Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

MORETON BAY & ISLANDS 247
to the accommodation, which also includes 56 modern two-story family villas
only a year or so older. Villas are more pricey than regular rooms, and are a little
farther from the resort facilities. The new hotel rooms sleep up to four and
have air-conditioning, minibars, and hair dryers, which the other rooms do not,
but the older rooms have kitchenettes. Each unit in the main resort area sleeps
four to five people, and has a private balcony. A general store is on-site.
Moreton Island, off Brisbane, QLD or P.O. Box 1102, Eagle Farm, QLD 4009. & 1300/652 250 or 07/3268
6333. Fax 07/3268 6299. www.tangalooma.com. 288 units (all with shower only). A$328–A$433
(US$213–US$281) including dolphin feeding. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants; cafe; 2 outdoor pools;
driving range and putting green; archery; tennis and squash courts; Jacuzzi; watersports equipment rental;
children’s programs and playground; tour desk; 4WD rental; babysitting; coin-op washers and dryers. In room:
A/C in some hotel rooms, TV, kitchenette in some rooms, full kitchen in villas, minibar, fridge, coffeemaker, hair
dryer (some rooms only).
OTHER MORETON BAY ISLANDS
THE BAY ISLANDS Four small islands in Moreton Bay are known collectively
as “the Bay Islands.” They are Russell, Lamb, Macleay, and Karragarra
islands, clustered in the calm passage between the mainland and North Stradbroke
at the southern end of Moreton Bay. They are perfect for day-tripping,
and the Bay Islands water taxi service (& 07/3409 1145) from Redland Bay
takes 10 to 20 minutes. It’s A$10 (US$6.50) round-trip for adults, and A$1.20
(US80¢) to island-hop between each.
ST. HELENA ISLAND For 65 years, from 1867 to 1932, St. Helena was
a prison island, known as “the hellhole of the Pacific” to the nearly 4,000 souls
incarcerated there. Today, the prison ruins are a tourist attraction, with a small
museum in the restored and reconstructed Deputy Superintendent’s Cottage.
Entry to the island—now a National Park—is by guided tour only. Excellent
tours, most involving a re-enactment of life on the island jail, are run by AB Sea
Cruises (& 07/3893 1240; 7am–7pm daily) on the launch Cat-o-Nine-Tails,
leaving from Manly Boat Harbour. The cost is A$65 (US$42) adults, A$55
(US$36) concessions, A$35 (US$23) children 4 to 14, and $139 (US$90) for a
family of four. The tour leaves at 9:15am weekdays, returning at 2:15pm, and
11am to 4pm on weekends and public holidays, and includes a box lunch. St.
Helena By Night Ghost Tours are run on some Friday and Saturday nights.
They include dinner, a dramatized version of life in the prison, and a few spooky
surprises. Night tours cost A$75 (US$49) adults, A$40 (US$26) children, or
A$159 (US$103) for a family of four. Bookings essential.
Eco-tours, run in conjunction with the Wildlife Preservation Society of
Queensland and the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, take visitors
to parts of the island not seen on the historical tours. The same departure
times and prices apply.
COOCHIEMUDLO ISLAND British explorer Matthew Flinders landed
here in 1799, and this event is re-enacted each July. “Coochie” is small enough
to walk or cycle around, and is a great place for watersports along the 3.5km
(2 miles) of beaches—windsurfing, sailing, swimming, and paddle-skiing are
available. There is a 9-hole golf course, a tennis court, licensed cafe, galleries,
and accommodations. Camping is not allowed. The Bay Islands taxi service
(& 07/3409 1145) leaves from the Victoria Point jetty (Colburn Ave.) and
Cleveland. The trip takes about 5 minutes from Victoria Point and costs A$2.40
(US$1.55) each way. From Cleveland, it takes about 20 minutes and costs
A$9 (US$5.85) round-trip.