Over my Birthday and Mother’s Day weekend, I travelled to Brisbane to visit my mum and sister where we took a spontaneous trip to Tangalooma Island Resort.

Only a 75-minute ferry trip from Brisbane (Holt Street Wharf), Tangalooma is on picturesque Moreton Island, known for its white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue waters. You can check your bags and esky in as you board and staff will take them directly to your hotel room so you can explore as soon as you step off!

A flock of pelicans greeted us on arrival along a sprawling beachfront resort, lined with palm trees and beautifully maintained grounds. The walk down to reception is beautiful – there was even a man wearing a flower lei pointing the way. 

Our hotel room was in Kookaburra Lodge and was clean, comfortable and had a balcony with an amazing view overlooking the ocean. There was even wine and chocolate waiting as an extra generous touch. Prior to coming here, we had read reviews online that the food at Tangalooma is expensive and not that great, so instead, we bought with us enough food and drink for the entire weekend. There’s a fridge in the room and plenty of BBQ areas outside, but there’s no cutlery or utensils provides so it’s best to bring those yourself.

There are plenty of activities to do here such as kayaking, parasailing, snorkelling, quad biking, kookaburra feeding, whale watching and desert safari tours to name a few, but if you’re there to simply relax, then you can’t go wrong with beach walks and using the resort’s swimming pools. Although I have to say, I was dying to give the resort a marketing makeover! It has so much potential with its beachside cafes and restaurants, yet really fails to deliver. You’d think they’d be milking it with fairy lights, cocktail menus, beach theme decor and music, but nope, nada. Even a simple menu out the front of places was missing. Perhaps it was the low peak time of year (May), but there really was no effort to draw customers in so I’m very glad we self-catered. 

An interesting walk is to the Tangalooma Wrecks, which is a cluster of ships purposely sunk by the Queensland Government to provide safe anchorage spot for recreational boat owners. Coral is now starting to form in and around the wrecks, providing a haven for over 100 species of fish – a great snorkelling spot I bet.

The highlight of this trip was the opportunity to hand feed a wild bottlenose dolphin. There is a large family that visit the shores each evening at sunset – we had Tinkerbell who is around 28 years old. They come to feed at their own accord and only get between 10 to 20% of their daily food requirement, which ensures they also hunt for themselves and can survive on their own. We were able to wade into the water with a herring each and one-by-one we could feed and look at Tinkerbell up close. One off the bucket list! 

I’d definitely like to visit again at a warmer time of year; it’s hard to believe this little gem is only 1 hour from Brisbane!