King Island in Moreton Bay

King Island in Moreton Bay

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Posted 2016-12-29 by Jenny Priorfollow
Challenge the kids to a daring adventure: walk all the way to an island and back. Smile serenely as they try to educate you about islands and deep water. Then ask the kids to research King Island and tide times and make a date for family fun.



King Island, in Moreton Bay, is connected to the mainland at low tide. If you research tide times, it is possible to walk to King Island before the tide covers the causeway, walk around the tiny 1-hectare island and return with dry feet.



Of course, that would take a lot of the fun from the outing, which can include paddling, crab-watching, bird-spotting; even dog-walking, as dogs on a leash are permitted on the island on weekdays (also early mornings before 9.00am and late afternoons after 4.00pm on weekends and public holidays).



This tiny island in Moreton Bay, out from the spit at Wellington Point, is full of romantic charm. Read the history boards on the island and learn about the Philips family, who lived on the island over one hundred and ten years ago.



Frederick and Elizabeth Philips took their young family to live on the island in 1904. They hoped that salt water bathing would benefit their daughter Josephine, who developed polio when she was three years old. Vaccines were not yet available. The sand island was twice as big as it is today, with trees and mangroves to provide shelter. Frederick returned to the mainland and caught a train to work in a bank in the city. Elizabeth cared for the five children on the island. The family enjoyed a diet high in fish and oysters. Josephine lived to the age of 85. She never married but raised her sister Leila's daughter, when Leila passed away in 1925.



King Island is one of the most frequently visited conservation parks in Moreton Bay. Birds also seek out the peace and isolation of King Island. Caspian terns, Red-capped plovers, Australian pied oystercatchers, Striated herons and Mangrove gerygones can be spotted all year round. These island natives are joined by many more migratory birds in summer.



King Island is part of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, which is home to seagrass meadows, sponge habitat and coral reef. It has been a protected regional park since 1887. Explore the island but protect the natural vegetation by keeping to paths or the beach.



If the kids are still bounding with energy after returning from the island, a great playground is located on the mainland adjacent the causeway. If offers man-made and tree-grown climbing challenges. Showers and toilets are also located here. Wellington Point offers ample parking and a café restaurant.



All photographs by JA Rossiter.

#adventure
#beaches
#child_friendly
#escape_the_city
#family
#moreton_bay
#natural_attractions
#things_to_see
#walks
#wellington_point
%wnbrisbane
193993 - 2023-06-16 03:56:50

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