Moreton Island South

A very enjoyable hike of mostly beach walking, this loop covers the mid-southern portion of Moreton Island. It is the more remote side of the island with far fewer 4WDs to disrupt the peace and tranquility, and indeed we saw nobody between leaving the Tangalooma Resort and arriving at The Desert the following day. Bore water is available at entrance to Big Sandhills as well as at Rous Battery Campsite.

Taking the MICAT ferry from the Port of Brisbane lands you at the Tangalooma wrecks in just under an hour and a half. After a drift snorkel at the wrecks which is best done at low tide, we continued down the west coast, or 'calmside', spotting lots of starfish and further down vast colonies of soldier crabs, often moving as one giant mass before burrowing into the sand upon our closer approach.

Arriving at the Big Sandhills we climbed soft sand dunes to reach the top, which afforded some fantastic views over the tidal flats out to sea. Traversing the dunes to reach the eastern side of the island, we continued east until sand gave way to bush, then followed a small gully down to break through to the eastern 'surfside' beach. Minor bushbashing was required to get through, however there may be an easier route further south.

The east coast bordering the open ocean had a much more wild feel, and we turned north to continue for a couple of kilometers to reach Rous Battery campsite. This was set back from the beach behind some small dunes and somewhat sheltered from the wind, but strategic tent pitching was still required. In the morning the wind had subsided and was replaced by the wonderful sound of birdsong, with the trees around the campsite teeming with various species.

Hiking up the dunes behind the campsite led to some historic World War II ruins, including fortifications and gun placements that are collectively known as the Rous Battery. Along with other military buildings on the island, they were built to protect the approaches to Brisbane and at its peak there were 900 troops stationed there.

Following the 10km Rous Battery Track onwards had us arriving at The Desert, a large expanse of sand dunes not far from the resort. Now the real world was rearing its head with droves of people spilling out of tour buses to sandboard on the dunes.

Crossing the dunes via a high sandy ridge, a short climb up at the western side then located The Desert Track, which led us back down to the beach about 1km south of the resort, and 3km from the ferry back to the mainland.