After the Brisbane Marathon: North Stradbroke Island
The Route: Brisbane → Cleveland → Dunwich → Point Lookout → Brisbane Airport Logistics: Queensland Rail, passenger ferry and island bus, no car needed. East across Moreton Bay to the island's north-eastern headland and back. Marathon Month: June Duration: 1 night
Brisbane Central ──(about 1 hr, Cleveland line)──> Cleveland ──(bus to Toondah Harbour)──> Toondah Harbour
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(25 mins passenger ferry)
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Point Lookout ◄──(about 20 mins island bus)── Dunwich ◄──────────────────────────────────────────┘
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└──(bus, ferry, train back via Cleveland and Brisbane)──> Brisbane Airport (BNE)
The Brisbane Marathon finishes in the City Botanic Gardens on a Sunday morning in early June. North Stradbroke Island, known locally as Straddie and by its traditional name Minjerribah, is close enough to reach the next day by train, ferry and bus, with no driving and no hills to climb on the way.
June on North Stradbroke Island: the start of the whale season. Between June and November each year, thousands of humpback whales migrate past the island, and the headland at Point Lookout is one of the best land-based places to watch them. Early June sits at the front of the migration, so sightings are likely on a clear day but numbers build through the following months. The water is cool for swimming in winter; the reason to come now is the walking and the whales.
Trains on the Cleveland line run from Central to Cleveland in about an hour. From Cleveland station a bus runs to Toondah Harbour, timed to meet most ferries. The SeaLink passenger ferry crosses to Dunwich in about 25 minutes, roughly hourly, with more services on weekdays; a water taxi, the Stradbroke Flyer, also runs from the same harbour and offers a free shuttle from Cleveland station. On the island, buses meet the boats and run from Dunwich to Point Lookout in about 20 minutes. Check the current timetables and fares on the SeaLink and Stradbroke Island Buses websites before travelling; ferry tickets bought online stay valid for a year.
Night One: Point Lookout
Point Lookout sits at the north-eastern tip of the island, a small settlement on a rocky headland above a run of surf beaches.
The Gorge Walk is the reason to stay here and the best recovery walk on the island. It is a self-guided loop of about 1.2 km around the rocky headland, with lookouts over the gorge and the open ocean. From June it doubles as a whale-watching platform: humpbacks pass close to the headland, and turtles, manta rays and dolphins are often seen in the water below. The route includes boardwalk sections and some steps between lookouts. Taken slowly with stops, it fills an hour; do it in the late afternoon, then again the following morning if the legs allow.
Cylinder Beach, below the settlement, gives a level walk on sand, firmest near the water at low tide.
Where to stay: The Straddie Hotel on East Coast Road sits above Cylinder Beach, with rooms, a bar and bistro, a pool and a deck looking along the beach. It puts dinner and bed in the same building. Samarinda Jewel by the Sea, also at Point Lookout, is the quieter alternative away from the pub; check room types when booking.
Where to eat: Fishes at the Point serves breakfast and lunch built around local seafood, and The Prawn Shack sells prawn rolls and seasonal catches for an easy lunch. For dinner, the bistro at The Straddie Hotel serves pub classics and seafood towers. On the way back through Dunwich, Straddie Brewing Co brews beer on site and serves woodfired pizza.
Getting to Brisbane Airport
Reverse the outward trip: the island bus to Dunwich, the ferry to Toondah Harbour, the bus to Cleveland station and the train into Brisbane. From Central or Roma Street, the Airtrain reaches Brisbane Airport (BNE) in about 20 minutes. Allow at least three hours from Point Lookout to the airport, and more if connections do not line up, before an international departure.