MAGDALENA ROZE
BYRON BAY MOTHER OF TWO
PRESENTER, JOURNALIST & METEOROLOGIST
AUTHOR OF HAPPY & WHOLE COOKBOOK
OIL GARDEN BRAND AMBASSADOR
WIFE TO CELEBRITY CHEF & AUTHOR DARREN ROBERTSON
FEATURED DESTINATION
NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, QUEENSLAND
HOW TO GET TO STRADDIE
Water taxis and ferries depart from Cleveland and arrive in Dunwich North Stradbroke Island.
- From Brisbane to Cleveland – 30kms
- From Brisbane Airport to Cleveland – 30kms
- From Gold Coast to Cleveland – 78kms
Source: Google Images
MAGDALENA SAYS…
We love going to North Stradbroke Island for so many reasons! Firstly, it’s an easy 2-hour drive to the ferry from where we live in Byron Bay so there’s no need to drag the kids on a plane which cuts out a lot of the stress! While the kids are little, we generally like to go to places that are a drive away and the beauty is that there are so many amazing places to explore, you could be thousands of miles away. Straddie definitely feels like this.
Ferry happy: Magdalena en route to North Stradbroke Island
There’s such a relaxed feel on the island, the beaches are pristine and there is so much natural beauty. It’s hard to believe it’s so close to Brisbane.
“IT’S THE PERFECT PLACE TO PROPERLY DISCONNECT AND GET AMONGST NATURE”
There are great surfing beaches for Daz, as well as kid friendly ones with shallow water and rock pools so everyone’s happy! It reminds me of the holidays I used to have with my parents, simple and back to basics while not being in the middle of nowhere.
You can still buy delicious fresh seafood from the local fisherman to cook up at your camp site or beach house and there’s a strip at Point Lookout with a whole foods cafe (with good coffee!), a health food store and gelato bar. We found that the kids really don’t need that much and thrive being in the outdoors where they can be creative and free.
HAPPY CAMPERS
The camping on the island is great, so we hired a caravan one time and stayed at Cylinder Beach. The advantage of staying here is that you can just walk to the beach which is always a plus with kids, and there is a cute pop-up coffee cart set up every morning so you can get a proper flat white and latte! Heaven!
We stayed with a bunch of families we know, so communal camp fires and cooking were so much fun and very easy with the kids too. Also, some of the camp sites offer glamping so if you’re not a camping type, you can just turn up and it’s all there for you.
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FOODIE HAVEN
Our favourite cafe is the gorgeous beachy Blue Room which serves yummy, wholesome foods and has a great little health food store too for all your groceries and pantry needs. There’s a great selection of quality produce and everything you’d need for a picnic or ploughman’s.
Another favourite of ours is Oceanic Gelato Bar at Frenchman’s Bay. You can grab a delicious home made gelato and then go across the road where there is a grassy area with a stunning lookout over the sea. A great spot to do some whale or dolphin spotting! Sometimes, there are kangaroos and wallabies jumping around too! Brown Lake is a great spot for a swim and picnic with the kids too.
MAGDALENA’S
LITTLE BLACK (TRAVEL) BOOK
NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND
- On North Stradbroke Island, our favourite beaches are Deadman’s and Frenchman’s as they’re secluded beaches with beautiful rock pools for exploring an array of sea life like fish, crabs, starfish and shells.
- Blue Room and Oceanic Gelato are our favourite cafes for kids on the island.
BYRON BAY
- Closer to home in Byron Bay, Whites Beach is a stunning beach but more suited to older kids as the walk down is quite steep.
- We normally go to Christmas Beach which is away from the crowds and protected from the wind.
- For cafes, at risk of sounding bias, I think Three Blue Ducks at The Farm Byron Bay is super kid friendly as they can run around, be free, see the animals and play in the park!
MUST-HAVE TRAVEL ACCESSORIES
- One of our favourite travel accessories in the Mountain Buggy Nano pram as it’s super light, easy to fold and fits into the overhead locker on the plane.
- They also do a great portable kids seat that attaches to tables so there’s no need for high chairs.
- I love to travel with a few of my favourite Oil Garden essential oils like lavender and tea tree. I use the lavender at home for sleep time with the kids either in the bath, as a face wash or massage so it’s nice to keep that little part of our routine even when we’re on the road. I find it grounds them. And tea tree is a great must-purpose oil for everything from treating colds to bites.
Images unless specified supplied by @magdalena_roze and @darrenrobertsonfood
