THE GREAT
NORTH STRADDIE
WEEKEND ESCAPE!
March 15-16, 2008
The Gold Coast Hiking Meetup Group is heading overseas for our first-ever weekend away … to beautiful NorthStradbrokeIsland.
Travelling over to the island by car ferry on the Saturday morning (March 15), we’ll be staying at Manta Lodge on the beach at Point Lookout. This puts us within easy walking distance of the famous Straddie Pub and the cafes and restaurants of Point Lookout – and you’d be hard pressed to find cheaper accommodation anywhere.
We’ve also drafted up a loose itinerary of group activities – bushwalking on the Saturday afternoon; sea kayaking on Sunday morning – with plenty of time allocated to do your own thing or just relax and chill out on the beach.
March is one of the most popular times of the year on North Straddie so you’ll need to book as soon as possible. Booking instructions are as follows:
TO BOOK THE NORTH STRADDIE WEEKEND ESCAPE …- Book your preferred accommodation for MARCH 15 direct with Manta Lodge by phone (07-3409 8888) or email (). When making your booking, make sure you tell them that you are with the Gold Coast Hiking Meetup Group. Cost is $25 per person for dormitory-style rooms or $70 per room for a twin/double. They will ask for your credit card number to confirm the booking but you won’t be billed until the actual weekend. They only have a small number of twin-double rooms so if you want one of those, book now!
3. RSVP in the usual way through the Gold Coast Hiking Meetup Group website. In the ‘Comments’ section, please confirm that you have booked your accommodation and sea-kayaking.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me (Karen) on 0431 958 726. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing all our regulars plus lots of new faces at what promises to be a fun, active weekend in a beautiful location.
SATURDAY, MARCH 15
8.30am / Meet at:SEA STRADBROKE ferry terminal
12 Emmet Drive, Cleveland
Phone: 07-3488 9777
For directions, see:
Cost is $122 (return) per car. Depending on the number of people, we will load everyone and their gear into the minimum number of cars to share the ferry cost between passengers (assuming 4 people per car, it should work out to be $30.50 per person). The cars that we don’t take over can be left at the free public car park, near the ferry terminal. Whilst the car park is patrolled by security, it is not a ‘secured’ car park. As such, cars are left here at your own risk.
We will be catching the 9am car ferry, arriving at Dunwich at approx. 9.45am.
10.00am -ish / Check in and leave luggage at our accommodation:
MANTA LODGE
1 Eastcoast Road, Point Lookout
Phone: 07-3409 8888
Email:
Web:
Accommodation is available in 4-bed dorms, 8-bed dorms, twin rooms and double rooms. Costs as follows: $25 per person for dorm accommodation, $70 per room for twin/dble.
11.00-ish / Meet near Reception and we’ll head off to a nearby café or pub for an early lunch and/or coffee.
After lunch / Afternoon bushwalk
There are a number of walks on the island. From our accommodation, we can do the Gorge Walk, heading off along the beach. It takes about 1½ hours to get to the Gorge. We can stop off for a swim on the way back at MainBeach or CylinderBeach. Another alternative is the BlueLake walk from Dunwich which is approx. a 7km round trip. We can discuss which walk everyone prefers over lunch.
Dinner / Hopefully we’ll get back in time to laze around a little before heading out to dinner at the Point Lookout Pub or similar.
SUNDAY, MARCH 16
9.00am / GROUP ACTIVITY OPTION 1:Those who would like to go sea-kayaking should meet near Reception. Bookings for this activity are essential. Details as follows:
STRADDIE ADVENTURES
Half day sea-kayaking & snorkelling (9.30am to 12.30/1pm)
Cost: $60 per person
Phone: 07-3409 8414 or 0417 741 963
Email:
Web:
GROUP ACTIVITY OPTION 2:
Those who do not wish to go sea-kayaking may like to try another hiking trail. We can finalise these arrangements at lunch on Saturday.
OR YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN THING!
There are heaps of other activities available on the island that you might like to do. When you book your accommodation at Manta Lodge, ask them about organising any of the following:
- Snorkelling and Diving trips
- 4 Wheel Drive tours – see the beauty of the island with headland lookouts for spotting whales and dolphins, secluded lakes and lagoons, native flora and fauna, all in the comfort of an air-conditioned 4WD, combined with informative commentary.
- Surfboard and Bodyboard Hire – ride world-class waves or simply give it a go for the first time!
- Fishing Rod Hire – catch your own dinner!
- Mountain Bike Hire – explore the island on two wheels!
- Learn-to-Surf
- Barefoot Lawn Bowls
- Aboriginal Cultural Tours
1.30pm / Suggest we all meet up for lunch at a nearby café or pub. Alternatively, you may prefer to laze on the beach, go for a wander around Point Lookout or just generally do your own thing.
2.30pm / Meet at Reception at Manta Lodge for the drive back to Dunwich
3.15pm / SEA STRADBROKE ferry departs from Dunwich, returning to Cleveland at approximately 4.00pm