A Private Moreton Island Day Trip from Brisbane
Not a seat on a 200-person resort boat. Your own boat, your own route, your own stretch of sand, 45 minutes from the Brisbane CBD. Gourmet lunch and champagne included.
The sand spit at Amity
Some days the water sends us across to Stradbroke instead, and the boat comes right up onto the sand.
The island, without the crowd.
Most people see Moreton Island from the middle of a queue. You will see the Tangalooma Wrecks from the water, snorkelling over hulls alive with fish before the tour groups arrive, and the great southern sand hills rising out of a beach with nobody on it.
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 hidden sandbars only locals know, the kind that rise for a few hours at low tide and vanish again.
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 best of the bay. The ferry follows a timetable. You follow the conditions.
Small group, big difference.
Never more than 7 guests
The boat is never shared. 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.
A marine biologist at the helm
Captain Jeremy is a marine biologist with environmental permits for the bay. Dolphins, turtles, dugongs and the wrecks come with a running commentary you will not get on a ferry.
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 drift over the Tangalooma Wrecks are aboard. 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.
Want the full breakdown? Private charter vs Tangalooma tour, compared
One boat, priced by your group.
Every rate is for the whole boat, with lunch, champagne and snorkelling gear included. No per-person fees, no add-ons to chase.
Midweek rates apply automatically to Monday to Thursday departures. A 30% deposit secures your date; the balance is due 7 days before.
Before you book
How long is the crossing from Brisbane?
From Manly Boat Harbour the run across Moreton Bay to the island takes around 45 minutes on the Axopar, and the crossing itself is part of the fun. Dolphins often join us on the way. Departures from New Farm add a scenic cruise down the Brisbane River first.
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 great coffee. Lunch is usually served right there on the beach.
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 good for kids or older guests?
Very. Because the boat is private, the day runs at your pace. Families love the calm shallows and the wildlife spotting; older guests appreciate stepping from a stable boat straight onto soft sand with no gangways or crowds. Tell us who is coming and Jeremy will plan around them.
What happens in bad weather?
Safety is always the captain’s call. If Jeremy decides conditions are not right for the day you booked, you choose between a full refund or a free reschedule to a date that suits you. Often a windy forecast just means a different, more sheltered route rather than a cancellation.
Moreton Island, on your terms.
From $1,390 for two, the whole boat to yourselves (midweek dates from $1,290). A 5.0-star Google rating from guests who came back raving.