1. Shipwreck Snorkeling
Right off the shore, there are several shipwrecks that are surrounded by coral, fish, sharks, and sea turtles. My friends and I took a quick snorkeling lesson, and got right in the water. For over an hour, our whole group snorkeled around the wrecks. We saw so many pretty fish and observed the ocean life existing around these magnificent shipwrecks. We even saw a Wobbegong shark, which one of my friends dove down and touched! The snorkeling instructors gave us soft taco wraps, which we held in the water and watched as dozens of fish swarmed our hands and ate the food right out of our fingers. That was definitely a weird and scary experience, but the videos are great!
2. Sand Tobogganing
Up next for the day, we went sand tobogganing, which is basically sledding down a giant sand dune on a waxed piece of wood. We went to an area of Moreton Island called “The Desert,” where we sand tobogganed and sand boarded (basically snow boarding down sand) for an hour and a half. This was so much fun, and such a workout! While sliding down the steep dune was exhilarating and fun, walking back up it with your sand toboggan in hand was definitely a good workout.
3. The Nighttime Sky
Before we went to sleep, we all hung out on the beach at nighttime. Swishing the ocean water around, some people discovered that the water glows in the dark due to the minerals in the water undergoing phosphorescence. It looked just like the water was sparkling like crystals!
On top of that, we all got to see the Moreton Island nighttime sky. I can honestly say that I have never seen so many stars. We all just lay on the beach, drinking wine and staring up at the never-ending display of stars. We saw a couple of shooting ones, and made plenty of wishes.
Since we didn’t want to part with the beauty of the night sky, some of us decided to sleep on the beach. This was both relaxing and a little scary. The soothing sound of the ocean waves definitely put me to sleep, but waking up every few hours to the gobbling turkeys that inhabit the island was a bit nerve-wracking. Nevertheless, the beautiful sunrise woke me up and got me started for my next day on the island.
4. The Sightseeing
There are so many amazing places to visit on Moreton Island! We saw a lighthouse, different beach areas such as Honeymoon Bay and Champagne Falls, and, best of all, Blue Lagoon. It’s a small lagoon surrounded by tea trees. Over time, the tea tree roots have grown and extended into the lagoon, thus, emitting their oils into the water. We were lucky enough to spend some time soaking in the tea tree oil infused waters, rejuvenating our skin and hair with the beneficial natural oils. The views were amazing, and the history of the island was so interesting. I definitely recommend taking time to visit each of the island’s sights.
5. The Sunset
Walking along the Moreton Island coast and swimming in the light blue waters while looking at the sunset was definitely the most relaxing part of my trip. Moreton Island is home to less than 500 people, so the isolation and quiet definitely makes you feel like you’re on your own personal island. I must have said about a dozen times, “This is the best day of my life” and “This is my new favorite spot in the world.” And those statements couldn’t be more accurate. The sunset was absolutely incredible, and I am so happy I got to experience it at my favorite place in Australia!
Christina Sullivan is a student at Quinnipiac University and a TEAN Featured Blogger. Christina is currently studying abroad with TEAN on the Gold Coast, Australia.
