Pumicestone Passage

The Pumicestone Passage is the sheltered channel between Caloundra and Bribie Island, and it is a genuinely rich natural environment. Dolphins are common; dugongs graze the seagrass beds in the shallower sections; migratory wading birds stop here on their journeys between Siberia and Australia. The passage is calm enough for kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding year-round.

Whale watching is outstanding from June through November, when humpback whales migrate north along the Queensland coast and frequently enter the passage. Boat tours run from the Golden Beach foreshore. A kayak or paddleboard will get you into shallower areas that the tour boats can't reach.

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A story
The Pumicestone Passage gets its name from the pumice stone that washed ashore here after volcanic eruptions somewhere in the Pacific — pumice is porous enough to float, and large quantities drifted onto Queensland beaches in the 19th century. The passage is now a protected area managed as part of the Pumicestone Passage Marine Park, and the dugong population here — one of the southernmost herds in Queensland — has been growing steadily since the 1980s.