At the southern end of Moreton Bay. ‘Stradie’ is the largest and most popular of the Moreton Bay islands. You can reach it by car ferry or water taxi from Cleveland, which is 15 km east of Brisbane. Most of the island’s 2,000 permanent inhabitants are employed at the mineral sand mines, which are towards the lower end of the island. A century ago the island was still joined to South Stradbroke Island (see Moreton Bay), but in 1896 a hurricane sliced through the sand spit and made two islands.

The ferry puts in at Dunwich, which was first settled in 1828 as a quarantine station for immigrants arriving from Europe. Disaster struck in 1850, when the population was virtually wiped out by cholera.

From Dunwich a sealed road leads out into the island, connecting the other two settlements at Amity Point in the north and Point Lookout in the north-east. The hinterland contains several lakes. Blue Lake is excellent for swimming, Brown Lake is recommended for swimming and water sports, and Tortoise Lagoon is a popular wildlife spot. Point Lookout has fine beaches, some accommodation and a number of cafes. There’s also great diving offshore at Shag Rocks. The island is famous throughout Australia for its excellent fishing, and in August it hosts the Stradie Classic, one of the main events on the Aussie anglers’ calendar.

The southern end of the island is mainly given over to swamps and mining.