A good family day trip is less about the destination’s reputation and more about whether the basics are there: shade, somewhere safe for kids to run, a clear way to get home, and a plan B if the weather turns. This guide leans on pages published by councils and park-linked tourism bodies, and it takes five very different directions out of Brisbane. Anything that changes, such as ferry durations or closures, is dated to 9 November 2026 so you know to recheck it.
Bribie Island: parks, a passage and a national park
Visit Moreton Bay says Bribie Island is about an hour’s drive from Brisbane. Pumicestone Lions Park has a ship-inspired playground with climbing nets, slides and a flying fox. Council notes that the sand flooring can help soften falls. There are electric barbecues and plenty of picnic tables and benches, and the beach access also suits open water swimming in the passage. Brennan Park is the easier choice for a long lunch. It sits near Bongaree Jetty and has electric barbecues, sheltered picnic tables and toilets, plus a playground and open green space for running around.
The island’s national park and recreation area is described by Visit Moreton Bay, a tourism body, as having easy Bicentennial walking tracks, and it says visitors can paddle a kayak around Pumicestone Passage. The same listing says marine turtles use the beaches for nesting and hatchlings from November to March, and asks anyone driving on the island to stay on tracks and off the dunes. It also states that camping permits and vehicle access permits are required. These are the tourism body’s summaries, not park rules: the Queensland park agency’s own pages were not available to check, so confirm access and permit requirements with the park before you go.
North Stradbroke Island: a ferry day
Redland City Council describes Redlands Coast as roughly a 30-minute drive from the Brisbane CBD, and trains run frequently from Central Station to Cleveland. Passenger and vehicle ferries both leave from Toondah Harbour in Cleveland.
At 9 November 2026, per Redland City Council, the passenger ferry takes 25 minutes, with SeaLink running to Junner Street and Stradbroke Flyer to One Mile Jetty, both at Dunwich, while the SeaLink vehicle ferry takes 45 minutes. Once on the island, a public bus transfers passengers to and from Point Lookout and Amity Point, and the three townships are linked by sealed roads. Council also says to check with hire car companies before assuming a rental can be taken across. Council’s visitor page reminds everyone to bring a hat, apply sunscreen often and stay hydrated.
Redcliffe: a free lagoon and a gentle beach
City of Moreton Bay promotes Settlement Cove Lagoon as a free family day out. Younger children get a partly shaded pool with mushroom and gecko fountains, while the main lagoon is 95 metres long and up to 1.8 metres deep. Council’s supervision rules for toddlers are strict: for 0 to 5 year olds and non-swimmers, an adult over 18 must be in the pool and within arms’ reach at all times. At 9 November 2026 the page carried a notice that the toddler pool was temporarily closed, so check before promising it to a toddler.
From the lagoon you can walk along the seafront to the Redcliffe Jetty. Suttons Beach nearby has gentle waves and is a patrolled swimming area, with access by stairs or accessible beach matting The adjoining park has picnic facilities, shelters, barbecues and a playground, and council says it is free to visit.
Sunshine Coast: a calm beach and a pram-friendly boardwalk
Sunshine Coast Council describes Mooloolaba Spit Beach as generally calmer and popular with families. The beach is patrolled, and council points visitors to Beachsafe for patrol times rather than listing them on the page. Because the pages used here do not state travel times from Brisbane, treat this as a longer outing and check the transport options before setting off. For a change of pace, Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary has a 900 metre one-way elevated boardwalk that council calls an easy stroll for families with prams or wheelchairs. The boardwalk is a vantage point for wetland vegetation and wildlife from waterbirds to crabs.
Scenic Rim: short rainforest walks
The hinterland suits families with energy for a short bushwalk and a picnic. The walks below come from Visit Scenic Rim’s family walks guide, a tourism source rather than a land manager, so confirm conditions with the relevant national park before you go. The guide shows a date of 21 June 2024, so treat its details as older than the rest of this article. It describes the Curtis Falls Walk in Tamborine National Park as a 1.1 km return trail suitable for walkers of most abilities, and it asks visitors not to enter the rock pool and surrounding area because the spot is an important glow-worm and platypus habitat. For a view instead of a waterfall, the North Cliff Track at Mount French is a 720 m return walk to Logans Lookout. Cedar Creek Falls is described as an easy 500-metre boardwalk to Cedar Creek Lookout, but the guide, as dated above, warns that parking there is limited and can fill quickly, particularly on weekends and public holidays.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the ferry to North Stradbroke Island?
At 9 November 2026, Redland City Council lists the passenger ferry from Cleveland as 25 minutes and the vehicle ferry as 45 minutes. Check the operators for current timetables.
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Do I need a permit for Bribie Island?
Visit Moreton Bay says camping permits and vehicle access permits are required for Bribie Island National Park and Recreation Area. That is a tourism body’s summary, so check the park’s own page for what applies to your plan.
Is there a free place to swim near Brisbane for little kids?
City of Moreton Bay describes Settlement Cove Lagoon in Redcliffe as a free family day out, but its toddler pool carried a temporary closure notice at 9 November 2026.
Are the Scenic Rim walks pram-friendly?
The sources used here do not say. The Sunshine Coast’s Maroochy Wetlands boardwalk is the one option council describes as suitable for prams.
