Dugongs on the side of the road play tour guide for the
Moreton Bay Tourist Drive. Split into two sections, the Northern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive takes in the suburbs of Brighton, Sandgate, Shorncliffe and the Redcliffe Peninsula while the Redlands is the focus of the Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive.
The Northern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive is 36 kilometres long and meanders around the picturesque northern Moreton Bay coastline. Starting at Sandgate, the drive is 36 kilometres long and ends at Scarborough Boat Harbour on the Redcliffe Peninsula. Pelican Park at Clontarf is a highlight of the drive with daily pelican feeding occurring at 10am. After watching the pelicans have their breakfast why not enjoy your own breakfast at one of the many cafes along the Woody Point foreshore. The tourist drive continues along the foreshore with an opportunity to stop and look at the
Gayundah wreck, a warship from 1885 to 1921 and then a sand and gravel barge from the end of World War 1 to 1958.
As you follow the brown and white dugong signs along the curvy coastal road, there are plenty of opportunities to go for a swim in sheltered waterways including Suttons Beach, Settlement Cove Lagoon and Queen's Beach. At the Scarborough Beach Park, a railway playground provides fun for children. Finally end your drive at Scarborough Boat Harbour, Bird of Passage Parade and enjoy lunch at well known seafood restaurant and take-away
Morgans.
The Southern Moreton Bay Tourist Drive highlights the Redlands region and is a 78 kilometre drive taking in both coastal and hinterland regions. Starting at the historic military site
Fort Lytton on the southern banks of the Brisbane River, the southern drive is a variety of heritage and habitat venues. Following the dugong signs, why not take a walk along the mangrove boardwalk at Wynnum or stop for Devonshire Tea at
Ormiston House, open on Sundays between 12pm and 4pm. Built in the 1860s, Ormiston House is colonial Queensland at its best and features spacious gardens and large verandahs.
Bird watching and koala spotting are just some of the activities available at
Eprapah Environmental Centre at Victoria Point. The 39 hectares is home to mangroves, rainforests and wetlands and the area is an Indigenous cultural heritage site.
Finally, the dugongs lead you away from the southern coastline of Moreton Bay and head into the Redlands hinterlands; the highlight of this part of the drive for adult passengers may be the
Sirromet Winery. Wine tours and tasting take place on most days however bookings are essential.
Both the southern and northern Moreton Bay Tourist Drives showcase the wide range of areas of both historic and environmental importance that exist on our doorstep. While driving and following the brown and white dugongs is the easiest way to experience the Moreton Bay Tourist Drive, a little ingenuity and planning mean would allow you to use
public transport to explore these areas.
Images
Follow the dugong
Pelican feeding time at Pelican Park, Clontarf
Scarborough Boat Harbour at Sunset
Cleveland Point
Fort Lytton
