One thing we can tell you is that this rugged Island is well worth a trip! Such a remote part of Australia and seemingly untouched. There is plenty to explore, secret fishing spots, beautiful ocean and 4WD tracks. However, the best part is the beach camping!

The ferry will have you disembark off the ferry at Southend. Here is a very small township and in Southend is a campground that is council run and also a small store where you can grab items such as bread, milk and ice. From here we make our way over the Island to Joey Lees Campground. It a very scenic drive with cliff top views overlooking the ocean where you will come into some dense bushland. If you have a big set up like ours, there will most definitely be some scratches to your car and caravan and it took us about an hour and half to get over to Joey Lees. There are a few tight corners and some overhead branches but you will get through no worries. It’s all part of the adventure!

Turtle Street is another fantastic beach campground, however you cannot get a caravan in here. If you’re just taking your tent and car over, this spot is a winner. It is also a great beach to launch or pull your boat up at.

EXPLORING

There is caves to explore at Joey Lees and the kids will spend hours jumping off the rocks and exploring the caves as well as the rock pools!

If you get to Curtis Island at the right time of the year, you may be able to witness turtle nesting and hatching. The best months for this is between October and March and you can witness this on Turtle Beach.

Make a trip up to Yellow Patch, we didn’t make it here as the road was closed but you can access this by boat. It is also a great spot to camp too and we hear the fishing is awesome there! Do check if Yellow Patch track is open, as it looks amazing over there.

If you’re into bushwalking there is plenty of that around the island. For us, it was relax mode, fishing, the sunrises and sunsets and the kids exploring around the rocks and doing some swimming. There is a great little reef just a few metres out from Joey Lees campground that is awesome for snorkelling.

4 WHEEL DRIVING

Unless you’re in Southend, all the tracks around Curtis Island are dirt, but we didn’t need to put our tyres down. Even on the beach! Its lots of fun when you can drive up the beach and find a secluded spot to stop for a swim and a bit of lunch! We put out our awning and spent a few hours swimming and packed lunch also.

FISHING

Although Justin didn’t catch a lot of fish, fishing is great over on Curtis. You can launch a boat off Joey Lees or Turtle Street in good weather, or there is a boat ramp at Southend.

There is no permits and fishing off the beach is permitted.

We definitely recommend getting over to Curtis Island. If you love remote Beach camping, no phone service and relaxing days, then this is your spot. Try to make a week of it!

Cheers, Bec and Justin.

You can watch the full episode of our trip to Curtis Island below.