The day before I went into hospital to have Ruby, I was sat at home bored — everything was clean and organised, I’d watched a ridiculous amount of Netflix and I was ready to roll. Thinking ahead, I wondered when Joe would be next off work after his paternity leave ended and decided to book us a little getaway over the Christmas break. I knew the baby would be three months of age by then, so we’d be well into the swing of things and ready for our first family adventure.

I wanted to pick somewhere that was easy to get to from Brisbane and is well resourced in case we needed anything, yet somewhere that felt like an actual holiday. Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island was the obvious choice! I have visited here before back in 2018 and remembered what a beautiful place it is, and couldn’t think of anywhere better to introduce Ruby to the sun, sea, and sand.

We booked a standard hotel room with a view over Moreton Island and I know how limited the food and drink options are at Tangalooma so we packed up the esky and checked that onto the ferry with our luggage — such a handy option! The 75-minute ferry trip was a breeze. The captain came and got us himself so we could board first and grab the seating that has enough room for a pram. Of course, the weather forecast was set to be atrocious and although it was bucketing it down on the ride over, it wasn’t as bad as predicted over the trip. While we did get some showers, we just headed back to the room for rest in those windows and it all worked out quite well.

After a walk around to get the lay of the land, checking into our room, a little nap (it was Boxing Day), and some cheese and wine on the balcony, it was time to visit the dolphins. Every evening at sunset, wild bottlenose dolphins visit the shores where guests can take part in the feeding program. The cost was part of our room price and it was easy to book into that evening’s group. On arrival at the beach, the crowd is split up into different lines, each of which gets a different dolphin to feed. The dolphins who visit are part of two tight-knit family groups and we got 10-year-old Luna. The whole activity is extremely smooth and when it’s your turn, simply take a fish from the bucket and wade into the water where the guide is standing. One at a time, lower your fish into the water and Luna takes her feed. A photographer is working their way around too so you can take home a snap of your experience.

We spent the rest of our trip going along with the flow. There was plenty of pram walks along the esplanade, a dip in the on-site pool, a baby carrier walk along the beach to the Tangalooma Wrecks, coffees at Beach Cafe and my personal highlight — sunset cocktails on the upstairs deck at The Wheelhouse overlooking Moreton Bay. That evening cocktail routine worked so well with Ruby as we’d put her in her pajamas before we went, get her cosy in the pram so she’d be happy to chill with us, before falling asleep on the walk back to the room.

All in all, I’m stoked that this was Ruby’s first family holiday experience — it was a super wholesome trip, very easy, and we have beautiful photos of her at this age to cherish.