Absolutely wonderful day out at North Stradbroke Island searching for wildlife. Got to see THREE koala’s in the wild which was an absolute thrill, and really enjoyed the tour and company of Anita at Brisbane Nature Tours. Highly recommend her for a tour if you like nature and wildlife and are around Brisbane.
Photo Gallery: https://pics.mattichan.com/-uwc092
Tour
Ferry to North Stradbroke Island
Adita was kind enough to pick me up outside my AirBnB, and then we drove to the Ferry terminal, and waited for the Ferry. I love a car ferry, so it’s always a fun experience, especially when I don’t have to be the one driving into tight spaces. Water was definitely a little choppy, and it looked like there was a storm / rain coming from the island side. I went top side for a bit, but it really was quite choppy.
Myora Springs
After arriving on the island, we tried to go to a gallery, but the artist was away on a showcase overseas…next time!
We headed north to Point Lookout for a nice hike. Stopped along the way at a small, quick lookout to see Myora Springs.
People are still the worst.
Point Lookout
We got to Point Lookout and got ready for a small hike.
Almost immediately, as I noticed there were fresh droppings all around us as we entered the lookout, a wallaby hopped right in front of me.
Wallaby
Truth Embassy
We started walking down the trail and came to a protest spot of sorts. Apparently there was a plan to create some sort of visitor center or something with some whale bones, and the aboriginal contingent strongly opposed that (also not a whale specifically found there or anything). But really interesting that not only is there a site there, but also a sign explaining what was going on as well.
Pheasant Coucal
As we turned a corner, we ran into a cuckoo pheasant, who just looked at us for a bit in the rain.
Coastal Views
Really nice trail with boardwalk, and even though it started raining on us, still got a really nice view of the ocean waves crashing in, and really a different experience. When it’s calm, supposedly we’d be able to perhaps see dolphins and turtles.
Roos
Turned another corner and there was a roo about 5 feet from us.
Flora
Lots of interesting flora that Anita was able to point out and explain to me, since she had previously been a ranger before doing tours.
People…Ugh
Lunch – Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel
We finished up the hike, and it started raining again, so we were definitely soaked from the short hike, but it was also a really nice walk and got to see all sorts of stuff. Since it was raining and wet, we decided to grab lunch inside and we stopped at the Stradbroke Island Beach Hotel with views of the beach and waves as we ate as well.
After ordering, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that they had one of my favorite ciders on tap (Somersby) which I had discovered on my trip to Iceland a couple years ago. Even more delightful was that they had a pear flavored on in the fridge as well, so I snagged one of those with my meal.
Had the steak sandwich and it was another delicious winner. Haven’t had a bad meal yet in Australia.
Amity Point
We got to Amity Point and started our search for Koalas. Almost immediately after getting out of the car, it started to rain again (it had stopped for maybe an hour while we ate lunch).
As we walked for 15 minutes or so, we saw all sorts of different wildlife out and about dealing with the rain.
Galah (Pink and Grey Cockatoo)
Kookaburra
Other Birds
Koalas!
After walking in the rain for a bit, we didn’t find any koalas, so got back in the van and drove around the point a bit to see if we could spot any in the trees. It’s wildlife, so you never know where they’re going to be, but as we drove, and couldn’t find any, we just kept circling, until we were fortunate enough to stumble on one (I had almost given up hope with the rain….apparently koala’s hate rain).
We found this one furball, and it’s SO cute. Especially with the rain, it REALLY looked like it was having a miserable time in the rain. Kind of amazing how much of a diva they are, even in the wild, a lot of sleeping and just being particular. First koala ever in the wild, and I’ll never forget it!
Feeling full, and enjoying looking at the photos afterwards, I was all ready for the next stop, when we encountered a SECOND koala. The rain had let up a bit, and this one was not only more awake as well, but also looked right at us and if you squint a little, you can almost see it smiling at us. It also got a nice little butt and head scratch in as well, as it used up some of its energy to move (in the 20 hours it wasn’t sleeping….ah the life).
Brown Lake
We then went on to Brown Lake which was super interesting. You can tell from the pictures that it’s brown, but it’s not just brown, it looked clear and it had a spectrum of color as well. We did a quick little hike up the shore and saw a lot of the smaller creatures along the path, until this gigantic lizard appeared in front of us and scampered up a tree.
Couple more roos appeared as well to say hi for a bit before we headed on to finish our time on North Stradbroke.
A Last Surprise
As we were heading out, I noticed a grey fuzzball in the trees, and we stopped for a second to visit a THIRD koala. This one was also super active and curious and looked right at us as well. My heart was so full at this point.
Ferry Back to Mainland
Got back to the ferry on time, and set off to get back to the mainland. I went up top to enjoy some fresh air as we went along, and it was super choppy again. We also went through a little raincloud for about 5 minutes, but after taking shelter under a little roof, I was treated to a nice little rainbow right off the side of the ship and then around the back. Getting to enjoy the island AND a little cruise across to the island…what more could you ask for.
We drove back to the city, and ended the tour. Such a fantastic day out in nature and observing wildlife, even with the rain. So happy with the tour, Anita and couldn’t have asked for more.
Dinner
After a quick shower, and relaxing for a couple minutes, I went out to scavenge for food, and stumbled on a couple restaurants in a little sidewalk. Got some great food that reminded me of my short time in the Sichaun province all those years ago. Delicious.
Vibe Check
5 parts joy
Feedback
Leave a comment or question if you have any thoughts! Anything you want to know about as we go around the world? Any things you want to share as feedback, or any images that particularly spoke to you. I’ll try to read all of them as time permits!
Matti 
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