D Nagarjuna
There are 8,222 islands in Australia. A lifetime may not be sufficient to visit them all, as some are uninhabitable. The same is true for beaches—there are 10,865 according to official sources, while unofficial counts claim over 11,761. This slight variation hardly matters, because even at the official number, visiting one beach per day would take 29 years to complete the list. The same applies to the islands.
Yesterday, this writer visited the second island—North Stradbroke Island—about 45 minutes from Brisbane by ferry. Reaching the ferry terminal itself took a 40-minute drive from home. The earlier island visit was to Tasmania, which deserves an exclusive blog with its own collection of photographs.
In this article, let the pictures speak for themselves more than words can. Taking the car onto the ferry was itself exciting, with the option to park and then head up to the deck. The deck has a café with revolving chairs offering views of the sea—and of whales, curious about these strange mammals of another breed. One story often told is of a whale swallowing a man, only to spit him out, realizing it could not digest another mammal considered the most dangerous on Earth.
The man survived, but not before making global headlines, particularly in Australia. Some have dismissed the tale as a hoax, though in Chile a sperm whale reportedly swallowed part of a man and, unable to accommodate a full human through its narrow throat, spat him out before choking. This claim circulated widely on YouTube in February 2025.
Once on North Stradbroke Island, visitors had a full eight hours to explore its 275.2 square kilometers by car. A 20-minute drive brought us to a beautiful beach. The weather was perfect: no humidity, pleasantly cool water, and only a light breeze. On that Friday, schools in Australia were closed for term holidays—not for Dussehra—though the dates coincided with Navaratri and Bathukamma celebrations, which were also active in Brisbane.
As the day progressed, the beach filled with families—children, parents, and grandparents enjoying surfing, rafting, and swimming. The waves played their own game of hide and seek: calm when you least expect, suddenly fierce when you think they are tame. The lesson is simple—we cannot dictate nature; it dictates us.
Brisbane is well known for its cycle tracks that cover the entire city, and walking tracks are a common feature across Australia, especially in tourist destinations.
Stradbroke once relied on sand mining and tourism for revenue. With Australia’s strong environmental consciousness, sand mining has since declined while tourism has flourished, contributing millions of dollars from both national and international visitors. A 2-kilometer walk along the cliffs, overlooking both mountains and sea, proved breathtaking. In one view, the water even appeared in two shades—copper sulfate blue and deep ocean blue.
One notable feature of Australian cities and tourist spots is their impeccable maintenance. Toilets are clean and well-kept, and two or three trash bins are always close at hand. Civic sense is at its peak here, making these places among the cleanest and most welcoming to visitors.
