Minjerribah, the world’s second-largest sand island, features thrilling surf breaks, pristine bushland and freshwater lakes. Sitting off the Queensland coast, on Quandamooka Country, the island is also home to ancient cultural sites and the origin of stories that have been told for thousands of years.

Minjerribah is also called North Stradbroke Island—or Straddie—but proud Quandamooka woman Elisha Kissick simply calls it, ‘The most beautiful place in the world’.

‘I've been to beaches in Spain, Italy, and Thailand, and there's nothing like our island,’ Elisha says. ‘Our white sand is whiter than white, and the water is aqua. You are spoiled for choice with great surf, six main beaches and a creation story everywhere you go.’

Elisha favourite spots include ‘the world’s oldest day spa’, the Women’s Lake. ‘(Bummiera) is a healing lake,’ she explains. ‘When you swim there, your skin, hair, everything, feels cleansed and soft.’

Then there is Myora Springs, known as Capembah, where chilly spring water mingles with the warm ocean on high tide.

Elisha shows visitors the island’s rich cultural heritage sites, including middens, where clans have gathered to feast and yarn over thousands of years.

‘I tell stories that have been passed down from my ancestors to their kids 20,000 years ago. It adds a layer of meaning to the experience. It's about bringing the landscapes to life.’

Stretching along the North NSW coast, the Solitary Islands Marine Park, part of Gumbaynggirr Country, is a sandy paradise where tropical and temperate waters converge, creating a mix of diverse marine life unlike anywhere else.

One of the marine park’s highlights, Moonee Beach, has been named Australia’s best mainland beach by conservationist and beach guru Brad Farmer, who described its gently-flowing tidal creek and premium surf breaks as ‘a natural postcard setting’.

This unique habitat is not lost on Gumbaynggirr / Bundjalung man Clark Webb, who operates stand up paddle boarding and kayaking tours throughout the park. But, Clark’s tours do more than offer an adventurous day’s exploration of waterways teeming with life; they steep visitors in the Gumbaynggirr’s powerful connection to Country.

Visitors paddle to traditional cultural sites, sample bush tucker and learn Dreaming stories that tell how the islands were formed.

‘Two sisters made the ocean and then they rested on Split Solitary Island, which we call Wirriiga. They placed their digging sticks in the shape of an ‘X’ and rested on either side of it—the younger sister on the northern side and the older sister on the southern side—before turning themselves into stone and becoming Split Solitary Island. They then made off into the night sky and became part of the Pleiades star formation, or the Seven Sisters,’ Clark says.

All Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours guides are Aboriginal people who have strong family ties to Gumbaynggirr Country, ensuring you’ll have an authentic cultural experience as part of your beach and water-based adventure.