Queensland’s Tangalooma Resort is a place of sun, swimming, sand tobogganing and dolphins, writes Alistair Sutton.

The boat zipped across a placid Moreton Bay, taking 75 minutes to reach Tangalooma Island Resort; you could easily have imagined you were in the Whitsundays. The island’s pristine beaches, shipwrecks (great for snorkelling) and surrounding clear green-blue waters transported us to another reality. My partner Damien and I immediately relaxed upon stepping ashore.

Originally a whaling station, the resort stretches along the beach offering various accommodation options and styles. The four-and-a-half star luxury of the Deep Blue apartments comes complete with its own pool and BBQs. Deep Blue overlooks the wild dolphin feeding area. You can see these marvellous creatures at play in their natural habitat as you have a drink on your balcony.

Alternatively, you can choose from the well-appointed hotel rooms of Kookaburra Lodge, or the resort suites with their own microwaves and kitchenettes. There are also spacious fully self-contained absolute beachfront two-storey villas. For the budget conscious, there is modest family-oriented accommodation in the low rise blocks.

The resort has full conference facilities, great for that next corporate workshop.

Garden paths wind between pools and well kept sub-tropical gardens, which skirt the palm-fringed beach. Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular place to get hitched.

Moreton Island is 98 per cent unspoilt national park, and the third largest sand island in the world after Fraser and Stradbroke. The resort offers four wheel drive tours including beautiful Honeymoon Bay and Cape Moreton Lighthouse. Tours go to the Blue Lagoon, one of the largest freshwater lakes on the island, where you can have a refreshing dip.

Sadly, Christopher Atkins in his prime was not in attendance.

You can take quad bike tours along the beaches and helicopter joy flights (our pilot looked like a male model).

The resort offers any number of water activities. We braved the sand dunes on the desert safari tour, surprising ourselves with three goes at the sand toboggans. What an adrenalin rush!

We returned, tired but exhilarated, resembling sandmen, and with an appreciation of how well sand sticks to sunblock. We collapsed into the calm bay waters at the resort beach before regrouping at the beachside bar (champagne for me, for Damien a beer).

Lunch was a fantastic buffet affair at the Tursiops Restaurant, named after the local bottlenose Tursiop dolphins.

The dolphins had to wait while we swam and snacked at the bar and beachside café, a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. At dusk, the wild dolphins come in to feed. The dolphin care program is a superbly orchestrated experience with minimal impact on the dolphins and a strong conservation message. It is truly magical to be in the water with these gentle creatures who take the fish delicately out of your hand.

An unforgettable experience.

www.tangalooma.com