tangalooma

There are over 70 different activities to choose from while staying at Tangalooma Island Resort. From whale-watching and dolphin-feeding to fast-paced activities such as sand tobogganing, quad biking and scenic helicopter flight, or more relaxed activities such as mini golf and bush walks, Tangalooma offers activities to suit visitors of all ages.

Here are the TEN fun things we did at Tangalooma:

1. Wild Dolphin Feeding

This is the star attraction of this resort. Every night from 6pm onwards, a pod of wild dolphins will visit Tangalooma jetty. Visitors will gather at the jetty to see these dolphins. They can also gather at the shore to hand-feed them.

A briefing session was conducted by the instructor prior to the feeding session on how to feed the dolphins and the safety precautions. Firstly, we had to wash our hands in the antiseptic solution. Then, we held a fish by its tail and dip our hand into the water to feed the dolphins.

The program operates on certain guidelines with restrictions on how many people can feed the dolphins depending on tides, weather conditions and how many dolphins turn up, and supervised by a dedicated Dolphin Care Team. The team also mark the dolphins’ attendance every evening.

If you don’t want to get wet, a wader is available for rental at just $10. I wore a wader and carried Little Edison as he fed the dolphin. The dolphin feeding is certainly an unforgettable experience for all of us. We were glad to be given the opportunity to wade into the water and feed these amazing creatures.

2. Sightseeing and Fish Feeding Boat Tour

The sightseeing and fish feeding boat tour is fantastic for all ages. Kids will certainly get excited to see what’s under the water and feed the fish from the comfort of the boat deck. It’s also a great way to see the beautiful Tangalooma Wrecks, one of the attractions on this island.

3. Whale Watching Cruise

The humpback whale is known for their long migration journeys each winter, putting on a magnificent display of breaching, tail slapping and spy hopping as they make their way to warmer waters.

Moreton Island is one of the best places to view these amazing creatures, with over 16,000 whales expected to migrate past the island each season.

A full commentary is provided by a qualified Marine Biologist on-board, thus making it a very educational tour for us. Light lunch is also served on-board as the cruise took approximately 3 hours.

We spotted five humpback whales, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take any good pictures of them due to the rough and choppy waters. And I was also having mild sea sickness.

4. ATV Quad Bike Tour

This is definitely something that we don’t want to miss! We experienced the thrill of riding a quad bike on the beach and through bushland at Tangalooma.

A briefing and training were provided by a qualified instructor prior to our rides. As Little Edison is too young to ride on his own, he rode on a tandem bike with us.

5. 4WD Northern Safari Tour

This is another star attraction on this island. We explored the north point along the beaches before heading to the oldest lighthouse in Queensland at Cape Moreton, and finally to the Blue Lagoon on a 4WD. This is our excellent tour guide, Brett.

This tour gave us a complete overview of Moreton Island. The island is 37km’s long and 13km’s wide with over 95% National Parks.

The tour left the Tangalooma Resort and travelled along the Western beach overlooking the Moreton Bay. Brett provided interesting information on the island’s history and attractions such as the Tangalooma Wrecks, the towns of CowanCowan and Bulwer, as well as the Blue Lagoon.

Little Edison playing in the water at Blue Lagoon. The water is crystal clear and clean.

It’s a really exciting trip for us. I’ve seen many of these 4WD sand safari tours on the National Geographic, and this time, I get to experience it myself at Tangalooma. It was such an unforgettable experience for me.

6. Desert Safari Tour with Sand Tobogganing

The 4WD bus took us to one of the most spectacular scenery in the island before stopping at the sand dune. Almost all visitors go sand tobogganing in Tangalooma, and it’s simply a must-try activity!

Our instructor Damien gave us a short training and briefing. It took about 5 mins to climb up the huge deep sand dune, but just 5 seconds to slide down. It was such a thrill! But if you got the techniques wrong, you could end up with a mouthful of sand.

Thanks to the professional photographer at Tangalooma Photo Shop for taking this awesome picture of V as he was sliding down. I’ve also recorded a short video here. This is his first attempt, and he did a fantastic job!

Little Edison is too young to slide, but he had so much fun playing with the fine white sand that are so soft and smooth to touch. You’ll never get this kind of sand in Singapore for sure.

Here’s our jump shot!

7. Segway Tour

We learnt to Segway at Tangalooma. Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle. I’ve seen it many times at our own Sentosa Island, but I didn’t have a chance to try it. And I’m glad that I made it at Tangalooma!

It was so much fun cruising along the white sandy beach on a Segway!

8. Helicopter Joy Ride

This is the PERFECT activity of all as we enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Tangalooma and Moreton Island. We saw the Tangalooma Wrecks, sand dunes, Cape Moreton and the entire island up from the sky! It was such a thrill to go up the helicopter for the first time!

V with our pilot, Brian

9. Mini Golf

This is one of the free activities at this resort. Little Edison is a big fan of golf, and he had many fun-filled golfing sessions at Tangalooma.

10. Beach Swimming

The gentle waves, crystal clear blue water, and clean sandy beach make is safe and enjoyable for the kids as well as the adults.

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There were so many first times for us at Tangalooma. From sand safari 4WD to quad bike, Segway and helicopter ride, we’re glad to experience it all at Tangalooma.

We really enjoyed soaking up the sun, sand and island atmosphere. Elucidating the true meaning of relaxation, away from the noise and hubbub of city life, and truly enjoy our family time.

What I like most about this resort is that it is still in its very natural state, clean, quiet and not overly commercialized. It’s not a 5-star resort, but it has everything that I need – extremely comfortable, excellent activities and tours, good food as well as great services!

One last thing. Here’s a chance to win a 2N stay at Tangalooma Island Resort at Gold Coast Australia! Contest ends 30 Sep 2013. Find out more from Chan Brothers Travel Facebook Page.

To read all my posts on Tangalooma Island Resort, please click HERE.

Disclosure: This trip is sponsored by Chan Brothers Travel. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Read more travel posts from Australia!

Fun Things We Did in Gold Coast

Tangalooma Island Resort – Food & Travel Tips

Activities at Tangalooma Island Resort

Tangalooma Island Resort – Getting Here and Accommodation

Phew! Nine days are not long enough for Brisbane and Gold Coast, but that’s the time we had for our Sept holiday and we made the most out of it. We had a great time, and I can’t wait to share our trip with you.

Our trip started at Tangalooma Island Resort – a very beautiful resort surrounded by pristine waters and untouched National Parks.

Getting Here

Tangalooma Island Resort is located on Moreton Island, approximately 40 kilometres off the coast from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. We were flying from Singapore to Gold Coast via Scoot. From Gold Coast airport, we took the transfer to Brisbane’s Holt Street Wharf via Con-X-Ion. The journey was approximately 75 mins.

From Holt Street Wharf, we took the catamaran to Tangalooma Jetty on Moreton Island. The travelling time is about 75 mins. There are 3 services operating daily in each direction, and an additional service from Saturday through Monday. If you’re flying into Brisbane, Holt Street Wharf is just 10 mins away from the airport.

After a long journey, that’s 8 hours by flight, 75 mins transfer, another 75 mins by catamaran, and the waiting time in between, we were quite exhausted. The moment we stepped our feet off the jetty, we were absolutely amazed by the beauty of this little slice of heaven called Moreton Island! Our tiredness disappeared in an instant!

Tangalooma Jetty

Little Edison couldn’t wait to take a stroll along the beachfront. While he was happily chasing away the birds on the beach, I enjoyed the beautiful view and cool sea breeze. The hubby was busy snapping away with his camera.

Accommodation

Our Resort Suite at Ocean Lodges

There are several types of accommodation in this resort. From resort unit and suite to hotel room, villas, luxury deep blue apartments and hill top houses, you can definitely find something that suits you.

We stayed in an island-style resort suite, just a short walk from the beach. This suite is perfect for families. It has a separate bedroom, living area, bathroom, and kitchenette with full size fridge, microwave oven, electric fry pan, toaster, kettle, cooking and eating utensils.

Living area with two single beds, sofa and dining table

It has one queen-sized bed and three single beds, so it can accommodate up to five guests! It is air-conditioned, and complete with toiletries as well as hair-dryer.

Bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a single bed

Our suite is on the second floor, and I really love the large sliding glass window where I can enjoy the refreshing cool breeze and the beautiful sea view. Palm trees, white sandy beaches, clear blue water, and happy kids… it’s the kind of thing I want to see every day!

Pool view from our suite

Here are some beautiful pictures of the island to share with you.

In my next post, I’ll share with you on the various activities that we did in this resort, and the fabulous food that we enjoyed. Please stay tuned!

To read all my posts on Tangalooma Island Resort, please click HERE.

Disclosure: This trip is sponsored by Chan Brothers Travel. All opinions are honest and are my own..

Read more travel posts from Australia!

Fun Things We Did in Gold Coast

Tangalooma Island Resort – Food & Travel Tips

Activities at Tangalooma Island Resort

Tangalooma Island Resort – Getting Here and Accommodation