Coochiemudlo Island sits in southern Moreton Bay, just off the Redlands Coast. Redland City Council’s heritage records put its southwest side about 900 metres from Victoria Point. The walk-on ferry crossing takes about 10 minutes, and the island is small enough to see on foot in a day.
The council’s visitor site says it’s known as Coochie to locals. If you’re still getting to know the area, our Redland City Council area guide covers the basics of living on the Redlands Coast.
How do you get to Coochiemudlo Island from Victoria Point?
You catch the passenger ferry from the Victoria Point jetty. The council’s visitor site says the passenger and vehicle ferries both operate from the Victoria Point Jetty ferry terminal in Masters Avenue, run by Amity Trader.
The walk-on ferry is now part of the Translink network, which puts it on the 50 cent flat fare. Amity Trader’s passenger ferry page and FAQ list these details:
- Fare: $0.50 one way for adults and for children, and children under 4 travel free.
- Paying: tap on and off with a Visa or Mastercard card or a go card. Cash and eftpos are no longer accepted.
- Booking: no pre-bookings are required for the walk-on ferry.
- Go cards: you can buy one at the Coochiemudlo Island ferry ticket office near the Victoria Point terminal, or in the Victoria Point town centre.
Amity Trader says services run regularly from early in the morning through to late at night. On the morning of 26 October 2026, Translink’s Victoria Point Jetty stop page listed departures to the island at 7:30am, 8:00am and 8:30am. Check the Translink app on the day, because times change.
Getting to the Coochiemudlo Island ferry by bus or car
Buses stop at the jetty, so you don’t need a car. Translink timetables effective from 5 October 2026 show route 270 running from Victoria Point Jetty to Carindale seven days a week. Route 279 runs from the jetty to Brisbane City on weekdays only. Route 274 runs from Victoria Point Jetty to Cleveland seven days a week.
Your ferry fare can also count as part of a longer trip. Amity Trader’s FAQ says the 50 cent fare includes transfers between Translink services within the transfer window. You need to make your next transfer within 1 hour and tap on and off with the same card. Our guide to Brisbane public transport explains how fares and transfers work across the network.
Driving is possible, but parking can be tight. The council says the public car parks near the jetty may be used by island commuters, and it recommends starting early or using public transport. It lists 4 hour, 6 hour, 12 hour, 18 hour and 3 day car parks at the jetty, plus unrestricted parking in the top car park on Masters Avenue. Read the signs, because fines apply.
What can you take on the Coochiemudlo Island ferry?
Pack light. Amity Trader asks walk-on passengers to limit luggage to what can be carried in a single, safe boarding. Four rules are worth knowing before you leave home:
- Trolleys: the walk-on ferry’s conditions of travel list beach trolleys, including folded ones, among the items not permitted, and other trolleys must not exceed 65cm by 65cm. The operator says these trolleys can travel on the vehicle barge instead.
- Bikes: the conditions of travel allow a maximum of 2 bicycles per ferry, and only when vehicle barge operations have ceased and there is space.
- Gas and fuel: gas bottles, fuel containers and other dangerous goods must travel on the vehicle barge, even when empty.
- Dogs: since 1 June 2026, dogs on the walk-on ferry must be muzzled and on a lead, or in a suitable carrier. Certified guide, hearing and assistance dogs are exempt, and dogs travelling in a vehicle on the barge need to be restrained but not muzzled.
Taking a car to Coochiemudlo Island on the barge
The island circuit is walkable, so a car is optional, but a vehicle barge does run. Amity Trader says it runs seven days a week from Masters Avenue, the crossing takes about 10 minutes, and bookings are essential. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure, or you may not be allowed to board.
The barge is not part of the Translink 50 cent fare. Its fare table lists $35.00 one way for a vehicle up to 5m long, and walk-on passengers on the barge pay $2.00 for an adult. The barge has been cashless since 1 July 2026, so bring a card.
What is there to do on Coochiemudlo Island?
Beaches, a walking circuit and a bit of history. Redland City Council’s heritage card for the Emerald Fringe says the island has sand beaches on the southern, eastern and northern sides, and mostly mangrove forest facing the mainland. A band of foreshore land called the Emerald Fringe was surveyed as an esplanade between 1885 and 1962. Because of it, the council notes, private homes were never built on the foreshore.
A Redlands Coast web story from the council, published on 1 October 2024, describes these spots:
- Main Beach: the beach by the jetty, where the story says the local surf life saving club patrols on weekends from September through the April school holidays.
- Pioneer Park: a playground beside the jetty with shaded tables, electric barbecues and toilets.
- Island circuit: a five kilometre loop that the story says takes about an hour on foot.
- Melaleuca Wetlands: reached by paths east of the jetty, and described in the story as rich in birdlife.
- Morwong Beach: a north-facing beach that looks towards Peel Island (Teerk Roo Ra).
Norfolk Beach is on the eastern side. The council’s heritage card says Matthew Flinders landed there on 19 July 1799, and a stone monument marks the spot. The landing is re-enacted at the site every year.
Flinders called it Sixth Island, but the island already had a name. Another council heritage card says the traditional owners knew the island as Kutchi Mudlo, or Red Stone, after the red volcanic rock that forms cliffs on its southwest side.
Mangroves line much of the western shore. Our guide to biting midges in bayside Brisbane explains where midges breed and how to avoid bites.
Coochiemudlo Island day trip questions
Do I need to book the Coochiemudlo Island ferry?
No. Amity Trader says no pre-bookings are required for the walk-on passenger ferry. You tap on with a card or go card when you board. You do need to book the vehicle barge.
Can I pay cash on the Coochiemudlo Island ferry?
No. The passenger ferry no longer accepts cash. Pay with a Visa or Mastercard card, a go card, a pre-purchased paper ticket or another valid Translink pass.
Is Coochiemudlo Island the same trip as North Stradbroke Island?
No. Coochiemudlo ferries leave from Victoria Point, while the Straddie ferries leave from Cleveland. See our guide to getting to North Stradbroke Island for that trip.
Sources for this Coochiemudlo Island guide
- Amity Trader: Passenger ferry, Ferry FAQs, Passenger ferry conditions of travel and Vehicle barge.
- Translink: Victoria Point Jetty ferry terminal stop, Routes 270, 276, 277 and 279 timetable and Routes 272, 273, 274 and 275 timetable, both effective 5 October 2026.
- Redland City Council: Parking at Victoria Point, Heritage card 50: Coochiemudlo Island Emerald Fringe and Heritage card 46: Norfolk Beach.
- Redlands Coast (Redland City Council): Travel information and Spend a day on Coochiemudlo Island (Goochie Mudlo), published 1 October 2024.
Facts on this page were checked on 26 October 2026.
