Native name: Minjerribah Nickname: South Straddie | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Moreton Bay |
Coordinates | 27°50′00″S153°25′20″E / 27.8333°S 153.4222°E |
Length | 21 km (13 mi) |
Width | 2.5 km (1.55 mi) |
Administration | |
Australia | |
State | Queensland |
Region | Gold Coast, South East Queensland |
Local government area | City of Gold Coast |
Demographics | |
Population | 142 (2021 census [1] ) |
South Stradbroke Queensland | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 142 (2021 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
• Density | 4.537/km2 (11.75/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 4216 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 31.3 km2 (12.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | City of Gold Coast | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Broadwater | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Fadden | ||||||||||||||
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South Stradbroke Island (Indigenous: Minjerribah [2] ), colloquially South Straddie, [3] is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The island is a locality within the City of Gold Coast. [4] In 2021 census, South Stradbroke Island had a population of 142 people. [1]
The 21 kilometres (13 mi) by 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Islands and lies very close to the mainland. [5] The island has hundreds of wild wallabies that are usually human orientated. They are also well known for stealing bread from tents and cabins, and joining campers at their fires.
One of more than 360 islands within Moreton Bay, the southern end of South Stradbroke Island fronts the Broadwater, and the tip marks the Gold Coast Seaway, only a matter of metres from the mainland at Southport Spit. In the northeast is Tipplers Passage which separates the island from many smaller islands within the bay closer to the mainland. The east coast borders the Coral Sea.
South Stradbroke Island consists mainly of sand dunes, remnant livistona rainforest and melaleuca wetlands. [6] The island also has unique flora and fauna. The golden wallaby is endemic to the island and the agile wallaby, once more common to the region, has now retreated to the island. [7]
Even before its formation as a separate island in 1896 the lands and waters of what is now South Stradbroke were sacred to the Quandamooka people who had long inhabited Redland Bay islands.
To the north the island is separated by the Jumpinpin Channel from the larger North Stradbroke Island. Both islands were originally one island, Stradbroke Island. In September 1894, heavy seas drove aground the barque Cambus Wallace at a narrow isthmus roughly halfway down the island's length. Salvage activity (including the detonation of a cargo of explosives) weakened the sand dunes along the spit such that by the spring of 1896, storms and tides had created a permanent opening from Moreton Bay to the Coral Sea now known as Jumpinpin Channel. [8] The new tidal channel caused large changes to the channels and islands within southern Moreton Bay. Coastal managers are concerned that eventually one day Jumpinpin may repair itself which may cause problems for tidal waterway management including fish stocks, dugong habitat, erosion and flooding. [2]
Some land clearing for cattle grazing conducted in the early 20th century has occurred. [9] During the 1950 to 1960s sand mining was conducted at the northern ocean beach area but reserves were limited. [5] From the 1870s onwards the island's inner shores were used as camp grounds for holders of oystering licences. [5] A small township called Moondarewa with 156 surveyed lots, was established at the island's southern tip. By 1953 the island's natural movement north had washed away most of the settlement. [5] Also once located at the southern end was a small area of vine scrub rainforest that attracted significant bird-life. [2]
In 2009, some filming was done on the island for the 2011 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader . [10]
On 17 April 2023 services to the community of Couran Cove were turned off amid a legal dispute. Hundreds of homes were without power, water, and gas. [11]
The number of people on the island swells significantly during the holiday season.
In 2011 census, South Stradbroke Island had a population of 101 people. [12]
In 2016 census, South Stradbroke Island had a population of 41 people. [13]
In 2021 census, South Stradbroke Island had a population of 142 people. [1]
South Stradbroke Island has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The island is a tourist destination. There are numerous campsites including an anchorage for the Southport Yacht Club and Dux Campsite, owned by The Southport School. Tipplers was purchased by the Gold Coast City Council in 2009. Due to ongoing encroachment of the sand dunes, the Council-run Bedrooms Campsite was closed in 2013. The Council has three alternate campgrounds: Tipplers that accommodates up to 100 tents with gas BBQs, a children's play area, and a kiosk that has basic camping supplies including ice and firewood; [19] and North and South Currigee that together accommodates up to 80 tents with access to BBQs, a children's play area, and a mini kiosk for basic camping supplies. [20]
Couran Cove Island Resort is located on the north side of South Stradbroke Island Resort. Located approximately forty minutes by boat from Surfers Paradise, Couran Cove Island Resort provides a range of accommodation options, dining and the opportunity to see native Australian animals in the forest. [21] The resort was established by Ron Clarke and originally opened in 1998 as an eco-tourist resort. [22] While the resort is not marketed as such now it does incorporate a number of environmental design features and technologies. There are also several private house located at the southern end of the Island.
As at May 2023, there are many reports from remaining South Stradbroke Island residents that the resort closed after Easter 2023, with no defined reopening date, while the associated entities seek to resolve long-running legal disputes. Many local media reports indicate that the numbers of remaining permanent inhabitants on the island have dwindled, and as a result of disputes some of the island residents have had access to water, electricity and gas cut off.
An 1,800-hectare (4,400-acre) conservation park provides access to native wildlife. The park is suitable for hiking and ocean fishing. [23]
Other recreational activities include jet ski tours, tube rides, 4WD tours, and speed boat rides. These operate from the Couran Cove Island Resort and Tipplers Passage. [24]
There are no schools on the island, but there are many schools on the mainland. However, accessing those schools would depend on the transport options available from the home location on the island. [25] Distance education would be another option.
The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, G.C., is a major coastal city and region located approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is Queensland’s second-largest city after Brisbane, as well as Australia’s sixth-largest city and the most populous non-capital city, with a population over 600,000. The city’s central business district is located roughly in the centre of the Gold Coast in the suburb of Southport. The urban area of the Gold Coast is concentrated along the coast, sprawling almost 60 kilometres, joining up with the Greater Brisbane metropolitan region to the north and to the state border with New South Wales to the south. Nicknames of the city include the ‘Glitter Strip’ and the ‘Goldy’. The demonym of a Gold Coast resident is Gold Coaster.
Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are used by commercial operators who provide seafood to market.
Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies 58 kilometres (36 mi) northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane. 98% of the island is contained within a national park and a popular destination for day trippers, four wheel driving, camping, recreational angling and whale watching and a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane. It is the third largest sand island in the world. Together with Fraser Island, Moreton Island forms the largest sand structure in the world. It was the traditional country of the Ngugi before settlement.
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, separated by the Jumpinpin Channel.
Redland City, better known as the Redlands and formerly known as Redland Shire, is a local government area and a part of the Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. With a population of 159,222 in June 2021, the city is spread along the southern coast of Moreton Bay, covering 537.2 square kilometres (207.4 sq mi). Its mainland borders the City of Brisbane to the west and north-west, and Logan City to the south-west and south, while its islands are situated north of the City of Gold Coast.
The Southern Moreton Bay Islands, abbreviated as SMBI, also known as the Bay Islands, are the four inhabited southern Moreton Bay islands located in South East Queensland, Australia. The group is part of the Redland City with a permanent population of 7,635 as of the 2021 census. However, nearly one-third of all dwellings on the islands were unoccupied, suggesting a high proportion of "second homes" that are owned by people who were elsewhere on the night of the census.
Main Beach is a coastal town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Main Beach had a population of 3,998 people.
The Gold Coast Seaway or Southport Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the Pacific Ocean into the Gold Coast Broadwater and southern Moreton Bay and is one of Australia's most significant coastal engineering projects. It is located at the northern end of the Southport Spit where the Nerang River enters the Pacific Ocean. The channel was constructed between 1984 and 1986, primarily to facilitate the safe passage of sea-faring vessels. The passage was previously known as the Southport Bar. The mouth of the Nerang River was once located further south in Broadbeach. The main driving force for this movement is the northward drift of sand along the coast.
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the Gold Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of Southport in the south, to the southern section of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay in the north. Separated via the Seaway from the Coral Sea by a thin strip of land called Stradbroke Island, the original body of water was a lagoon created from water deposited from the Nerang River. Part of the Broadwater is contained within the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
The Southport Spit is a spit and neighbourhood within the northern end of Main Beach, City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is a permanent sand spit that separates the Southport Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean.
The Jumpinpin channel also known as The Pin lies between North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island. It has a fast moving tidal deep water channel not appropriate for swimming but is popular with beach anglers.
Dunwich is a town and locality on the western side of North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia. Dunwich is part of the Redland City local government area, administered from the bayside town of Cleveland on the Queensland mainland. In the 2021 census, the locality of Dunwich had a population of 737 people.
Point Lookout is a headland, small coastal town and locality on the eastern coast of North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), Redland City, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 census, the locality of Point Lookout had a population of 785 people.
Amity is a coastal town and locality on North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Amity had a population of 453 people.
Hope Island is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Hope Island had a population of 14,522 people.
The article Ferry transport in Queensland provides both historical and current information relating to scheduled public passenger ferry services in Queensland. The first ferry started on 1 January 1843 at Russell Street with a service across the Brisbane River.
The Pimpama River is a perennial river in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast local government area and covers an area of 171 square kilometres (66 sq mi).
Southern Moreton Bay Islands is an island group locality in the north-east of the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Southern Moreton Bay Islands had "no people or a very low population".
Dux Hut is a heritage-listed hut at Dux Anchorage, South Stradbroke Island, Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia. It was built from c. 1930 to c. 1930 by Augie Dux. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 6 April 1998.
Humphreys Boat Shed was a heritage-listed workshop and slipway at Seaworld Drive, Main Beach, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 August 2001, but was removed in June 2015 having been destroyed. However the remnants of the boat shed and slipway are listed on the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.
Media related to South Stradbroke Island at Wikimedia Commons