A Private Moreton Island Day Trip from Brisbane
Not a seat on a scheduled resort boat. Your own boat and your own route, about 45 minutes across the bay from Manly, conditions permitting. Gourmet lunch and champagne included.
- 6 hours
- Up to 7 guests
- Departs New Farm or Manly Boat Harbour
The island, without the crowd.
You will see the Tangalooma Wrecks from the water, snorkelling over hulls alive with fish at a time Jeremy picks for the tide, and the great southern sand hills rising above the beach.
On the right day we run north to Bulwer, a tiny settlement where the Castaway Café does proper coffee metres from the water, or anchor off one of the sandbars that rise for a few hours at low tide and vanish again. Beaches and sandbars are public places, so Jeremy chooses a quiet setting for the tide and the conditions on the day.
There is no fixed route, and that is the point. Jeremy reads the wind, the tide and the light on the morning you step aboard, and the day flexes around the conditions. A scheduled ferry follows a timetable. You follow the bay.
The sand spit at Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island
Some days the water sends us across to Stradbroke instead, and the boat comes right up onto the sand.
Small group, big difference.
Never more than 7 guests
The boat is exclusively yours. Whether you book for two or bring six friends, the only people aboard are the ones you invited, plus a captain who works for you all day. Children count towards the seven guest maximum.
A marine scientist at the helm
Captain Jeremy, owner and marine scientist, holds the environmental permits for the bay. Wildlife is wild and never guaranteed, but when dolphins, turtles or dugongs do appear, they come with a running commentary.
Lunch is an event, not a buffet
A gourmet spread with French cheeses and chilled champagne, served on the sand or on deck. And if Jeremy lands a fish on the way over, sashimi does not get fresher.
Snorkelling gear included
Masks, snorkels and everything you need to swim the Tangalooma Wrecks are aboard, sized to your group. No hire counters, no queues, no extra charges.
Private charter vs the resort ferry
For a group of four, the numbers are closer than you think. The days are not.
One boat, priced by your group.
Every rate is for the whole boat, never per person, with lunch, champagne and snorkelling gear included and no add-ons to chase. The standard rate applies on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Queensland public holidays. Midweek rates apply automatically to Monday to Thursday departures.
Per boat for two guests, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Queensland public holidays. $1,290 Monday to Thursday.
Per boat for up to four guests, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Queensland public holidays. $1,690 Monday to Thursday.
Per boat for up to seven guests, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Queensland public holidays. $2,200 Monday to Thursday.
Before you book
How long is the crossing from Brisbane?
From Manly Boat Harbour the run across Moreton Bay to the island is about 45 minutes on the Axopar, conditions permitting, and the crossing itself is part of the day. From New Farm Powerhouse, allow about 15 minutes down the Brisbane River before you reach the bay.
Do we land on the island?
Yes. We beach the boat and you step straight onto the sand. Depending on conditions that might be near the Tangalooma Wrecks, a quiet stretch below the sand hills, or Bulwer in the north where the Castaway Cafe does a good coffee. Lunch is usually served right there on the beach. Beaches and sandbars are public places, so Jeremy chooses a quiet setting for the tide and the conditions on the day.
What should we bring?
Just swimwear, a hat, sunglasses, reef-safe sunscreen and a light jacket for the ride home. Towels, snorkelling gear, gourmet lunch and champagne are all provided.
Is it suitable for children?
Tell Jeremy each child’s age and swimming confidence before booking so he can confirm equipment and activities. Accompanying adults supervise children throughout, and children count towards the seven guest maximum. Because the boat is private, the day runs at your pace.
What happens in bad weather?
Safety is always the captain’s call. If Jeremy cancels before departure for weather or safety, you choose an agreed alternative date or a full refund. Often a windy forecast just means a more sheltered route rather than a cancellation. A charter that runs safely is not refunded because conditions were less than ideal.
The facts
- Duration
- About six hours
- Guests
- 2 to 7, always one private group. Children count towards the total.
- Departure
- New Farm Powerhouse or Manly Boat Harbour (25 to 30 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD). Scarborough Harbour by arrangement.
- Destinations
- Moreton Island and the Tangalooma Wrecks, or Amity and North Stradbroke, chosen for the conditions on the day
- Price
- Per boat, never per seat: $1,390 for two guests, $1,890 for up to four guests, $2,400 for up to seven guests. Monday to Thursday: $1,290, $1,690, $2,200.
- Included
- Captain Jeremy, fuel, French style catering, complimentary champagne, snorkelling gear, towels
- Boat
- 2017 Axopar 24 HT, owner-operated by Captain Jeremy, owner and marine scientist
- Weather policy
- If Jeremy cancels before departure for weather or safety, you choose an agreed alternative date or a full refund
- Destination
- Moreton Island, which may include the Tangalooma Wrecks, the dunes and a beach stop, about 45 minutes across the bay from Manly, conditions permitting. Amity and North Stradbroke are a different part of the bay, chosen according to the conditions.
Moreton Island, on your terms.
$1,390 per boat for two guests. $1,290 Monday to Thursday. The whole boat is yours, everything included.