Point Lookout is home to most of the spectacular beaches of North Stradbroke Island.

CYLINDER BEACH is just a ten minute walk from the house and is a calm beach and ideal for families.  There is sometimes a shallow lagoon for younger children. The beach is patrolled and features camping grounds, toilets, showers and playgrounds. The beach has a ban on dogs.

HOME BEACH is a dog friendly unpatrolled beach where dogs are allowed off leash. Home beach is the next beach to Cylinder heading towards Dunwich. It’s a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute drive from Pat’s Retreat. You can walk to Home Beach from Cylinder Beach by heading to the left from Cylinder Beach and walking around the rocks to Home Beach. 

DEADMANS BEACH is also just a short walk from the house. It is a small calm beach perfect for fishing and swimming, though it’s not patrolled. The beach has many rock pools. The waves are perfect for body boarding or a relaxing swim. Dogs are allowed on leash on Deadmans beach.

FRENCHMANS BEACH is a long sandy beach which is an easy walk from the house. You can get to Frenchmans Beach from Mooloomba Road taking the steps to the beach.  

From Cylinder Beach you can walk to the right over the rocks, continue on the path and you will come first to Deadmans Beach then to Frenchmans Beach. Both beaches are unpatrolled with beautiful long stretches of sandy beach and rock pools. At the end of Deadmans Beach you can climb up onto a bluff known as Camel Rock for a fantastic view of the sunrise. Look out for whales during whale watching season between June and October. At low tide you can walk the length of Deadmans Beach around the rocks to Frenchmans Beach. From Frenchmans Beach you can take the set of steep stairs taking you back to the main road.

MAIN BEACH is just a short drive or a ten minute walk from Pat’s Retreat. This white sandy beach stretches for 32km, along the South Pacific Ocean. It is popular for surfing and fishing.  Watch out for dolphins playing in the surf or whales passing by on their annual migration. The Point Lookout Surf Life Savers Club looks over Main Beach. The waves at Main Beach can get very high and particularly strong.

LAKES
There are two stunning lakes on North Stradbroke – Brown Lake and Blue Lake.

Brown Lake is a natural perched lake, pure rainwater tinged brown by the native tea trees. Brown lake is a hidden treasure 4 km east of Dunwich. It can be reached from the bitumen road via a short (1.2km) loose, corrugated, gravel road that conventional cars can use. Brown Lake is perfect for swimming and relaxing on the fine white sand. Bar-B-Que and picnic tables are available. Dogs are prohibited in the Brown Lake area.

Blue Lake  is in Blue Lake National Park. Driving from Dunwich it is 4km further down the bitumen road from Brown Lake. 

Vehicles must be left in the car park at the entrance and there is a 5.2km round trip walking track approximately 1.5-2 hours walking. 

The sandy track means that it s not suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. From Point Lookout you can drive along Main Beach ( if you have a 4WD) at low tide, turn right at the causeway ( beach access ) and follow the road until you see the sign for Blue Lake on the left. The walk to Blue Lake passes through wallum woodlands with stunted eucalypt trees, wallum banksias and a heath understorey. The edges of the lake are thickly vegetated with eucalypts, banksias and sedges, making it a haven for birds such as honeyeaters and lorikeets. The lake supports waterbirds, such as grebes and ducks, as well as several species of native freshwater fish including rainbow fish and grudgeons. This walk is an easy grade; however, the path is loose sand and can be hot in summer.

Things to do

• Swimming and surfing at popular beaches
• Swimming at Brown Lake and Blue Lake
• Fishing
• Whale watching
• Walking tracks
• Diving
• Kayaking
• Snorkelling
• 4WD driving – a permit is required to drive on the beach. You can purchase this at the Tourist Office in Dunwich ( on the left as you exit the ferry ) or at the Rangers Office at Cylinder Beach.