Unleash the Adventure: Top Things to Do at Tangalooma Island Resort!

The Tangalooma Island Resort is located on Moreton Island, a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane. Being the third largest sand island in the world (after Fraser Island and North Stradbroke), Moreton Island is unique in many ways, and the Tangalooma Island Resort showcases the natural beauty and wildlife in many incredible manners. Being so close to Brisbane, it is an adventure lover’s paradise, as you can quickly jump across for a few nights or just a day trip. There are so many unique and adventurous things to do in the resort alone, and this guide will tell you everything you need to know about it!

Where is Tangalooma?

Tangalooma Island Resort is located on the third largest sand island in the world, Moreton Island (Mulgumpin). It is only 82 km, or 44.3 nautical miles, across the titular bay from Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane, Australia. When you are staying on the island, you can see Brisbane in the distance.

How to get to Tangalooma?

There are a few different ways to get to Tangalooma from Brisbane. However, please note that you must be staying in the resort or have purchased an appropriate day travel pass to enter the resort area. 

Tangalooma Ferry:

The resort operates a passenger ferry service from Holt Street Wharf (220 Holt Street) in Pinkenba, Brisbane, which arrives at the Tangalooma Jetty on Moreton Island. Four services run both ways each day between the resort and Brisbane. For a day trip, please be aware that you need to purchase a day trip pass with the ferry included. It is a 75-minute trip across Moreton Bay, so pack some seasickness tablets if you get seasick! 

Timetable:

Departure from Brisbane:

7:30 am, 10 am, 12:30 pm and 5:30 pm.

Departures from Tangalooma Island Resort

9:30 am, 2:30 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm*

*Departs after the conclusion of the dolphin feed program, so can depart anywhere between 6:30-8:30 pm. This also depends on the season. 

Price for accommodation guests only:

(Valid till March 31 2023)

Adults – $84

Child (3-14 yrs) – $46

Infant (0-2 yrs) – free.

To book, click here. 

Beach Day Cruise Day Trip Pass:

If you want to visit the resort without doing an activity, you must purchase the Beach Day Cruise Day Trip pass! The voucher includes a $20 lunch voucher for adults ($15 for children) and full access to the resort facilities. Depart on the 7:30 am or 10 am ferry to the island, and leave the island on the 4 pm ferry. 

Price:

Adults – $89

Children – $49

To book, click here. 

Micat:

If you want to bring your 4WD across while staying at the Tangalooma Island Resort, then the Micat is for you! Operating on a demand-based timetable, the Micat works between 1-5 trips on any given day (of course, depending on the time of the year). The journey takes approx. Ninety minutes each way. The Micat departs from 14 Howard Smith Dr, Port of Brisbane and arrives just north of the Tangalooma Wrecks. 

*Please note that unless you are staying in the resort, you cannot enter the resort if you have travelled across the Micat.

Prices for the Micat vary depending on the season and availability. To book, click here.

Brisbane to Moreton Island by Helicopter:

If you are looking for a more stylish and extravagant mode of transport to the Tangalooma Island resort on Moreton Island, why not get a VIP helicopter transfer? Transfers are available from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and several other locations in the South East of Queensland. Departure times vary depending on availability and the weather. For prices and bookings, please call the heli-hut directly on (07) 3410 6980. 

Is Tangalooma worth visiting?

In short, yes! Tangalooma Island Resort is an incredible place to visit, and if you have an extra day in Brisbane, it’s the perfect adventure day trip. With so many different and unique activities, including the wild dolphin feed in the early evening, you cannot go wrong with a trip here. We highly recommend coming over even just to snorkel the iconic Tangalooma wrecks and see the wild dolphins. It is the most incredible experience you can have; very much a core memory moment. 

Top things to do at Tangalooma:

Hand-feed wild dolphins:

Travellers to Tangalooma have the unique opportunity to participate in the Dolphin Feeding Adventure, where they can hand-feed wild bottlenose dolphins. The Tangalooma Dolphin Care Team and the resorts Eco-rangers lead the dolphin feeding program, which runs each night at sunset. The dolphins the resort feed are from the same pod that has been visiting since the early 1980s. The pod currently has nine dolphins that visit the feed; however, you never know which of the dolphins will come in or not! Some nights it can be all 9, or just a few will show up. That is the beauty of feeding these wild dolphins; they are free to come and go as they like! Add it as an extra to one of the Day Trip passes, or register at the Eco Centre if you are a resort accommodation guest for this experience. 

Yentl and I were lucky enough to be a part of the Tanglooma Dolphin Care team for six months while we lived and worked at the resort. There is nothing more incredible than being up close to one of these incredible dolphins, and to hand-feed them is a core memory you will never forget. Please, no touching the dolphins. This is not an opportunity to touch them. These dolphins are wild, and touching them upsets and irritate them.

Snorkel or dive the Tangalooma Wrecks:

Exploring the underwater world at the iconic Tangalooma Shipwrecks is one of the top things to do at Tangalooma. Although snorkelling is the most popular way to see the wrecks, its deepest point is 12 metres making it also interesting for scuba divers. These 15 shipwrecks were placed here by the Queensland Government between 1963 and 1984 to create a safe anchorage site for recreational boats. Since then, more than 130 soft and hard coral species have found a place to grow, housing 200 different fish varieties, turtles and Wobbegong Sharks. 

Guided snorkel tour prices:

Adults(12 yrs +) – $69

Children (6-12 yrs) – $55

Duration: 1.5 hours (in water: 30 mins) 

Includes: wetsuit, fins, mask, snorkel, experienced tour guide, a boat transfer from and back to the resort and, if required: lifejackets. 

Guided snorkel tour – day cruise/pass:

Adults (14yrs +) – $149 

Children (6-14 yrs) – $119

Includes: Return ferry transfer from Brisbane, lunch-, drink voucher, guided snorkel tour and access to all resort facilities for the entire day. 

Guided dive prices:

Certified Dive (min.35min): $139

Certified Dive with Refresher: $169

Discover Scuba Dive: $169

Please note: the Tangalooma resort does not own the shipwrecks, and if you are a confident swimmer, you can easily snorkel the wrecks yourself. However, as there can be strong currents and Yentl has been tour-guiding the wrecks for months, he will write a comprehensive guide to snorkel the Tangalooma wrecks later. As a rule of thumb: try to stay as close to the tides as possible (either high or low tide) and choose days without much wind. If you are staying or visiting the resort, you can hire snorkel gear or bring your own. If you visit the wrecks with the Micat, you must bring your own snorkel gear as these visitors can’t use resort facilities.

Snorkel equipment hire prices:

3 hours (mask, snorkel and fins): $39

Full day (mask, snorkel and fins): $49

Whale watching – The Tangalooma Whale Watching cruise:

Moreton Bay is a highway for humpback whales migrating to and from Antarctica and the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef. From June to October, ensure you book an incredible whale-watching tour if you want to get up and close to these massive animals. Since 1987, the Tangalooma Island Resort Whale Watching Cruise has been Brisbane’s closest’s and best whale-watching experience.

The cruise lasts three hours, including a light lunch while on board. If you are doing the day trip, you will also have time to explore some of the islands before the tour. However, please be aware that, on occasion, you may not see whales as, like the dolphins, they are wild and not tracked. If this is the case, you get your money back, guaranteed. I was lucky enough to see a mother and calf breaching right in front of the resort in late September 2022 – a sight I will never forget!

Prices:

Whale Watching departing from the Tangalooma Island Resort:

Adults – $75

Children – $55

To book, click here.

Whale Watching Day Cruise – Day Pass:

Adults – $145

Children (3-14 yrs) – $105

Includes refreshments on ferry transfer, light lunch, and access to resort facilities. The cruise leaves at noon and goes for three hours.  

To book, click here. 

Get your adrenaline pumping with a Tangalooma quad bike tour:

The Tangalooma Quad/ATV tour will get your adrenaline going! Great for everyone, the tours are altered to suit everyone’s needs, so perfect for first-time riders looking to complete that bucket list! A 45-minute tour, including briefing and break-testing, takes you through the dunes at the back of the resort to an almost island-style ‘Mario Kart’ track. Each tour has a guest-to-guide ratio of 5:1, with guides tailoring your experience to your level and skill. Please note that children under the age of 10 can only ride as a passenger on the back of a tandem, and 10-15-year-olds are only permitted on the 90cc bikes, as per Australian road rules (as they are registered bikes). 

What to bring:

• Enclosed shoes (if not, they are provided)
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses

Prices:

Single bikes (including kids 90cc bikes) – $80 per person

Tandem bikes (two-person bikes) – $120 per bike

ATV Quad Bike Day Pass

Adults – $149

Child (10-14yrs)- $119 

Includes ferry transfer, lunch voucher and resort lunch voucher. 

Take it to the sky on a scenic helicopter tour:

There is no better way to get a good look at Moreton Island than from above. Fly over the tallest coastal sand dune in the world (Mt Tempest), the iconic Moreton Island Lighthouse and the mesmerizing Tangalooma Wrecks, to name a few sights. The Elite Helicopters offer three different tour experiences to cater for every budget – ranging from $99 for a six-minute flight to $353 for a 30-minute flight. We recommend tour #3, which covers the most popular sights. Please note that a minimum of 2 persons are required per flight. 

Prices:

Tour 1

6-minute flight $99 per person – (Tangalooma Resort + Desert)

Tour 2

12-minute flight $187 per person (Tangalooma Resort + Desert + wrecks)

Tour 3

18-minute flight $280 per person (Tangalooma Resort + Desert + wrecks + Northern part)

Tour 4

30-minute flight $353 per person (All around the island!)

To book, call the Heli Hut on (07) 3410 6980. 

Hang from the sky – go parasailing!

One of the best ways to see Moreton Bay is by doing a Parasailing session. You’ll be soaring through the sky for about 8 minutes with great views of the island and the bay’s marine life. With some luck, you’ll see the dolphins, turtles, and dugongs swim across the sandbar. Parachuting through the air can be done either solo, in a duo or even on a triple flight. Make sure not to pick a windy day for your Parasailing session, as the team won’t run in unsafe conditions. To book, click here. 

Weight limits:

Solo Parasailing: min. 60 kg/max. 180 kg

Tandem Parasailing: min. 30 kg pp / Combined min. 60 kg/max. 180 kg

Triple Parasailing: min. 30 kg pp / Combined min. 90 kg/max. 180kg: 

Prices:

Solo: 100 metres, 8 minutes: $95, 150 metres, 10 minutes: $105

Tandem: 100 metres, 8 minutes: $85pp, 150 metres, 10 minutes: $95pp

Triple: 100 metres, 8 minutes: $80pp, 150 metres, 10 minutes: $90pp

Sand tobogganing in the Tangalooma Desert:

Feel the need for speed? The sand tobogganing in the Tangalooma Desert is an unlikely adrenaline rush, but you can reach up to 40kmph sliding down the dunes! If you have your own sled, then make sure you bring it over to enjoy these crazy dunes or book onto the Tangalooma Island Resort 4WD Desert Safari Tour. If you bring your own sled, getting to the desert is easy, taking the Tangalooma Desert Walking track. A moderate, grade three, 2km walk from the desert, you can get some added steps while on holiday! 

Price for the Desert Safari Tour (90 minutes):

Adults – $55

Children – $36

To book, see the tour desk while on the island.

Desert Safari Day Cruise/Day Pass

Adults – $130

Children – $99

To book, click here. 

Explore the Island in a 4WD:

Being the world’s third-largest sand island with no sealed roads (except for inside the resort area), you know that the 4WD on Moreton Island will be unique. The only way to get around the island, unless you feel like walking everywhere, is by 4WD. Explore at your own pace and on your own itinerary – the island has much more than just the resort to enjoy (which we will touch on later!). If you cannot bring your own 4WD across and stay at the resort, you can hire a trusty 4WD for the day for $390. 

To book a hire 4WD, book here. 

Hire a catamaran

Take to the sea on your own private catamaran and sail on the calm water of Tangalooma. A great way to relax and imagine you are sailing through Greece. Experience is not required but highly recommended. Safety briefings commence at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm daily and are mandatory to attend if you wish to hire out a catamaran. One-hour hire is available from TangTours for $50.

Tangalooma Island Resort is a must-visit destination travelling through or around Brisbane. We cannot recommend it enough – we loved it so much when we made our day trip over that we both got jobs here five months later. Relax, connect with nature and do some incredible things you may not have been able to do. Whether you are visiting for just the day, a few nights or even longer, there is something for everyone to enjoy here. Keep an eye out for more Moreton Island and Tangalooma Island Resort posts! There is sure to be more to come. 

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