Today we took a day trip out to Moreton Island to show the olds what was on offer and to get ourselves up close and personal with some of the dolphins that frequent its shores.

We got the early ferry across to the island so that we would be there in plenty of time to get a few activities booked and make sure that we didn’t miss out on the eco cruise, where we would get the chance to see all the marine life including dolphins and dugongs. However, when we got to the booking area we discovered that because it was “Magic Monday” the cruise wouldn’t be operating!

We asked about hiring a four wheel drive so that we could go exploring and were told that all of the vehicles were taken for the day and so after some deliberation we decided to take a tour of the island in the afternoon, which would give us time in the morning to explore the beach and the Tangalooma Wrecks that sit out in the water. A little way along the sand we came across a boat hire place and inquired about getting a little tinny for a couple of hours, only be told that they were all out! So much for magic bloody Monday!!

We headed down the beach towards the wrecks for a swim around in the turquoise waters and found a spot in the shade to base ourselves before heading into the water. The wrecks were just under a kilometre away, but it felt like much more in the blazing heat and by the time we got there the icy water was a welcome relief. There were hundreds of fish swimming around in the water, even within a few inches of the sand and as soon as we stepped in we were surrounded.

After a few hours of splashing around in the water and trying to catch some of the fish in our hands we headed back to the resort to catch our afternoon ride. Once back at the café we met Olga and Roger for a much needed drink before heading off to meet our guide for our trip around the island. It was only after we had been under cover for a while that we all realised just how much sun we had caught as our skin began to radiate varying degrees of red and pink!

When our guide, Kevin, arrived we piled into the Ute and set off along the beach and across into the middle of the island towards the Blue Lagoon, where we were planning a refreshing dip to cool down. We arrived to find that we were the only ones there and although the water wasn’t as cold as on our previous visit to the island, it was certainly cool enough to ease our weary bodies and provide us with renewed vigour to face the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately however, this energy was soon depleted again along the sandy track back to the Ute as the sun continued to beat down upon us along the exposed pathway.

Our next destination was the northern Lighthouse along the eastern side of the island. Along the way Kevin showed us many of the camping areas just back from the beach and explained to us which of the Billabongs (watering holes) could be used for drinking water and even where the tide had come in and washed a few camps away when people had pitched their tents too close to the water.

The lighthouse itself had been built out of the sandstone that it stood upon – the only significant solid base on the island – and when we arrived at its base there were some staggering views back across the beach that we had just driven along and away out far into the ocean beyond. While we were at the lighthouse admiring the views we could also see a couple of turtles and what looked to be a huge manta ray swimming in the shallows below us, such was the clarity of the water.

From here we headed across to the other side of the island to Honeymoon Bay and the Champagne Pools, where the waves crash over an outcrop of rocks and fall into the pools beyond. Apparently it is meant to be very therapeutic and some people claim it is a great way to get a free massage, but the waves we saw today looked anything but friendly. While we were walking around the pools we did manage to catch a glimpse of some dolphins surfing in on the waves, before they disappeared under the water again and out of sight.

On our way back to the resort and the end of our trip, Kevin took us through a couple of the villages on the island to show us how they live when they are out there. Everyone must be totally self-sufficient as there is no power on the island and so every house has solar panels on the roofs connected to generators and batteries for their electricity and hot water. We were told that he is the only person that lives on the island full time (apart from the people that work and stay at the resort) due to the tours that he does, and every other building is either a holiday home or a fishing club for one society or another. We drove past several of these clubs that ranged from the Salvation Army Fishing Club to the North Brisbane Rugby League Team Fishing Club! A couple of times a year these clubs take a long weekend away to go to the island and fish, or as our guide suggested – to get away from the wife and kids for a few days!

As we made our way back to the resort we had to make several detours off of the beach and into the scrub as the recent strong winds had blown down many of the trees that lined the banks, and they were now strewn across the sand. The paths that we were following are made by the first person to get to the blocked part and then driven over again and again by anyone that follows. Not exactly planned routes!

After a few attempts at getting back onto the beach, our guide obviously decided that it was taking too long and headed towards the centre of the island to an area of grey / black sand that spread across a vast area in front of us. When the tide comes in the whole area is flooded and becomes a huge lake, but at this time of day we were able to drive across the whole lake bed over to the other side of the island.

The rest of the journey back was fairly uneventful, except for the sight of the biggest Heron in the world standing on the beach, and we were back at the resort just as the sun was setting over the mainland. We weren’t done yet though and after some food we made our way to the pier where people were already beginning to gather in preparation for the arrival of some much anticipated dolphins. Around eight o’clock a woman came out and stood in the shallow waters and started to talk about the dolphins that frequent the waters around the island and almost on cue a few dolphins began to appear followed by a few more and then a few more again.

After about fifteen minutes the talk was over and we made our way down to the sand where we got in line to feed the dolphins that had come in. They only give the dolphins about 10% of their total daily requirements of fish so that they remain wild and continue to hunt for food and do not come to rely on this feeding. While we were standing in the queue we were asked if we would like to feed a couple of baby dolphins that had only recently started coming to the beach in the evenings – and there was only going to be one answer to that one!

We had to wash our hands with some sort of mild disinfectant and under no circumstances were we allowed to touch the dolphins. We were taken out in pairs until the water was up to our knees accompanied by one of the ‘feeders’ that told us about the two dolphins that we were feeding and showed us how to do it. We had to put our hands under the water as the dolphins could not see the fish if we held it in the air and we were again reminded not to touch them.

It was clear to see why they kept reiterating the fact that we couldn’t touch them, because it was all we could do to stop ourselves from reaching out and giving them a pat on the head or something – maybe the reason the feeders hold one of your hands leaving you only the one with the fish in it so that you can’t reach out to them. As we had the baby dolphins they liked to play with their food a little by throwing it around in the water before eating it and we watched in awe as they were just inches from our feet. After we had fed them our three fish each it was time to head back up to the beach and onto the ferry for the journey back across the water to Brisbane.

It has been a long day today, but one that has been well worth it, as we had never imagined that we would have had the chance to get so close to wild dolphins, yet alone get to feed them by hand!!