Published: 13 Feb 22 Updated: 13 Feb 22

It’s hard to believe island paradise exists just 40km off Brisbane. Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is just that. Mulgumpin means ‘place of sandhills’ and being a sand island the sandhills are just one of many attractions that have drawn campers to this spot for many, many years. This is your complete guide to camping on Moreton Island.

Getting there:

We had wanted to go to Moreton Island for a long time but the hefty cost of the barge meant a quick weekend trip was not viable. You can only take 4WD’s to Moreton as all roads are sand and some are much softer than others. The Micat Ferry charges you for your vehicle, each adult and child, plus an extra incremental cost depending on how long your vehicle is and of course a lot more if you are towing. So just be aware that the total cost ends up being a lot more than what’s displayed on the initial booking page. For example, a one way ticket may start out as $90 however once you add 2 adults and 2 children this soon increases to $150. You can pretty well double this figure when towing a trailer too for example a 200 series Landcruiser with an 8m trailer and 2 adults and 2 children can cost north of $310. That is just for one way. This can be quite an expensive exercise, don't let it deter you though. Our advice is to plan to come for a longer period to offset the cost of the ferry as once you are on the island there isn't all that much to spend money on. Hot tip: Don't try and book a cheaper fare by saying your vehicle or trailer length is less than what it actually is. We saw the Micat staff measuring vehicles and if you’re found to be over, you’ll have to cough up the extra cash on the spot before boarding.The barge ride over on the Micat takes 1 hour and 45 minutes. It sometimes runs late though so don’t cut your timing too close if you’re relying on tides or need to be somewhere on your way home. There’s a cafe onboard and plenty of space to relax both inside and out. We travelled across at sunset one evening during wild weather and we were copping gusts of up to 80km/hour! The bay was so choppy and if we tried to walk around the deck you would literally topple sideways! We were so excited to get over to Moreton and set up camp in the dark while it was raining and blowing a gale…The barge lands straight onto the beach at Moreton so you need to have your tyres aired down and ready to hit the sand. It’s a really easy exit though as the sand at the landing area on a low tide is like concrete thanks to the landing being on the protected western side of the island.If you’re looking at doing a walk-in camp without your 4WD, you can book a passenger only ticket on the Micat or Tangalooma ferry. You’ll also need a vehicle access permit to drive on Moreton. These cost $54.55 per vehicle and can be purchased through Mulgumpin camping or when you book your trip on the Micat barge.

Where to camp:

There are 5 different campgrounds on Moreton Island that have some facilities like toilets and cold showers, or if you’d prefer to be more remote, you can camp in designated camping zones with no facilities along the beach and bush. You can read more about them and book through Mulgumpin Camping here.

Moreton Island campgrounds & camping zones

Moreton Island Adventures also has a cool interactive map you can explore here, as well as access to detailed HEMA and fishing maps of the island.We scoured many reviews on the different camping areas before our visit and have compiled all of that information into the table below. This is based on information provided from Mulgumpin Camping plus reviews from travellers on Wikicamps, Google and Facebook. We ended up choosing Ben Ewa Campground due to it being protected from strong winds, having toilets and being close to the Wrecks which was one of the main attractions for us. Read more about our experience in Ben Ewa below the table.

Campgrounds - All have toilets and cold showers:

Camping Zones - No toilets or showers:

You can also watch this video by Chrispy's Camping Adventures and they show what each camping area looks like.Our experience on Ben Ewa: You know how I mentioned we were copping 80km/h gusts on the ferry ride over?! Would you believe once we got to Ben Ewa campground the air was completely still. This is seriously the place to be if you want to avoid wind. The western campground is nestled into a valley with big hills behind it. Seeing as the wind was coming from the east, we were completely protected.

Things to do on Moreton Island:

Moreton Island is 37km long, meaning you could easily drive around the island in a day. This is relatively small in comparison to its big brother, Fraser, which is 120km in length. Unlike Fraser where you usually need to do day trips to different places on the island because of the long drive, you can experience a couple of Moreton’s attractions in one day thanks to it being quicker to get around. Here’s a list of the many sights to see on Moreton Island:

The Wrecks: If you’ve seen pictures of Moreton Island then it was likely of the Wrecks near Tangalooma. It’s an artificial reef that was created when 15 vessels were sunk to make a man made harbour. These wrecks are now home to over 100 species of fish and other marine life like turtles and wobbegong sharks.

This was by far our favourite part of the Island. I think we visited the Wrecks for a snorkel every day! It had been raining a bit prior to our trip and as mentioned before, we were copping some pretty strong winds. So even in less than ideal conditions, the water visibility was still astounding. You can see a highlight reel of some of what we saw here. A favourite of the boys was diving down and swimming through a massive hole in one of the wrecks. Hundreds of butter bream seemed to congregate in this area and would move apart for you as you swam through them! We also enjoyed paddleboarding around the wrecks. The water is really calm and unbelievably clear considering the port of Brisbane is so close by. We’d recommend setting up your 4WD on the beach across from the Wrecks and making a day out of it. Pack your lunch, put out the awning and enjoy an awesome beach day relaxing, swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding around the Wrecks. There’s a campground just behind the beach here too where you can go to the toilet and rinse off in the outdoor showers. Be sure to stick around until late in the afternoon when dolphins are often known to swim close to shore just north of the wrecks where the Micat lands (there’s a deep hole there from the barge where the dolphins like to go). If you’re lucky you might even get to hop in the water with them!Hot tip: If you are not staying at the resort don’t take a boat tour out from Tangalooma to snorkel the Wrecks. Bring your own mask, goggles (and flippers if you have them) and paddle out from the beach - it’s only a short swim! This will allow you to choose your timing, avoid the crowds when the boat tour comes through, and you have the freedom to explore the area however you like.

Honeymoon Bay: Honeymoon Bay is a stunning and secluded beach that bites into the north-eastern tip of the island. If you’re visiting for the day, you can park at North Point campground and take the 700m walk in.

Champagne Pools: This is a pretty little swimming spot at the North Eastern tip of the island. The rocks have formed a natural breakwall where the waves crash over and run into the natural pool like a waterfall. It’s a fun place to go for a swim when hanging out in this area.

Cape Moreton lighthouse: There’s a lot going on at the north-eastern tip of the island and Cape Moreton lighthouse is another attraction there to see. Park at the bottom and walk on up to see 360 degrees of breathtaking views. It’s also an amazing vantage point to spot the whales from. Don’t forget to stop into the old lighthouse keeper’s residence building which has now been transformed into an information centre. There’s a lot of cool pieces of knowledge and history of the island there.

*Trip suggestion* Make a day trip to the north-east area of the island. Take your 4WD onto the beach in front of the North Point Campground and base yourself there. From here you can take a short walk to Champagne pools and Honeymoon Bay. On your way there or home, visit Cape Moreton Lighthouse.

Big and Little Sandhills: Now these are a hoot for all ages! We visited the Big Sandhills and were immediately entertained by the people sliding down at crazy speeds and getting a faceful of sand at the bottom! There are plenty of different sized hills to choose from though, so you can start small and work up your courage. We took a boogie board and dragged it on the long hike to the top. It’s all worth it though when you're sliding down yelling and yahooing. Just make sure you pull up speed before the carpark! There were a few close calls…makes for great entertainment though! After we wore ourselves out (this is a great source of fitness on a holiday) we could just walk out into the water next to the sandhills to attempt to wash out some of the sand. Key word…’attempt’...that sand was still coming out for days!

Views from the top of the Big Sandhills.

The Gutter Bar: You know when you’re camping off-grid and you’re just craving a meal that you didn’t have to prepare yourself! Well the Gutter Bar on Moreton Island will be your best friend. Giving off major tropical island vibes, the Gutter Bar is a cool spot to grab a feed, have a drink and relax. It’s also a bit of a general store, stocking items like bread, milk and ice in case you run out.

After your visit, be sure to take the short drive to the southern tip of the island where you’ll be able to look across the channel to North Stradbroke (one of our other favourites).

Blue Lagoon: White sand leads into stunning, clear water at the Blue Lagoon on Moreton Island. It’s tucked away behind the beach on the Eastern side of the island and within walking distance to Blue Lagoon campground. This would be a good spot to spend a couple of hours relaxing and swimming in fresh calm water, with the toilets in the campground close by too. We visited on an overcast day so we weren't able to appreciate the full extent of Blue Lagon’s beauty. Blue Lagoon is a great opportunity to clean and cool off after a few days of salty offgrid camping!

Bulwer: On the north-west side of the island is one of the island’s 3 townships: Bulwer and is also home to the Bulwer Wrecks. These wrecks aren’t as impressive as the ones near Tangalooma but they are closer to shore making them a great place for swimming and snorkelling in vibrant, blue water especially for kids.

Our Tips:

The sand on Moreton Island is really soft and we found the 4WD’ing to be a bit more challenging than other beach driving we had done. Lower your tyre pressures right down. We started at 18psi and ended up on 10psi at one point driving on the sand at a high tide near the bulwer wrecks. People we know recommended getting our suspension upgraded and getting some taller tyres done before heading to Moreton and we’re glad we did. The middle road that cuts across the island had some decent ruts and like we found at Bribie Island, we would've been bottoming a lot had we not had the lift and bigger tyres. Bottoming out is where the belly of the car comes into contact with the ground. This hinders momentum making soft sand driving even more difficult.
There’s a heavy police presence on Moreton Island. We were pulled over for a breath test twice in 4 days. The cops were super friendly and it’s great to see them preventing dangerous behaviour. As they said to us when we got chatting, “Just stick to the speed limits, don’t drive after a big night and help us out if you see us bogged.”
When booking through Mulgumpin camping, only one vehicle is permitted per site. Some sites are massive though and if your group is camping on the one site, you don’t want to have to pay for an extra site you don’t need per vehicle. We just called up Mulgumpin camping and the lady happily booked an extra site free of charge which gave us the extra tent tags we needed.
The vehicle barge books out really far in advance for weekends and holiday times. If you’re intending to go on a weekend or in peak periods, don’t book a campsite until you know there’s a return trip available on the barge and make sure you book it before you miss out!