Exploring the Tangalooma wrecks at Moreton Island
Brisbane is a cool place to call home because there are a number of exciting trips that you can go on that only take a day. From hikes to water sports to adventures in the sky, Brisbane has an array of activities that are so expansive that you can just keep on experiencing new things. Tangalooma’s wrecks on Moreton Island is one of my favourites.
We took a boat over to the main shore line. I can’t remember how much it cost us, but it wasn’t enough to scare me off going. Included in the price was a $20 meal voucher that is valid in the restaurants and cafes along the beach.
This was my first experience snorkelling and I loved it instantly. We bought snorkelling gear there — I would get some before going, they only had cheap ones on the shore and you could feel the flippers cut into your heels as you swam. We have since invested in legitimately comfortable gear and it’s so worth it. So do keep that in mind. You can pay to go out in a boat but you only get an hour tops. We could go in as much and for as long as we liked. You can hire glass kayaks and stand up paddle boards just in front of the wrecks, which was cool and something I will keep in mind when we go back. We just bought our own gear and went out on our own (we tend to prefer to do this rather than guided tours most of the time).
There were starfishes washed up along the beach…now, I need to say something about this. I understand that, as tourists, some people may not be native to Australia and therefore not familiar with starfishes. I saw multiple people pick them up — which kills them, by the way — and then hurl them across the sand or into the shallows. Please don’t do this.
Moving on…once you swim out to the wrecks (if you, like us, choose to do your own thing as opposed to the hired gear/tour option) you are surrounded by beautiful little coloured fish. They literally will swim towards you out of curiosity and then stay with you as you swim around, especially right next to the wrecks. The water is very deep between the store and the wrecks, but it quickly evens out and the distance between the beach and the reef doesn’t feel like much if you take it at your own pace.
You can hire a locker for $2 for the day so that you don’t have to keep your gear on the beach. Honestly though we got a locker and I wish that we hadn’t, because the beach has vendors along it and everyone else had just left their stuff on the beach. The lockers are also located in the main restaurant area and are a good fifteen minute walk from the wrecks, which is annoying going back and fourth if you plan to go to your bag a lot to get photographs, food, drinks, etc. It is a friendly place, but if you feel more at ease in getting a locker, by all means.
You can also take a quad bike tour over the dunes, which is insanely fun and I do recommend doing it. I can’t remember exactly how much it was, but it was pretty decently priced! I have wanted to go back to go camping, since the day that we went. It’s an amazing spot and it feels far away from Australia as a whole, which is shocking considering it only takes little over an hour to get there from the Brisbane river pick up point.
'See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.'
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
