South Stradbroke Island
Encyclopedia
South Stradbroke Island is an Australia
n island in the state of Queensland
, south of Brisbane
and forms the northern end of Gold Coast
. The 21 km by 2.5 km sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Island
s and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild wallabies
that are usually human orientated. They are also well known for stealing bread from tents and cabins, and joining campers at their fires.
The southern end fronts the Broadwater
, and the tip marks the Gold Coast Seaway
, only a matter of metres from the mainland at Southport Spit
. In the northeast you'll find the Tipplers Passage that separates the island from many small islands near the mainland. The eastcoast borders the Coral Sea
. Gold Coast Ferries
operates a ferry service to the island.
South Stradbroke Island consists mainly of sand dunes, remnant livistona
rainforest and melaleuca
wetlands. The island also has unique flora and fauna. The Golden Wallaby is endemic to the island and the Agile Wallaby
, once more common to the region, has now retreated to the island.
from the larger North Stradbroke Island
. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island
. In that year the island was separated by a storm from North Stradbroke Island. An earlier storm caused a passing vessel carrying rum to run ashore. The locals from Southport
trudged across the sand dunes to collect the rum
from the shipwreck
. They used plows to lower the height of the dunes to near sea level so that collecting the rum was easier. The next storm caused the island to split into two. The new tidal channel caused large changes to the channels and islands within southern Moreton Bay
. Coastal managers are concerned that eventually one day Jumpinpin may repair itself which may cause problems for tidal waterway management including fish stocks, dugong
habitat
, erosion
and flooding.
During the 1950 to 1960s sand-mining was conducted at the northern ocean beach area but reserves were limited. From the 1870s onwards the island's inner shores were used as camp grounds for holders of oystering licenses. A small township called Moondarewa with 156 surveyed lots, was established at the island's southern tip. By 1953 the island's natural movement north had washed away most of the settlement. Also once located at the southern end was a small area of vine scrub rainforest that attracted significant bird-life.
Couran Cove Resort and South Stradbroke Island Resort, or Tipplers Resort are located on the island, as are numerous campsites such as an anchorage for the Southport Yacht Club and Dux Campsite, owned by The Southport School
.
South Stradbroke Island Resort was purchased by the Gold Coast City Council in February 2009, and is now closed for accommodation.
As of May 31st 2011 Couran Cove Island Resort has closed down, the owners are currently looking to sell the resort in order to cover mounting debts.
Almost all the families staying on the southern part of the island take part in the races, of which there are many for each class of boat, including lasers, hoby-cats and trailer-sailers. The course weaves its way through the Broadwater
, part of Moreton Bay and finishes up in various parties along the island. A sandcastle competition is held in the afternoon. The main award is the prestigious Currigee Cup, awarded to the most gallant crew, not necessarily the fastest.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n island in the state of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, south of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and forms the northern end of Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. The 21 km by 2.5 km sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century...
s and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild wallabies
Wallaby
A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...
that are usually human orientated. They are also well known for stealing bread from tents and cabins, and joining campers at their fires.
The southern end fronts the Broadwater
Gold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater and Gold Coast Harbour, is a large shallow estuary of water reaching from the locality of Southport to the southern section of the World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay along the eastern coast of Australia...
, and the tip marks the Gold Coast Seaway
Gold Coast Seaway
The Gold Coast Seaway or Southport Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the Pacific Ocean into the Gold Coast Broadwater and southern Moreton Bay and is one of Australia’s most significant coastal engineering projects...
, only a matter of metres from the mainland at Southport Spit
Southport Spit, Queensland
The Southport Spit lies opposite Southport to the north of Main Beach, Gold Coast. It is a permanent sand spit that separates the Southport Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean....
. In the northeast you'll find the Tipplers Passage that separates the island from many small islands near the mainland. The eastcoast borders the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
. Gold Coast Ferries
Gold Coast Ferries
Gold Coast Ferries is a ferry service which operates on the Gold Coast Broadwater in South East Queensland. The ferries run between Hope Harbour and Couran Cove Island Resort on South Stradbroke Island. The company also runs group transfers through Gold Coast waterways and southern Moreton Bay...
operates a ferry service to the island.
South Stradbroke Island consists mainly of sand dunes, remnant livistona
Livistona
Livistona is a genus of 36 species of palms , native to southern and southeastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa...
rainforest and melaleuca
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
wetlands. The island also has unique flora and fauna. The Golden Wallaby is endemic to the island and the Agile Wallaby
Agile Wallaby
The Agile Wallaby , also known as the Sandy Wallaby, is a species of wallaby found in northern Australia and New Guinea. It is the most common wallaby in Australia's north....
, once more common to the region, has now retreated to the island.
History
In the north the island is separated by the Jumpinpin ChannelJumpinpin Channel
The Jumpinpin channel also known as The Pin lies between North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island. It has a fast moving tidal deep water Channel not appropriate for swimming but is popular with beach anglers....
from the larger North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island is an Australian island in the state of Queensland, 30 km southeast of the capital Brisbane. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island. In that year a storm separated it from South Stradbroke Island, forming the Jumpinpin Channel. It is known...
. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century...
. In that year the island was separated by a storm from North Stradbroke Island. An earlier storm caused a passing vessel carrying rum to run ashore. The locals from Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
trudged across the sand dunes to collect the rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
from the shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
. They used plows to lower the height of the dunes to near sea level so that collecting the rum was easier. The next storm caused the island to split into two. The new tidal channel caused large changes to the channels and islands within southern Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
. Coastal managers are concerned that eventually one day Jumpinpin may repair itself which may cause problems for tidal waterway management including fish stocks, dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and flooding.
During the 1950 to 1960s sand-mining was conducted at the northern ocean beach area but reserves were limited. From the 1870s onwards the island's inner shores were used as camp grounds for holders of oystering licenses. A small township called Moondarewa with 156 surveyed lots, was established at the island's southern tip. By 1953 the island's natural movement north had washed away most of the settlement. Also once located at the southern end was a small area of vine scrub rainforest that attracted significant bird-life.
Resorts
The island is an important tourism destination. The island has some quiet campsites. The western beaches are known as quiet and lagoon-like and the eastern beaches are known as a surfer's paradise.Couran Cove Resort and South Stradbroke Island Resort, or Tipplers Resort are located on the island, as are numerous campsites such as an anchorage for the Southport Yacht Club and Dux Campsite, owned by The Southport School
The Southport School
The Southport School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia....
.
South Stradbroke Island Resort was purchased by the Gold Coast City Council in February 2009, and is now closed for accommodation.
As of May 31st 2011 Couran Cove Island Resort has closed down, the owners are currently looking to sell the resort in order to cover mounting debts.
Recreation
One of the much loved and fiercely challenged sporting battles on the island is the annual Currigee Cup, held each year on New Years Day, and has been running since 1965. The origin of the race was supposed to be a bet amongst two local residents - Messrs Beckman and Knowlman, who decided to take their on-shore differences to sea, and have now created what is now one of the most unknown, yet most tightly challenged nautical battles in South-East Queensland. The committee for the cup now changes from year to year, composed of family members of the island.Almost all the families staying on the southern part of the island take part in the races, of which there are many for each class of boat, including lasers, hoby-cats and trailer-sailers. The course weaves its way through the Broadwater
Gold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater and Gold Coast Harbour, is a large shallow estuary of water reaching from the locality of Southport to the southern section of the World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay along the eastern coast of Australia...
, part of Moreton Bay and finishes up in various parties along the island. A sandcastle competition is held in the afternoon. The main award is the prestigious Currigee Cup, awarded to the most gallant crew, not necessarily the fastest.