It's quite popular for these two reasons; proximity to Brisbane and not having to worry about ferrys and barges. Most of Bribie Island is covered in natural forest, commercial forest plantations and your everyday suburban sprawl. The feature that most 4x4'ers are interested in is the eastern
beach which is 4x4 legal providing you have a permit.
Permits are obtained during normal business hours from either the Caboolture Shire Council or over the counter at a small kiosk at a caravan park on the western side of the island just as you get over the bridge. Don't quote me exactly but a day permit is about $21.50 or a weekly permit $31.00. All long term permits expire on Jan 31; a 12 month permit is available from Feb 1 to July 31 (?) for $70 though remember no matter when you buy the permit during this period it still runs out on Jan 31. After July the 6 month permit rate kick in and is $50. Once again it expires at the end of January.
Beach access is subject to the tides so check before you plan on visiting. An hour or two after high tide (subject to weather) should see you able to drive onto the beach without any hassles. However it can be a little hard going if you try to get on or off the beach when the tide is quite high as the sand is quite soft higher up. However when the tide is out the sand is smooth and level and is more like driving on an 8 lane highway. It does
get a little soft and chopped up at the access point on and off the beach so letting the tyres down a bit and picking your track is advisable.
There are a number of small tidal lagoons behind the beach and are poplular with families; the kids can't get in too much strife with the shallow water and there isn't anything that is likely to sting or bite sharing the water with you.
The 4x4 legal part of the beach is almost 30km long so theres plenty of room for everybody; a quiet spot is not hard to find and a good spot to throw
a fishing line in, or even a boat. Toward the northern tip of the beach are a number of areas available for camping. Theres a few World War 2 gun emplacements and lookout bunkers behind the dunes along the way up nearer to the northern end.
I'd rate it as 'easy' four wheel driving particularly when you wait til the tides well on its way out. Even if there is a problem its a popular beach and always somebody about. Its also patrolled by police and ranger service and normal road rules apply.
Take the family, a deck chair or two and a beach umbrella. Theres plenty of shops and service stations near the beach access point and makes for a lazy day on the beach .......
light post which is in the middle of the beach and represents the northern most point where you are legally allowed to drive on the beach. Any further then you walk.
As the map shows, there are a number of what remains of the WWII coastal gun batteries and various building which were constructed to protect Brisbane's strategically important shipping lane and port access during the war.
There obviously isn't much left of Fort Bribie these days with at least one concrete structure being swallowed by the ocean long ago. However apart from the northern searchlight post the remaining structures are still standing albeit concrete shells.
They're scattered along a 1250m section of the beach and just behind the dunes, though you probably won't spot them from the beach unless you know where to look. Backtrack about 300m from the northern searchlight tower on the beach and take a walk behind the dune and you'll see them straight away.
