Main Beach, North Stradbroke Island

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Main Beach is a popular swimming and surf beach near Brisbane on Minjerribah / North Stradbroke Island, or "Straddie" as it is affectionately called by locals. Much of Main Beach is situated within the Naree Budjong Djara National Park on Quandamooka Country.


Unlike most of the beaches on Straddie, Main Beach is patrolled by the Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club which means that safe swimming is available between the red and yellow flags. The only other patrolled beach on the island is Cylinder Beach . These two beaches are situated either side of the gorge and headlands at Point Lookout, so that Main Beach is most sheltered for swimming when the wind is from the north, and Cylinder Beach most sheltered when the wind is from the south.



Main Beach is also a popular surf beach with good breaks that are easy to access via a northern rip channel. Surfers often share this area with dolphins as they swim along behind the breakers.



Although the northern end of the beach is popular for safe swimming and surfing, the beach itself is 38Km's long, extended right along the eastern shore of the island until it reaches Jumpinpin Inlet which separates North Stradbroke and South Stradbroke Islands.



Approximately halfway along Main Beach are 17 designated camping areas set behind the dunes. These remote camping areas are accessible by four wheel drive only and offer visitors an experience of seclusion in paradise. Fishing and bushwalking are popular activities in this area.



Dogs are permitted on Main Beach, providing they are kept on the leash at all times. This national park area is a haven for wildlife such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, and goannas. Marine wildlife that can often be spotted from Main Beach includes dolphins, humpback whales during their annual migration between June and October, and loggerhead and green turtles (who may also nest along Main Beach between October and March).



Getting to Main Beach from Brisbane is easy. For day trips that won't require a four wheel drive, visitors can simply hop on either the Stradbroke Flyer or the Stradbroke Ferries Watertaxi at Cleveland for the 20 minute trip to Dunwich. Both of these fast passenger ferries meet the island bus which takes visitors to Point Lookout where Main Beach is situated. Simply take the bus to its final stop and then walk down the hill via Kennedy Drive to the Point Lookout Surf Life Saving Club. Alternatively, visitors who would like to camp and access all of Main Beach via four wheel drive can book the Stradbroke Ferries Vehicle Barge . Campsites at Main Beach and four wheel drive beach driving permits can each be booked through Minjerribah Camping .



[U]Essential items for a great trip to Main Beach include:[/U]




#aboriginal
#beaches
#camping
#child_friendly
#day_trips
#escape_the_city
#natural_attractions
#point_lookout
#redland
#surfing
#swimming
#tourist_sites
#walks
#whale_watching
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