Half an hour off the shore of Brisbane, lies a beautiful sand Island called North Stradbroke Island ('Straddie' as the locals call it). With such an easy access with or without your own vehicle, this is a fantastic place for you to call it your quick getaway spot or your 'home away from home'. It also has a variety of accommodation options, ranging from resorts and hotels to camping near the beach, and it being the second largest sand Island in the world is just another 'icing on the cake'.
The terminal in Cleveland is the access point for the island. If you are taking your car over, you would need to board the Stradbroke Island Vehicle Carrying Ferry, tickets and prices are available online. If you don't plan to drive, you would need to take the Passenger Ferry or Flyer Gold Cat (higher in price) over to the island and there are public buses on the island. The prices for that are also available online, however, tickets would need to be bought at the ticket office at the terminal or on the boat itself (EFTPOS available). It is CASH ONLY for the public bus on the island, so make sure you carry cash with you. When I went recently, a daily ticket that takes you to the Point Lookout and Amity Point was $10.
There are plenty of free carpark at the Cleveland terminal. The ferry ride is about 30 minutes to reach Dunwich, this is also the place where you would need to catch the return ferry back to the mainland. The bus stop is right outside of the ferry station, and normally, its running frequency should match the ferry arrival time. There are not a lot of buses that go to Amity Point, so if you are only spending the day on the island, I would recommend that you only visit the Point Lookout as there are plenty to see for 1 day.
If you are visiting the Point Lookout, I highly recommend a visit to the North Gorge Walk. It starts next to the final bus stop at the Point Lookout. It is only about 1.5kms long, and it showcases one of the best highlights of the island's shoreline. Apparently, you can also stay for whale and dolphin walking if in the right season. Most of the walking track are on a fully built boardwalk. However, Several sections on the walking track has stairs built-in, so it may not be wheelchair friendly. I would still encourage people to visit here despite this.
There are quite a few restaurant/fast food places that you can choose from at the Point Lookout. From here you can either choose to take the bus back to the Ferry Terminal, or if you plan your time well, you can also pay a visit to the Amity Point. I run out of time while I was there, so I couldn't make it, but I would be interested to visit there another time to experience it myself.
If you would like to take a longer walk, there is another walking track named Point Lookout Mooloomba Track, a few kilometers down the road. The track willl take you pass the Deadman Beach and to the Cylinder Beach. I didn't find many people on this walk, so if you would like some quiet time to enjoy the environment, this would be a great walk for you.
You would be able to explore more of this island with a 4WD and spend a night or two here. I really loved the day I spend on the island, even the bus ride itself was really great as the scenery reviews before your eyes. I hope you will enjoy this fantastic experience!
