Tropical day trip
25 Sep 2018
Within an hour of leaving the Tangalooma Wharf at Pinkenba, near Brisbane airport, you can be in a tropical paradise.
Tangalooma Island Resort is a former whaling station on Moreton Island, the world’s third-largest sand island. Whaling ceased here in 1962, and since the 80s the resort has been owned by the Osbourne family. As a family-run affair it has grown organically but quickly, now housing around 1,800 guests. The resort likes to keep you busy with a head-spinning array of activities from quad biking to hiring a tinnie for a fish.
Just offshore, 17 ships were deliberately sunk in order to provide a breakwall for smaller boats visiting the island. As a bonus, the rusted, twisted metal has become home to a wide range of local sea life from wobbegong sharks to kingfish.
You can swim out to the wrecks, but it’s best to take a guide, because there is a pretty strong current pulling through the rust-red hulls. On the upside, a drift snorkel leaves you without too much swimming to do, but you have to stay alert and avoid being dragged into some of the pointier bits of the wrecks.
Dolphin feeding time
Tangalooma’s signature activity is hand-feeding some of the area’s wild dolphins that congregate around the jetty come sunset. You will see their dorsal fins slipping into, and out of, the sunlit waves.
The activity is very closely monitored by the resort’s eco rangers who make sure to feed the dolphins only 10-20 per cent of their daily intake, so they never rely on the resort for their food and get too lazy. Each day guests register for the feeding, and the number of participants determines the size of each fish (all local herring) that the dolphins get to snack on.
When it’s time to head down to the water line, herring in hand, you present them to the dolphin in your queue. It sounds regimented, but it is very special to be able to get so close to a dolphin in the wild.
Afterwards, head into the resort’s dolphin centre where you can see the “presents” from the dolphins to their human handlers – a tank full of half-eaten eels, sharks and fish to say thank you for the nightly feeds. The eco rangers also use the evening feedings to check the dolphins for any injuries or entanglements with ghost fishing equipment, to keep the dolphin family healthy.
More Tangalooma activities
Beach Segway tours: Hit the sand on two wheels as you Segway along the Moreton Island coastline.
Whale watching: From June to October, the resort offers whale-watching tours.
Parasailing: Get a sky-high, 360-degree view of the waters off Moreton Island.
For a full list of activities and booking options visit tangalooma.com
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