History of Moreton Island

Moreton Island is a sand island that lies on the eastern side of
Moreton Bay, which is on the coast of Queensland in Australia. It's
hugely popular today as a destination for camping, recreational
fishing, whale watching and feeding the dolphins, and 4WD recreation.
But Moreton Island has a long, long history which began long before
holidaymakers and resorts made it to the island, and long before
modern white settlement began in relatively recent 1948.Aboriginal
tribes traveled the area since more than 15,000 years ago, and with
the end of the last Ice Age the sea level rose and the outer islands
of Moreton and Stradbroke were formed. The Aborigines populating
Moreton Bay were called the Ngugi people. Remnants of history are
surprisingly intact on Moreton Island and many visitors to the island
will be interested to visit the early settlement buildings, and of
course the Aboriginal middens marking ancient ceremonial gathering
sites.Moreton Island is surrounded by sometimes perilous waters, and
even today locals experienced in vessel maneuvers are required to
guide visiting ships through the channels into the Port of Brisbane. A
historical site on the Island is the Cape Moreton Lighthouse, which
was built in 1957 to help prevent sailing disasters, which were all
too common at that time.Cowan - Cowan was originally a military camp
where around one thousand soldiers were stationed during the time of
WW2, where coastal defense was of prime importance. Remains of the
military buildings still stand and are of interest to those interested
in war history. Also, the first and only whaling station in Queensland
ran from Moreton Island from 1952 to 1962. At the time, whaling was
accepted as a business, as appalling as we now find it to be. The site
of the whaling station is now the Tangalooma Island Resort, which
retains the whaling station's flensing deck in almost original
condition for historical purposes.These days Moreton is made up of 98%
National Park which preserves native wildlife and vegetation for their
own sake and for the enjoyment of generations to come. The townships
of Kooringal, Bulwer and Cowan Cowan, and the resort areas, are
non-reserve, meaning that holidaymakers are able to find all of the
comforts of modern civilization there to make their holiday as breezy
as the Island's fair weather itself. Camping is also popular and four
wheel driving is permitted in many areas after paying an appropriate
fee. The Parks are managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife. Many
activities are available to the person seeking an enjoyable getaway,
including snorkeling, para sailing, cruises and swimming.Moreton
Island is well worth the trip if you just want to learn some history
about Australia, or simply take the family camping.