Sandy Beach Russell Island

Sandy Beach Russell Island

Locals need somewhere to drive their cars so everyone drives to the other end of Russell island, a distance of 6 kms, to Sandy Beach. It is a beautiful spot, a sandy beach, inhabited by many sand crabs, who leave their droppings on the sand at low tide. It is also a great fishing place, and in season, the months with an ‘r’ in it, a great crabbing spot where huge mud crabs lurk in corners and deep in the water.

There is a barbecue area with free electric barbecues and covered picnic tables, with a playground for children, a walking park for dogs, and toilets and a cold outdoor shower, with plenty of fresh water. The Lions Club has created a free camping park here to attract sailors and canoeists to overnight on the grass beside the boat ramp. The best part is, that if you come here by water, you can phone the courtesy bus from the Bowls Club or the RSL to collect you at the Lions Park, and return you there after you have enjoyed an evening out.

Along the sand at low tide is a delightful walk along the shore, that then winds in through the mangroves and returns you in a circular route back to where your car is parked. In summer, people love to swim here as the water is shallow and safe with no tides or waves.

Every Sunday when the tide is in, the Sandy Beach Yacht Club meet to sail yachts and have a yarn at the barbecues while the children play on the playground equipment or chase dogs in the water. It’s a very family orientated day and anyone is welcome to join in whether they have a yacht or not.

Across from Sandy Beach is Stradbroke Island…and at low tide, it looks as if you could walk over. Ask a yacht or row boat to take you across if you wish. This area is also a safe place to moor for the night as it is protected by the island on each side, with all facilities available on land for the boatie.

When the tide is in, you can hardly see the sand, and this is when the boats love to use the bay for sailing and fishing. It is a pretty bay, quiet and relaxed, and a place you can see the sun rise in the East and watch the boats as they rush past. There are many birds in the mangroves, catch their song and watch for the Ospreys who nest below in the high trees above the mangroves, dive for fish that they always catch, to take back to their nest in slow flying, holding the fish in their feet.

Locals love Sandy Beach for the sand, the sandy walk and the relaxing park and ramp to park their boats and canoes, and for the quiet beauty of this peaceful spot edged with beautiful flowering trees and shady trees perfect for a family picnic and barbecue.