Redlands Coast Santa Pop-ups on Russell, Coochiemudlo and Stradbroke Islands

The Redlands Coast Santa Pop-ups are three free school-holiday mornings with Santa on the bay islands: Russell Island on Monday 14 December, Coochiemudlo Island on Wednesday 16 December and North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) on Friday 18 December. Each one runs from 10 am to 12 pm, and no bookings are needed.

You get free photos with a coastal Santa, face painting and children’s activities.

Dates, times and venues

Date	Time	Venue
Monday 14 December	10 am to 12 pm	Russell Island Recreation Hall, 1 Alison Crescent, Russell Island
Wednesday 16 December	10 am to 12 pm	Coochiemudlo Island Community Hall, 346 Victoria Parade South, Coochiemudlo Island
Friday 18 December	10 am to 12 pm	Dunwich Community Hall, 6 Ballow Road, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island

All three are free community events with no bookings. They are run by Redland City Council with SeaLink, Redlands Coast libraries and the Coochiemudlo Island Progress Association.

What’s on at the Santa Pop-ups

• Free photos with a coastal Santa
• Face painting
• Children’s activities and festive fun
• A community get-together on your island

Which island should you pick?

Russell Island is the first, on Monday 14 December. Coochiemudlo Island follows on Wednesday 16 December, and North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) finishes the series at Dunwich on Friday 18 December.

Each pop-up is a morning event aimed at island families, so you can combine it with a day trip if you are visiting. Island ferries and barges can run to a different schedule from mainland transport, so look up your return trip before you set off.

Planning your visit

• Facilities: the Russell Island listing shows a carpark and a public toilet. Facilities at the other two venues are not listed.
• Accessibility: the listing says the event welcomes people with access needs.
• Questions: call Redland City Council on (07) 3829 8999 or email [email protected].

The same format runs at each stop: a two-hour morning window, free to attend, with no ticket or registration. Because it is a drop-in event, you can arrive at any point between 10 am and 12 pm, but arriving early gives younger children the best chance of a short queue for the Santa photos. The listing describes it as family friendly and non-smoking.

Getting there

All three venues are on islands, so you travel by passenger ferry. Each island has its own terminal on the mainland, so work out which one you need before you leave.

Russell Island

SeaLink passenger ferries leave from the Redland Bay ferry terminal (Weinam Creek) on Banana Street, Redland Bay, about every half hour through the day. It is about 45 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD to the terminal.

Coochiemudlo Island

The Coochiemudlo Island passenger ferry runs from Victoria Point Jetty about every half hour, seven days a week, and the crossing takes about 10 minutes. You buy tickets on board. It is about 45 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD to Victoria Point.

North Stradbroke Island (Dunwich)

Passenger water taxis leave from Toondah Harbour on Emmett Drive in Cleveland, about every hour, and take about 25 minutes. Two companies run them: SeaLink lands at the Junner Street pontoon in Dunwich and Stradbroke Flyer at One Mile Jetty. It is about 45 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD to Toondah Harbour.

Timetables change and the services are not all run by Translink, so check the Translink journey planner and the operators’ timetables for your day, and allow time to get from the ferry to the 10 am start.

Nearby

• Redlands Coast Christmas Tree Lighting at Raby Bay – the free tree lighting on the Redlands Coast.
• Wellington Point Recreation Reserve – on the Redlands Coast mainland.
• More things to do in Redlands
• What’s on in South East Queensland

Details can change, so check the council’s event page before you go.

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