You can head out to the wrecks on your own, but I went on a tour with a guide who almost had to drag me back on the boat at the end of our tour because I did not want it to end.
As with any activity on the island, you’ll get all the right equipment and necessary preparation from the staff — it’s very amateur friendly.
YOU CAN GET UP CLOSE WITH DOLPHINS — WITHOUT THE GUILT
Anyone who does know about Tangalooma probably knows about it for one thing — or should I say, a pod of things: dolphins.
Twenty-five years ago, the resort’s owners began tossing fish to wild bottlenose dolphins from the jetty after sunset and the dolphins have kept turning up, night after night, ever since.
Now, seven nights a week, guests can handfeed fish to the dolphins in a feeding program that’s considered one of the most sustainable in the world. (You can’t touch the dolphins, and staff will make sure you don’t overfeed them.)
It was incredible to get so close to these creatures and know they were free, happy, and there totally of their own volition.
In further proof the local dolphins are totally cool with this arrangement, in the Eco Centre — a great place to learn more about local wildlife and Tangalooma’s conservation efforts — you can see a preserved menagerie of all the interesting little “gifts” dolphins have brought to resort staff over the years, from eels to octopus, purportedly as thankyous for all those free dinners.
Tanglooma’s eco rangers also hold daily talks and feeding displays with local kookaburras and pelicans, which I seemed to enjoy as much as the little kids they were probably aimed at.
DID I MENTION IT’S A CINCH TO GET THERE?
Initially, the idea of travelling to an island I couldn’t even locate on a map seemed exhausting — especially as I was coming from Sydney.
It couldn’t have been easier. The Holt Street Wharf, where ferries to Tangalooma depart and return, was just 15 minutes from Brisbane Airport. Four ferry services operate in each direction daily.
The ferry ride itself was an easy 75 minutes. To be honest, I’ve spent as much time, and considerably more effort, battling to find a parking spot at one of Sydney’s crowded beaches.
The closeness of the wharf to Brisbane Airport makes it easily accessible for couples and families travelling from interstate — it’s absolutely worth flying to Brisbane purely for the purpose of visiting Tangalooma.
And when you step off the ferry, you’ll see what I was talking about — how did we miss the memo about this place?
The writer stayed as a guest of Tangalooma Island Resort.
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