Moreton Island Day Trip From Brisbane: Guided 4WD Day, Self-Guided Ferry Pass or Snorkel Cruise?
6 min read
The most reviewed tour from Brisbane on this site goes to Moreton Island, and the choice is wider than the name suggests. The listings split into three kinds of day that have little in common beyond the destination: a guided full day with sand dunes and a four-wheel-drive, a ferry pass that leaves you to design the day yourself, and a snorkel-focused day based at the Tangalooma resort. All three go to the same sheltered western side of the island, where fifteen old ships lie off the beach.
The three kinds of day
| Day | Price | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided full-day trip with 4WD, tobogganing, kayak and snorkel | €116.51 | 4.5 | 2,346 |
| Return ferry and adventure day pass | €91.85 | 4.3 | 1,308 |
| Tangalooma day trip with snorkelling | €104.18 | 4.2 | 520 |
The guided full-day trip is the most reviewed Moreton Island offer on the site, and the most reviewed of all the tours from Brisbane.
The guided full day
This is the busy one. According to the booking page it combines a 75-minute cruise across Moreton Bay, a guided snorkel and a clear-bottomed kayak among the Tangalooma wrecks, a lunch of wraps on the beach, a four-wheel-drive run across the island and sand tobogganing in the dunes the operator calls “The Desert”. Groups are up to 25 people with an English-speaking guide. There are two meeting points, and which one applies depends on the option you pick.
The page lists snorkelling gear, kayak, life jackets and a safety briefing as part of the price. It also lists “additional food and drinks” and a hotel pickup in the same block, without saying which are included, so read it before assuming a pickup. It asks for cash to be brought, sunglasses, a hat, swimwear, a towel and sunscreen.
The page says children under 4 cannot take part, and lists pregnant women and wheelchair users as unsuitable. It says the trip is not recommended for anyone with walking disabilities.
The self-guided ferry pass
The ferry-and-adventure pass is the opposite: you are given a boarding pass, a kayak or paddle board session and snorkel gear, and the rest is yours. You make your own way to the ferry wharf at 220 Holt Street, Pinkenba, collect the boarding pass between 6:30 and 6:45 am, and the ferry leaves at 7:30 am. The return leaves the island at about 4 pm.
The page lists a 3-hour kayak or a 1-hour stand-up paddle board session, 3 hours of snorkel gear hire, land games such as tennis, volleyball and croquet, and use of the resort facilities. Meals and drinks, road transfers and quad bikes stand in the same list without a marker, so ask the operator which of them, if any, are in the price. The page says the resort has lockers; ask whether they and a wetsuit cost extra.
Children under 6 and people with respiratory issues are listed as unsuitable, while the same page asks asthma sufferers to bring their inhaler, so ask the operator if this applies to you. The page also asks for a medical certificate if you have an injury or pre-existing condition, or are pregnant.
Pick this one if you want a quiet day, if you travel alone and are happy without a group, or if you want to snorkel at your own pace. It is not for someone who wants to be told what to do next.
The snorkel-focused day
The Tangalooma day trip with snorkelling is run by Tangalooma Island Resort Day Cruises. The ferry takes 75 minutes each way. A guided snorkel of about 90 minutes (30 to 35 minutes in the water, weather permitting) covers the wrecks, with mask, snorkel, fins and a wetsuit provided. Resort pools, showers and change rooms are open to you, and the price includes a lunch voucher and one standard drink on the boat. The page gives a dolphin presentation at 3:15 pm and a 4 pm ferry back, arriving at about 5:15 pm. The minimum age is 6.
Choose this if the wrecks are the point and you want a base with pools and showers rather than the dunes.
A word about the wrecks
The page counts fifteen sunken vessels. They lie off the Tangalooma beach, which is why every one of these trips builds on them. Visibility, wind and tide change what you see and whether the in-water time goes ahead, and two of the booking pages, for the ferry pass and the snorkel day, say their activities depend on the weather. The cancellation terms differ: the ferry pass and the snorkel day allow free cancellation up to 2 days in advance, the guided full day up to 24 hours.
Which to book
For most people on a first visit, the guided full day gives the widest range for the money, and it has the most reviews of the three. Book the ferry pass if you want freedom, and the snorkel day if the wrecks are your reason for coming. If you want a quad bike or dolphin feeding, both are separate listings: the quad bike day trip is €104.18 and the snorkel and dolphin feeding day is €149.79.
There are 29 island trips in total, from €79.52.
