Bribie Island: Beaches, Jetty, Walks and How to Get There

Bribie Island is a long sand island in northern Moreton Bay, joined to the mainland by a free bridge at Sandstone Point, about 70 minutes by car from Brisbane. It has a patrolled ocean beach at Woorim, a calm beach and timber jetty at Bongaree, bush walks and wide views across Pumicestone Passage to the Glass House Mountains.

You can drive straight onto it over the bridge, so a day trip is easy. Most visitors stay at the populated southern end, where Bongaree, Woorim, Bellara and Banksia Beach are close together.

Woorim Beach: the surf side

Woorim faces the open ocean on the island’s eastern side, and on a clear day Moreton Island lies across the water. It is the island’s patrolled surf beach. Patrols typically run on weekends and public holidays from the September school holidays to Labour Day in May, so check council’s patrolled beaches page before you go.

Our Woorim Beach guide has the full detail. Around the main entrance there is Bluey and Jean Piva Park at the corner of North Street and First Avenue, with a playground, electric barbecues, picnic tables, toilets, a car park and direct beach access. The playground has soft matting.

The Woorim Foreshore, at 140 North Street, runs along about 3 km of the coast with barbecues, shelters, toilets including an accessible toilet and changing facility, a car park and beach volleyball. Woorim Rotary Park, at 121 North Street, has outdoor fitness equipment, a ramp to the beach and wartime bunkers and signs.

For an accessible beach day, use the main Woorim entrance, which has a permanent beach mat and beach wheelchairs through its accessible beaches program.

Bongaree: jetty, calm beach and park

Bongaree is the passage side, with sheltered water, a beach beside the jetty and a foreshore park. Brennan Park, at 1 South Esplanade, has toilets, electric barbecues, a playground, sheltered tables, a water fountain and a car park. The Bribie Island Markets run there on the first, second and third Sundays of each month.

The Bribie Island Seaside Museum is a few minutes’ walk away. Entry is free, and it is open Wednesday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm. It is closed Monday, Tuesday and public holidays. Our Bongaree guide covers the jetty, its history and the park in full.

Bongaree is not a patrolled beach. Keep a close eye on children around the tides and boats.

Walks on Bribie Island

The Bicentennial Trails (Banksia, Palm Grove and Melaleuca walks) start at the Bribie Island Community Arts Centre on Sunderland Drive in Banksia Beach. All three are easy, with a sandy surface: Palm Grove is about 600 m one way, Banksia about 700 m one way and Melaleuca a 1 km walk.

For a longer beach walk, Red Beach at Bongaree has a bush track to the sand and a quiet beach that runs east towards Woorim, about 6.3 km one way. Go near low tide.

Is Bribie Island dog friendly?

Partly. There are three dog beaches on the island: Woorim (Red Beach) and Woorim Beach are on-leash, and Woorim Beach (south) is off-leash. Dogs are not allowed on patrolled beaches, on dunes or in vegetated areas, and dogs are prohibited on foreshores unless they are designated dog areas. Bongaree has no dog beach or dog park.

The council foreshore at Woorim allows dogs on-lead. Keep to the sand, take waste bags and follow the signs.

Camping and 4WD on Bribie Island

The northern part of the island is Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area, which Queensland Parks says needs a high-clearance 4WD (2WD vehicles and motorbikes cannot get a vehicle access permit). You need a vehicle access permit before you drive in, and every camping area needs a camping permit booked before you set up. Water is not provided at the camping areas, so bring your own.

Gallagher Point has a turtle nesting season, so Queensland Parks asks drivers to take extra care from 1 November to 31 May. Book through the Queensland Parks Bribie Island page, and check its alerts for current access. If you are taking a dog camping, read our camping with dogs guide first.

Fishing and the Pumicestone Passage

The passage is a protected marine park with mangroves and is home to dugongs, turtles and dolphins. Anglers fish from Bongaree Jetty, where the water at the end is deep enough for species such as bream, flathead and mulloway. Queensland fishing rules apply, and our beginner’s guide to fishing covers the basics.

Planning your visit

• How long: a full day covers Woorim and Bongaree, with the museum or a bush walk on the side.
• Best time: weekends and school holidays are busiest. The patrols at Woorim run over the warmer months.
• Cost: the bridge, beaches, jetty and museum are free. The national park needs permits.
• What to bring: sun protection, water, swimmers, a hat and food for the barbecues.
• Accessibility: Woorim has a beach mat, beach wheelchairs and an accessible toilet and changing facility. Virtual tours of Brennan Park and the Woorim Foreshore are on the council’s park pages.

Getting there and parking

By car, take the Bribie Island Bridge from Sandstone Point. It is about 70 minutes from the Brisbane CBD to Bongaree, and about 75 minutes to Woorim. The bridge opened in 1963, is about 830 m long and has been free to cross since 1975.

Brennan Park, Woorim Foreshore, Bluey and Jean Piva Park and Woorim Rotary Park each have a car park.

By bus, Translink routes 640, 641, 642 and 644 stop at the Bribie Island park ‘n’ ride at Bongaree, with services towards Caboolture, Woorim, the Bribie Island RSL and Sandstone Point. Plan your trip with the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30. Council’s patrolled beaches page has the lifeguard schedule.

It is a long drive with kids, so see our tips for long car trips.

Nearby

• Sandstone Point – the mainland end of the bridge.
• Woorim Beach – the surf beach and its parks.
• Bongaree, Bribie Island – jetty, beach and foreshore.
• Red Beach, Bribie Island – the quiet dog-friendly stretch.
• Caboolture Historical Village – a stop on the way up.
• Glass House Mountains – the peaks you see across the passage.

Browse more Bribie Island places, islands and beaches.

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