About North Straddie
North Stradbroke Island
History
Townships
Climate
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) is one of Queensland's best kept holiday secrets. A little touch of paradise only one hours drive from Brisbane CBD and easily accessed by vehicular ferry or water taxi. 
Stradbroke Island is the second largest sand island in the world located within Moreton Bay (Quandamooka), one of the largest estuarine bays in Australia. The island's wetlands have been world listed under the RAMSAR agreement for their ecological significance and are protected for future generations. Quandamooka plays a major role in the natural functioning of the environment by providing protection from oceanic swells, ensuring the habitat for wetland development and receiving and channelling the flow of all rivers and creeks east of the Great Dividing Range from the McPherson Range in the south and north to the D'Aguilar Range.
History
For thousands of years Quandamooka (Moreton Bay) has been the home of the Goenpul, Ngugi and Noonuccal tribes each owning specific territory prior to colonisation. The oldest archaeological site on the eastern sea board was found on the southern end of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and is dated at approximately 22,000 years. The Quandamooka people were a seafaring people who travelled up and down the coast by canoe. They inhabited permanent dwellings located at several sites on the bay and ocean sides of Minjerribah and Moorgumpin (Moreton Island) shifting from their bayside residence in summer to take advantage of the shellfish and summer whiting on the ocean side of the islands. Their generosity to strangers in the early nineteenth century was recorded in the diaries of Matthew Flinders whose crew were offered water when they landed at Point Lookout. The Quandamooka people took care of the convicts Pamphlett, Parsons and Finnegan who had been lost at sea and Quandamooka men travelled with John Oxley ensuring he had safe passage up the Brisbane River. The Quandamooka women were famous for their weaving and their baskets were used in trade with other Indigenous groups in South East Queensland. The Quandamooka people live on their traditional lands and continue their cultural practices .
Townships
There are 3 towns each of which is located on the northern end of the island: Dunwich, Amity and Point Lookout. Access to all townships is twenty minutes by bitumen road. Dunwich is the gateway to Straddie where the local tourist centre is located. The town is known for its rich Indigenous and European historical sites. There are a range of services offered including two convenience stores, a medical centre, a hairdresser/boutique, a pharmacy, butcher, a liquor outlet, fruit and veg store as well as sport and hobby shop. The town houses the majority of the permanent population and camping, fishing and swimming are some of the activities offered in this small and friendly centre.
Amity is located on the north western tip of the island. Amity is a small village with a permanent population of around 100. There is a sports club, seashells cafe, a convenience store, community centre and two fresh seafood outlets all within walking distance of each other. An enclosed swimming facility is available all year round, snorkelling is a must do and the fishing is fantastic. Marine life abound and a pod of dolphins regularly appears mid to late afternoon every day at the jetty. A koala colony lives on the nature strip that exists between the ocean beach and the town so bring your cameras. Amity has no hills so it is a wonderful place for young and old to venture out on foot or bicycle for sightseeing. Point Lookout is located on the north eastern tip of the island and boasts some of the most stunning surf beaches in Queensland. There are restaurants, cafes and a bakery with a convenience store and a number of tourist shops. The only hotel on the island is situated at Point Lookout .
Climate
North Stradbroke Island boasts a sub-tropical climate with moderate temperatures all year round. Water temperatures average 25-27 degrees in summer and 19-22 degrees in winter.