BAY ISLAND LIFESTYLE

Embrace the Bay Island Lifestyle 

Discover the natural splendour of Moreton Bay and experience the fun and freedom of getting out on the water with the inclusive team at Bay Island Lifestyle. 

Nestled on the golden shoreline of the Redlands Coast, just 40 minutes east of the City, Bay Island Lifestyle delivers aquatic adventures to suit almost every age and ability. They offer a wide range of water sports, guided tours and hire options that beckon you to immerse your senses in the serenity and natural beauty of the pristine Moreton Bay Marine Park. From the mangroves to the fringing islands, this magical watery wonderland teems with incredible marine life and abounds with opportunities for unforgettable adventures and close-up encounters with wildlife. As you explore the calm, clear waters of the bay, you’ll also discover a scattering of historical sites that reveal the rich history of the area and tell fascinating tales of times gone by. 

From a peaceful paddle in a kayak to splash-tacular family fun on a four-seat water quad bike, there’s plenty of ways to explore at your own pace. A team of expert guides offer a host of tours catering for beginners to advanced adventurers, while intrepid explorers can paddle or peddle their own path with a range of non-motorised, water sports equipment hire options available. Private lessons, group classes, team building and party bookings are also available. 

To fuel your energy for all that aquatic action, be sure to get your caffeine fix from the onsite Bay Island Coffee Co. Take a moment to sit and drink in the relaxing ambience as you bask in the sunshine and listen to the lively chatter of the shorebirds playing on the water’s edge. 

Bay Island Lifestyle delivers magical close-up encounters with nature, endless aquatic adventures and refreshment for the soul on the pristine shores of Moreton Bay Marine Park.

Tour and Hire Options 

Connect with nature and experience the very best the bay has to offer with a range of tours and hire options designed to help you find your happy place out on the water. 

Bay Island Water Sports (part of the Bay Island Lifestyle family of businesses) offers a comprehensive collection of guided tours lasting from one to three hours, catering to a range of abilities and levels of experience. Tours are a wonderful way to make the most of your time out on the water, while enjoying the reassurance and confidence gained from having an expert on hand to offer instruction, guidance and some intriguing insights along the way. Tours traverse the fragile and protected ecosystems of mangroves, estuaries and sheltered waters of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, with the likelihood of up-close encounters with a breathtaking assortment of friendly resident marine life. Many tours also take in some of the region’s historical highlights, such as Ormiston House, the Grand View Hotel and the Old Cleveland Lighthouse. Keep listening to learn more about some of the incredible experiences on offer with a Bay Island Lifestyle guided tour. 

For those who prefer to go their own way, there’s an array of water sports equipment available for hire, including kayaks, water bikes, paddleboards and pedal boards. Spend a sun-kissed morning soaking in the tranquillity as you paddle or peddle across the bay, with the soothing sounds of nature and the rhythmic ripple of the water soothing your soul. Or gather family and friends together for a fun-filled adventure splashing in the calm shallows of the bay, with turtles, dugongs and dolphins frolicking alongside you in their aquatic playground. Equipment hire is available on an hourly basis, with use of life jackets included with all hire options. The golden beaches and shallow entry at Raby Bay Foreshore Park ensure an easy and safe launch point for all watercraft, with friendly and experienced staff on hand to offer assistance. 

Exploring Moreton Bay Marine Park 

Bay Island Lifestyle is perched on the sandy shores of Moreton Bay Marine Park, which is renowned for its exceptional natural beauty and diverse wildlife. Nestled right on Brisbane’s doorstep, it is one of the largest estuarine bays in Australia, and is home to offshore reefs, some of the world’s largest sand islands, internationally significant wetlands, seagrass meadows and sandy beaches. This protected haven also provides sanctuary to both tropical, sub-tropical and temperate marine species, and a vast array of migratory and resident shorebirds. 

Covering more than 3400 square kilometres, the bay is framed by seven mainland beaches, while to the east, Moreton Island and Stradbroke Island provide protection from large waves. These sheltered conditions create calm waterways that await your exploration. 

The bay’s wetlands are extremely diverse, creating a variety of habitats and contributing to the bay’s rich biodiversity. The shallow, clear and nutrient-rich waters provide an ideal climate for the growth of seagrass meadows, which in turn provide food and habitat for dugong, turtles, fish and crustaceans. The bay’s seven species of mangroves serve as a nursery for fish and other marine life, while sandflats provide important roosting sites for over 30 species of migratory shorebirds which visit the bay each September to April during their long annual migration. 

Moreton Bay is also home to many species of resident shorebirds, including white-bellied sea eagles, osprey, seagulls, pelicans, herons, pied oystercatchers, bush stone-curlew and red-capped plovers. Their squarks and songs can often be heard as they wade in the shallows or dive for their dinner along the golden shoreline.

Marine Wildlife Encounters 

Getting out on the water on Bay Island Leisure’s non-motorised watercraft is the perfect way to connect with nature and truly immerse your senses in the splendour of the bay. Cruising these calm, clear waters allow unparalleled opportunities to get up close to magnificent marine life including dolphins, dugongs, turtles, rays and a host of other aquatic animals. 

Moreton Bay Marine Park is home to two resident dolphin species - the bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin. The bottlenose dolphin is often recognised by it’s short, stout, bottle-shaped snout. Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphins are considered a rare species, and are characterised by a long, cylindrical beak. Dolphins are curious, social and intelligent air-breathing mammals that communicate with sounds and ultrasonic pulses. If you listen carefully, you may hear their whistles and clicks, or the puff of air from a dolphin or dugong surfacing to breathe.

Within the bay, you may also be lucky enough to encounter the vulnerable dugong. These shy and slow-moving sea creatures grow to around three metres in length and weigh as much as 500 kilograms!  Commonly known as ‘sea cows’, these gentle giants graze on the surrounding seagrasses. They have a large brown or grey body, a broad snout, two small flippers near the front of the body and a fluke tail like a dolphin. 

Moreton Bay Marine Park is also unique in that six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles have been found here, including several vulnerable and endangered species. In fact, it’s one of the few places in the world where large populations of turtles can be found so close to a capital city. The bay’s seagrass meadows provide an ideal feeding ground for resident turtle species such as the green, loggerhead, Pacific ridley, flatback and hawksbill turtles. A variety of rays and tropical and sub-tropical fish also reside within this marine sanctuary.

From about June to November, you may be fortunate enough to share these waters with majestic humpback whales, as they undertake their annual migration north from their Antarctic feeding grounds. 

Lighthouse and Historic Sites

Bay Island Water Sports tours not only highlight the bay’s abundant natural attractions, but also its rich history. 

One of the key historic highlights here is the iconic Old Cleveland Point Lighthouse. Built in 1864, the lighthouse was designed to meet the needs of the coastal community of Cleveland Point, which was once a thriving port. It is believed to be one of the first lighthouses constructed in the colony of Queensland, and is the last timber lighthouse still standing in Moreton Bay. This enduring, timber-framed structure is a celebrated and unique landmark perched proudly on the Cleveland Point Recreation Reserve, overlooking the beautiful bay. Its distinct hexagonal timber frame is clad in white weatherboard, capped with a lantern room adorned in traditional red accents. Along with its unusual shape, the lighthouse also boasts some other interesting claims to fame, including serving as a workplace to James Troy, Australia’s longest serving lightkeeper at one lighthouse.

Some tours also include vistas of the Cleveland’s Grand View Hotel, Queensland’s oldest licenced hotel. This charming and eclectic historic gem, nestled on the water’s edge and surrounded by sprawling beer gardens and heritage rotundas, is a popular spot for a heartwarming pub lunch overlooking the bay. The core of this heritage-listed property was built in the early 1850’s.

Another historic treasure awaiting your discovery on some Bay Island Water Sports tours is grand old Ormiston House. This exquisite bay-side property was built in the 1860’s by Captain Louis Hope, a leading pioneer of the Australian sugar industry. It is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in Queensland. This meticulously restored heritage property is surrounded by fourteen acres of manicured gardens and grounds overlooking the pristine waters of Moreton Bay. 

Sign up for one of Bay Island Lifestyle’s expert guided tours to discover more about the bay’s history and hidden treasures.

Bay Island Coffee

As you set out or return from your epic aquatic adventure, the tantalising aroma of freshly made coffee mingles with the sweet, salty scent of the ocean air, beckoning your attention. Bay Island Lifestyle is all about soaking in the relaxed ambience of life on the water, and Bay Island Coffee Co embraces this cruisy beachside vibe with its warm welcome and laid-back atmosphere. Located right next to the water sports centre, this dog-friendly café invites you to sit and watch the world go by with refreshment in hand and a breathtaking water view unfurling before you. The café offers barista-made coffee, tea, cold drinks and a range of sweet and savoury snacks for your enjoyment.

Take a seat in the sunshine and delight in the sensation of the sand between your toes. Or enjoy the refreshing sea breezes on a shaded grassy knoll overlooking the water. An ocean of sparkling blue stretches out before you, with the shoreline of North Stradbroke Island and the towering sand dunes of Moreton Island visible on the horizon. The silhouettes of dolphins, dugongs and whales can sometimes be spotted in the shallowed, sheltered waters just offshore. The laughter of children floats on the breeze, harmonising with the sounds of shorebirds fishing for their lunch. It’s not hard to while away a day here, lulled into a state of bliss by the bay’s captivating charm.

Bay Island Coffee Co offers welcome refreshment for both body and soul! 

Accessibility

The dedicated team at Bay Island Lifestyle want everyone to be able to experience the freedom and fun of getting out on the waters of beautiful Moreton Bay. To make this possible, they are currently in the process of implementing a range of exciting initiatives to make their aqua adventures even more accessible and enjoyable for all, including guests with additional access needs.

At the time of publishing this audio guide, Bay Island Lifestyle was preparing to launch its innovative Aqua Accessibility program. This will include the introduction of a range of adaptive water sports equipment and amenities for accessible adventures out on the water. Examples include beach matting, water wheelchairs, paddle or peddle kayaks with optional outriggers for added stability, tandem water bikes with pontoons to aid balance and much more. The program will be based at the Raby Bay head office, but the company will also offer a mobile service for group bookings. For further information, the latest updates or enquiries please visit their website or contact the team on 0472 777 288. Staff have undergone disability awareness training and are happy to assist wherever possible. 

The Bay Island Lifestyle group (including Bay Island Water Sports, Bay Island Aqua Accessibility and Bay Island Coffee Co) is located at Raby Bay Foreshore Park, about a 40-minute drive east of the Brisbane City Centre. Street parking is available, including an accessible car park with ramp and paths leading to the back of the coffee shop and hire desk. Regular train services operate to Cleveland Station, which is about a 20-minute walk from the launch point at Bay Island Lifestyle. 

Wheelchair mats and a hoist will soon be available as part of the inclusive upgrades with the Aqua Accessibility program. Accessible public bathrooms are available nearby, between Bay Island Lifestyle and the adjoining parklands playground.   

Both service animals and domestic pets are warmly welcomed at Bay Island Lifestyle. An off-leash dog beach is located approximately 300 metres to the east of the café, with bags and bins provided for any necessary cleanup. Grassy areas suitable for toileting assistance animals are also available near the public toilets within the surrounding parkland. 

The tranquil location, nestled amidst parklands on the water’s edge, offers ample opportunities to find your own quiet spot to soak in the serenity. Seating can be rearranged for use in any area in front of the coffee van, allowing you the flexibility and freedom to spread out and relax in the beautiful bayside surrounds. For the ultimate sensory escape, head out on the water in a kayak or on a paddleboard to surround yourself in the soothing sounds of nature. 

Accessible adventures await with Bay Island Lifestyle!