Last Updated on September 16, 2023

The stunning sand island of Moreton is a flourishing Australian sandboarding destination near Brisbane in Queensland.

The island is home to Tangalooma Desert, simply known as “The Desert”, a truly unique place with dunes entirely surrounded by vegetation and where a variety of minerals give birth to 32 different colours of sand!

Mount Tempest, the highest sand dune in Australia, is also located on Moreton Island, but because it is covered by vegetation, it is not suitable for sand surfing.

Sandboarding can be practiced in the Desert as well as the two sets of dunes known as Little Sand Hills and Big Sand Hills.

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Sand Dunes at Moreton Island National Park. Photo courtesy of Karchi78.

Sandboarding at the Tangalooma Desert in Moreton Island

There are “desert safari tours” organized at the Tangalooma Island Resort which are essentially a bus ride to the sand dunes and provide you with a board and some wax for sand surfing or toboganning. The bumpy bus ride is an experience in itself alike to dune bashing.

The dunes are quite big and you will have plenty of fun sliding them, but not so much hiking back after your ride – make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen with you.

The dunes of the Desert and the Little Sand Hills have gentle slopes and are better suited for beginners and kids. The Big Sand Hills, as the name suggests, have steeper slopes which are great for more experienced riders.

Getting there

The journey by bus from Tangalooma is about 35 minutes long. Most tours of the island from mainland Australia also include sand sliding at the dunes, so they are a great option.

From Brisbane

Moreton Island Dunes
Dunes with a view in Moreton Island. Photo courtesy of MoretonIslandAdventures.

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