Moreton Island (about 50-kms offshore from Brisbane) is a wonder. Third largest sand island on the planet with geography that changes from beach to jungle to desert. The island traps enough undersurface water in its huge aquifer from abundant rainfall, which volume is sufficient to supply Brisbane (if that city ever ran out of H2O) for 7-years.
I would not have believed a) that sandboarding is a thing, b) that it actually works (you go like spit on a simple board–rough on one side where you lay your torso, waxed smooth and dry on the other side that meets the sand) , c) that it’s so much fun and d) I could do it.
The sand dune we surfed is 35-meters high. Everyone walks single file because it’s easier to walk up that much sand if you step into the footprints of the leader and because it disrupts the dune the least. If you fall off your board or stall, you walk in a horizontal line to the trail and then go back up (or down). Trust me, you don’t want footprints all over your dune. Why? Because when you go over one, it’s a much rougher, bumpier ride…
Wear goggles or sunglasses, only your torso goes on the board (your legs you extend behind the board and keep them raised), pull the front of your board up (and keep it that way), get a slight push-off from a guide or friend, keep your elbows up (so you don’t stall out), your back arched and maintain your directionality with your legs waving about… One more thing: Our guide told me this is how to remember to keep your elbows up, “Eagles fly and chickens die.”
Prof Bruce
ps here’s a better video than mine, https://youtu.be/HCIgnnRqQ0Y?si=kd1F14EdHoQt6sZl
pps you can get there on a fast ferry in about 90-mins, https://youtube.com/shorts/XqBIM27TUcI
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