It’s paradise, naturally
Visitors can enhance their visit to stunning Minjerribah with cultural and outdoor experiences enjoyed via a series of day passes
Alighting on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) beneath warm autumn sun and vibrant cobalt skies, a gentle sea breeze was the perfect welcome to an exotic natural paradise after a wet and dreary month across southeast Queensland.
It felt like the island was determined to shine for the entire weekend, if only to highlight the foolishness of two shortsighted Meanjin (Brisbane) residents who had never thought to skip half-an-hour across Moreton Bay before.
Keeping a sharp eye open for bombeli (koalas) in the eucalypt forest on our drive from Gumpi (Dunwich) mid-friday afternoon, a small mob of kangaroos grazing alongside ice-cream slurping families, drinking in the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, was the bucolic greeting atop Point Lookout. Kissing kangaroos provide the perfect insta-post as the North Gorge Walk beckons, the 1.2km boardwalk sandwiching wanderers between breathtaking ocean views and stunning coastal bushland.
Rounding the point, soft pink light bathes Main Beach stretching endlessly to the horizon, when a turn in the track reveals a round-bellied rock wallaby, its fur tinged orange from what remains of ripe pandanus fruit at its feet.
A pair of curious curlews, a couple of
carolling magpies and patient hound Marcie were welcome, though unexpected, additions to instructor Daisy’s early morning yoga class in the gardens of Oasis on Straddie; less so the cheeky kookaburra laughing at those stretching and flexing below. Daisy recalls kangaroos, possums and even crabs joining her outdoor classes across the island – though they were too polite to pass judgment. The gently challenging, hour-long session was a fantastic, energising way to kick off another sunny day in paradise, even for the less practised, as were the refreshing fruit smoothies and nourishing breakfast inside the beautifully appointed venue.
Available as part of the Sealink Island Oasis Yoga Day Pass ($414 for six adults), nip across the road afterwards to stroll the lengths of Home and Cylinder beaches as we did. Discover baby frogs flourishing in the reeds, climb Adder Rock and have a swim in the patrolled area beneath the Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel.
The beer garden is a great spot for sunset drinks looking over the ocean, dancing swallows and roosting lorikeets tag-teaming with foraging bats in the trees. Local musicians strumming acoustic guitars add to the natural soundtrack, while a wide-ranging bistro menu caters for diners young and old.
A diverse array of dining options is available across the island, from Gumpi’s relaxed Barn Cafe (best hamburger I’ve had in ages) to the cocktails and shared plates of Kokomo Beach House (lamb ribs with salsa verde are divine, second only perhaps to the apple and cinnamon mojito). A roadside sign proclaiming “Stan’s Chicken and Beer” intrigued and amused in its simplicity, but alas the opportunity to sample didn’t arise.
By far the standout was lunch at Bistro Seymour, at the North Stradbroke Island Golf Club, which has created a bit of a buzz among locals. Do not be put off by the bumpy dirt road and unassuming entrance to the nine-hole course. The view from the deck, across the roo-dotted green to Lake Bummiera (Brown Lake) and Moreton Bay beyond, is stunning.
The Island Social Golf Day Pass ($310 four adults, morning or afternoon session) does not include meals, but you’d be mad not to sample the offerings of classically trained and internationally acclaimed chef Myles Seymour, tempted out of his island retirement in February by the chance to combine his two loves – social golf and cooking.
We oohed and aahed sharing the thick, moist fillets of battered red emperor accompanied by homemade chips, aioli and vinegar, and the rich creaminess of garlic pesto prawns with egg noodles, snow peas and Roma tomatoes.
With a texture similar to an oyster but a
tart fruity taste, slurping out the inside of the pigface blossom picked fresh from the dunes was a Sunday morning surprise, as was the slightly medicinal taste of the small white, speckled berries and the pleasantly nutty flavour of the flour made from fern roots. Best of all was the delicious, tangy citrus of the honey collected from Elisha Kissick’s native bee hives and sucked off a fern frond. She grins. Her honey is always a hit, with guests offering $500 to take a jar home – to no avail.
Kissick swapped a corporate career to establish Yura Tours about two years ago, showing visitors the secrets, stories and history of the island generations of her family called home, and where she is now raising her three children.
Warm, friendly and down-to-earth, Kissick takes guests on her car/walking tours (Minjerribah Cultural Tour Day
Pass: adults $219, children $170) to several locations, including the old mission site, memorial bush tucker garden, Lake Bummiera, which is sitting at its highest level since the 1974 floods, Adder Rock and to visit the gallery of Delvene Cockatoo-collins, sharing insights not in any guidebook.
If you get the chance, a gentle stroll through the cemetery, where the ancestors enjoy million-dollar views of the bay, further highlights the deep history of the island, once home to a quarantine station, an asylum and workers for a whale meat cannery.