South Stradbroke Island

South Stradbroke Island

Native name: Minjerribah Nickname: South Straddie
NASA Landsat Image of South Stradbroke
Geography
Location	Moreton Bay
Coordinates	27°51′S 153°25′E / 27.850°S 153.417°E / -27.850; 153.417Coordinates: 27°51′S 153°25′E / 27.850°S 153.417°E / -27.850; 153.417
Length	21 km (13 mi)
Width	2.5 km (1.55 mi)
Administration
Australia
State	Queensland
Region	Gold Coast, South East Qld
Local government area	City of Gold Coast
Demographics
Population	101 (2011 census)
Ethnic groups	Quandamooka people

The South Stradbroke Island (Indigenous: Minjerribah), colloqually South Straddie, is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The 21 kilometres (13 mi) by 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Islands and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild wallabies that are usually human orientated. They are also well known for stealing bread from tents and cabins, and joining campers at their fires.

One of more than 360 islands within Moreton Bay, the southern end of South Stradbroke Island fronts the Broadwater, and the tip marks the Gold Coast Seaway, only a matter of metres from the mainland at Southport Spit. In the northeast is Tipplers Passage which separates the island from many smaller islands within the bay closer to the mainland. The east coast borders the Coral Sea.

South Stradbroke Island consists mainly of sand dunes, remnant livistona rainforest and melaleuca wetlands. The island also has unique flora and fauna. The golden wallaby is endemic to the island and the agile wallaby, once more common to the region, has now retreated to the island.

The population of the island at the 2011 census was 101, but the number of people on the island swells significantly during the holiday season.

In the north the island is separated by the Jumpinpin Channel from the larger North Stradbroke Island. Before 1896 the island was part of the Stradbroke Island. In that year the island was separated by a storm from North Stradbroke Island. An earlier storm caused a passing vessel carrying rum to run ashore. The locals from Southport trudged across the sand dunes to collect the rum from the shipwreck. They used plows to lower the height of the dunes to near sea level so that collecting the rum was easier. The next storm caused the island to split into two. The new tidal channel caused large changes to the channels and islands within southern Moreton Bay. Coastal managers are concerned that eventually one day Jumpinpin may repair itself which may cause problems for tidal waterway management including fish stocks, dugong habitat, erosion and flooding.