Moreton Island was first the home of the Ngugi tribe of Aboriginals.
They were a rather isolated culture with a language of their own. They traded
freely with neighboring tribes however, and joined other tribes in southeast
Queensland in the regular migration to the "Bunya Feast", at the
top of the beautiful Bunya Mountains
(see www.austourism.com.au/bunyamountains
)
just south west of Kingaroy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Europeans first had knowledge of Moreton Island when Lieutenant James Cook
sailed the 'Endeavour' up the East Coast of Australia in May, 1770. He named
"Moreton Bay" and "Cape Morton" after the then president
of the Royal Society in Britain. Matthew Flinders discovered that the Cape
was actually part of an island in 1799. He named this island Moreton Island,
using the misspelling which appeared in one of Cook's journals.
In 1823, Thomas Pamphlet and two other men were wrecked on Moreton Is.
when their open boat was blown off course while sailing from Sydney to Illawarra
to trade for cedar. They were helped by the Aboriginals and later on the mainland
by John Oxley. This was white-man's first direct encounter with Moreton Island.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The first organised settlement of the island wasn't until the wreck of the
'Sovereign' in 1847. The loss of 44 lives high-lighted the danger of the South
Passage Bar, and the northern end of Moreton Is. became the main gateway to
Moreton Bay. The Amity pilot station on North Stradbroke Island was then shifted
to Bulwer, bringing the first European residents in 1848. The station closed
in 1909.
Cape Moreton lighthouse, which is Queensland's oldest lighthouse, was
built in 1857 by 35 civil prisoners. Sandstone blocks quarried less that a
kilometre away were used. It still beams its warning out to sea, although
the original 21 kerosene lamps have been replaced by a fully automatic electric
beam. Seven lighthouses operated on Moreton Bay in the 1920's. Today there
are only two forming an integral part of the network of navigation aids serving
Moreton Bay.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
After the lighthouse settlements, Moreton's next influx came during World
War 11 when the Australian Army established two large defense battery complexes
at Cowan Cowan and Fort Rous. All remains of these war years are some concrete
bunkers, the old navy signal station and some army buildings, which now house
the Moreton Bay Boat Club and holiday makers.
A world-wide demand for whale oil saw the development of the Tangalooma Waling Station in 1951. Quotas of 600, and later 660 whales per season, kept a control of the number of whales taken. As technology improved, these quotas were filled in just two months of the season, which lasted from June to October.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Towards the late 1950's, whaling became less viable. The emergence of vegetable
oils and the declining number of whales in the South Pacific showed that Tangalooma's
whaling days were numbered. The station closed in August 1962. The buildings
were bought by a Brisbane syndicate the following year and Tangalooma Resort
opened in December 1963.
The importance of Moreton Island as a recreation and conservation area has been well recognised by the Queensland Government which has adopted the findings of a major public inquiry, the Cook Report, as the basis for the future planning, development and management of the island. An administrative centre for the island has been established north of The Wrecks to provide day to day management of the growing National Park area which, at present, stands at 98% of the Island.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
For Further Information, Accommodation & Tour Bookings
Please Email
|
Moreton Island Accommodation
& Visitors Information Centre
|