An incredible oasis: Stradbroke Island

Happy New Year!

An opportunity to get out of Brisbane and explore a new, enchanting place has been long overdue on my agenda, so I was more than excited to I end 2015 with a trip to the incredible Stradbroke Island.

For those who aren't familiar with this oasis, Stradbroke Island is located just 30km from Brisbane. I got there via ferry, which took just 25 minutes from Cleveland. We took our car on the ferry, which made it really easy to get around the island. However, there is public transport available throughout the island if you don't take a car.

Once you get to the island there is a lot to do and explore. The North Gorge Walk was probably my biggest highlight.  As someone who is a big lover of breathtaking scenery and just being immersed in new places, you could probably imagine why this was my favourite part of the trip.

The boardwalk gives you the opportunity to gaze upon Straddie's impressive headland. The walk delivers the most spectacular views of the beautiful coastline. It is the perfect vantage point to admire the evanescent, turquoise water.  Just being beside the water and being surrounded by such luscious greenery filled me with so much joy! This walk really is a must do if you're visiting Straddie.

We also headed to Cylinder beach. The weather when we went was really warm, so heading to the beach fitted in perfectly. The sky was reasonably clear, causing the sunlight to give the water a stunning ombre effect. 

Thankfully, the beach wasn't very crowded at all, which gave me the perfect opportunity to catch up on my reading.  I have been reading 'Death at SeaWorld' by David Kirby. As someone who is against animals in captivity for entertainment purposes, I just had to pick up this book. I have been following Orca’s in captivity for years and years, long before the passing of Dawn Brancheau, as they have been my favourite animals since I was a kid. I was on the lookout for a novel that was a bit more challenging when it came to learning about these animals and this book has definitely delivered! Hopefully I will have a blog post up on it soon. 

I definitely hope to head back to Straddie very soon. The island itself is so special as its not over crowded with people, making it the perfect, relaxed getaway. To think that this little slice of heaven is located so close to Brisbane, why wouldn't you go?!