Nudgee Beach Review

Nudgee Beach is a popular destination to head to with your Brisbane Kids. Nestled right on Moreton Bay, this bayside escape feels world away from the hustle and bustle of Brisbane City, while only being a few minutes from the gateway motorway and inner northern suburbs.

While this isn’t the kind of ocean beach with golden sand and surf that Queensland is best known for, there’s still a fun stretch of muddy sand here that can be accessed at low tide that can prove irresistible to most Brisbane Kids. At high tide, the sand is submerged so time your trip accordingly if the beach itself is part of your plans.

Where is Nudgee Beach?

About 15 kilometres to the North East of the city, Nudgee Beach is bordered to the north and west by the Boondall Wetlands and to the east by Moreton bay itself. There’s a nostalgic quality to the suburb – there’s a little take away shop and picnic lawns by the bay, the blocks seem larger, the air is blowing in off the water and there’s an old school and a few Queenslanders as you drive through the suburb.

There are public toilets and decent sized car park (as well as ample street parking) near the Nudgee Beach playgrounds. Here you can also find picnic tables, barbecues and stair and ramp access to the beach itself.

Nudgee Beach Environment

Nudgee Beach has a host of outdoor activities for visitors. There are walking tracks that connect to the Boondall Wetlands to the north, and a popular cycling path that runs the length of Kedron Brook in towards Toombul and beyond. The Nudgee Beach dog park is popular for visits with furry friends, and there are canoe and boat ramps here to access the bay.

Moreton Bay itself has been listed as a Wetland of International Importance and is home to lots of marine life, bird life and plant life. Over 90 bird species call Moreton Bay home or visit the region during their migration and Nudgee Beach is a fantastic spot to spot many of them. There are a range of habitats here from the beach itself, to mangroves, open grass areas, paperbark groves, and native grasslands.

The tides here can frequently have a two metre range, which can mean the views change dramatically. From the waterfront here you can see the Glasshouse Mountains and Redcliffe to the north, and Moreton Island is visible across the bay.

The waters of the bay are home to turtles, dolphins and dugong, as well as visiting whales as part of their migration.

Nudgee Beach Park and Playground

There are two separate playgrounds here at Nudgee Beach, which are located a few hundred metres from each other. One of them is right by the beach and is unshaded, however boasts spectacular views of the bay and catches the breeze.

A little to the south is a larger playground which is more sheltered with shade sails and there are trees between this area and the bay which act as a bit of a windbreak. This larger playground has a small ship, and accessible round-a-bout, swings, slides, a climbing net, a small flying fox as well as rockers. There is also a basketball hoop and a concrete pad near this Brisbane playground.

For more on the playgrounds, you can see the full review here.

The large expanses of grassy parklands here combined with the reliable breeze off the water would make this an ideal spot to try flying a kite. There are wide concrete paths, perfect for practicing scooter or bike riding skills, and there are benches, tables, barbecues and gazebos dotted throughout the park.

At low tide, Brisbane Kids love getting onto the sand here and drawing pictures and writing notes with sticks, building sandcastles, looking for crabs and other critters in the mangrove roots and perhaps even having a paddle in the bay.

It’s easy to see why Nudgee Beach remains a popular destination to visit with Brisbane Kids.