See Moreton Island Day Trip from Brisbane with kids
Are you looking for a great place to snorkel near Brisbane?
Our kids had never been snorkeling before.
Moreton Island is so close to Brisbane that we decided to check it out. The Tangalooma Wrecks look like an interesting place to snorkel, with lots of sea life swimming around the wrecks under the surface.
We chose to take a day tour with See Moreton Island from Brisbane to Moreton Island that included time on the beach and snorkeling at the Tangalooma Wrecks.
If you are interested in learning more about the See Moreton Island day trip that leaves from Brisbane, keep reading to find out about our day.
Brisbane Islands
There are three large islands off the coast of Brisbane. From North to South, they are Bribie Island, Moreton Island, and North Stradbroke Island.
Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world.
The 4 largest sand islands in the world are all off the coast of Queensland. In order, they are K’gari or Fraser Island, Stradbroke Island, Moreton Island, and Bribie Island.
You can stay on Moreton Island. They allow camping and also have hotels. There is a ferry that you can take your car on.
Prefer to stay over on Moreton Island? Check out the Tangaloma Island Resort. This resort has a swimming pool, multiple restaurants, and loads of activities both during the day and at night. Up to 6 people can stay in a family suite.
Moreton Island Day Tour
The See Moreton dolphin and Tangalooma wreck day trip starts at the Rivergate Marina.
Rivergate Marina is located in Murrarie, along the Brisbane River. The marina is slightly less than a 30-minute drive from Brisbane City. There is a large parking lot by the marina.
We checked in, got our group name (the pirate group), and boarded the boat.
On the Boat
There are 5 different seating areas on the See Moreton Island cruise.
We sat on the lower level, which offers tables inside with air conditioning. The second level has stadium seating at the front of the boat.
The middle of the 2nd level is the VIP lounge. We could see in and saw couches in an air-conditioned room. There were only a few people in there, so they had plenty of space.
The back of the 2nd level is picnic tables. This area was also full.
The third level has benches. I always choose the shady spot on a boat, especially with kids, which is why we stayed on the 1st level.
Our Moreton Island boat ride was too long to be out in the sun, especially with kids at the beginning of a long day.
Staying Busy on the Boat to Moreton Island
The lower level was less than half full on the 75-minute trip to the island but full on the way back. It has a bar for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. They also put out sunscreen and water. You can purchase additional drinks and snacks.
One thing I wish I had known was that the boat has USB charging stations. We did not bring anything for the kids to do on the boat to Moreton Island and back to Brisbane.
I packed beach toys, but did not think about the boat ride.
We don’t usually give them our phones (and we didn’t give them our phones), but if I had brought my charger, they could have watched a movie.
I brought my book to the beach (and then left it on the boat by accident). If I could do it again, I would have packed the same toys/books/art supplies I bring to restaurants when I remember, or at least a deck of cards.
Upon boarding, the bar is open, and they pass out mini banana muffins, tea, and coffee. Australians are serious about their coffee, and I admit that it was shocking to find that there wasn’t barista-made coffee on board; it was instant coffee.
It isn’t a big deal, but surprising. I have found that this is often the case on day trips.
The boat leaves the dock at 9:30 am.
The kids were a bit bored on the way to Moreton Island, but we enjoyed the view.
We passed a shipping dock where we could see robots moving containers, and Fort Lyntton, which we visited a few weeks ago. We saw dolphins, and the boat stopped so everyone could see them.
Moreton Island (and Lunch)
When we arrived at Moreton Island, we were separated into 2 groups.
The first group, the turtles, went snorkeling first. They were taken on another boat over to the Tangalooma wrecks, which is a group of 15 shipwrecks that were deliberately sunk in 1963. Our group was given 2 hours to eat lunch and go to the beach. We were sitting right near the bar, so we were the first ones to get lunch.
Lunch is a buffet, but the staff fills your plate. Everything was cold, and our lunch included 3 types of meat (roast chicken, ham, and large prawns), 3 types of salad (coleslaw, pasta salad, and garden salad), and rolls with butter. You can eat as much as you want.
After lunch, we got in the small boat, which took us and our bags to the beach.
You can swim to the beach from the main boat, but we wanted to bring our bags with us.
The man on the boat offered us an umbrella or a bodyboard, but it was overcast, and we had buckets for the kids to play with.
We got our snorkels and masks on board, and Z had insisted on wearing his on the boat. He put it on as soon as we went to the beach and started swimming around.
The beach was not crowded, as it is a large island. Cars can drive on the beach, and we saw cars, but none of them drove by us.
Snorkeling at the Tangalooma Wrecks with Kids
The snorkeling boat picked us up and drove us to one side of the Tangalooma wrecks. We were handed flippers and offered life jackets and noodles.
They have plenty of staff swimming with the group.
It was the kids’ first time snorkeling. They were 5 and 7, and while they are good swimmers in the pool, they have not spent a lot of time swimming in the ocean. The kids wore life jackets, but we were warned about the strong tide.
The tide was strong and would quickly move us from one side of the wrecks to the other, so we were told to swim against it a little bit so that we had time to see the coral and sea life.
My goal was to stay in a family group, but that was impossible. We each took a kid and swam with them.
Mark had Z for most of the time and said he refused to put his mask and snorkel on for the first 5 minutes. He just doggy paddled with his head above the water. Mark finally convinced him to put his equipment on, and he was surprised to see what was underneath the water.
M had her mask on the whole time and loved looking under the water. She has a book about coral reefs at home that she reads all of the time, and she has another one currently checked out from the school library.
The Hardest Part
I swam while holding on to my 7-year-old and with a noodle under my arms. It was not always easy, especially with the current.
This was the first snorkeling trip that I have been on where they gave out gloves. We each got one glove to push away from the boats or the coral if we got too close, which we did.
Some areas are extremely shallow, so you have to make sure that your feet are up.
There are also boats sticking up out of the water, so you need to make sure that you look above the water to make sure that you are not going to crash into one.
M enjoyed snorkeling most of the time, but got nervous a few times and wanted to stop. I talked to one of the crew members, who pointed out the small boat beside us that she could sit in, but she refused.
There were a couple of children in the boat.
One family had brought a small child with them, along with two older children (about the same ages as my kids). Two of their children were in the boat for the majority of the trip.
I believe their original plan was to alternate who had the toddler, but they quickly found it was too difficult to snorkel with little kids at Moreton Island.
How to Make Snorkeling Memories
We were given an hour to snorkel. Z got tired, so Mark took him back to the snorkel boat early, but M and I stayed out for the entire hour.
We saw many different types of fish and coral. M wanted to bring an underwater camera (which we do not own). You can rent a GoPro underwater camera from the boat and keep the SIM card, but we opted not to. I am glad that we did not, as it was hard enough to swim while holding onto a child. I did not want to worry about taking pictures as well.
For now, I am good with my memories of snorkeling with the kids at Moreton Island. Plus, I have the photos from above the water.
We are hoping to get to the Great Barrier Reef this trip, and maybe we will look to purchase a camera then. Mark and I have been snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef before, but M has learned about it both from school and her Coral Reef book and has been talking about going there.
Back on the Boat
Around 2, we took the snorkel boat back to the main boat.
On the way there, they stopped to feed the fish so everyone could see the fish at the top of the water. We even got to see a duck eat a fish that we all thought was way too big for him.
Back on the main boat, they had fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew) waiting for us. It was again all-you-can-eat, and my kids managed to help themselves to many plates.
We also brought snacks, which they demolished. They entertained themselves on the way back by playing hide and seek. The boat arrived back at the dock around 5 pm.
Moreton Island Day Trip Wrap-up
All in all, it was a great day. It is often hard to find things that the whole family enjoys, especially with younger kids.
I wouldn’t have wanted them to be any younger, but given their swimming experience, this was a great snorkeling trip.
We did not see any sea turtles, but the boat captain pointed some out on the way there and back. I definitely would have been able to see more had I not been concentrating so hard on keeping myself and my child safe around the coral and the boats.
There are many other activities available on Moreton Island for both adults and kids.
We had discussed just going over on the ferry, but you need a 4-wheel drive, which we do not have.
There are large dunes that you can ride down (but my kids are not old enough), or you can climb up Mount Tempest. There are many beautiful areas to swim or kayak, and lots of boat rides and water sports are available.
Book your day tour to snorkel at Moreton Island.
Beach Packing Suggestions
I am so glad that I purchased a long-sleeved swim shirt before this trip. The sun is extremely strong here, and I should be wearing it in Florida as well.
Hats are a necessity here, too, and I now have 3, with my most recent buy being a plain baseball hat. I also have a straw beach hat and a cloth hat with a hole for my ponytail.
Of course, sunscreen is a must, as are water bottles and snacks.
I wish I had brought books for the boat ride, and maybe some games as well.
Boat Rides Near Brisbane
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