Russell Island

Co-ordinates: -27.673320, 153.384538

Access: By ferry – From Redland Bay.  By boat – Beach where safe.

Russell island sits between the mainland and North Straddie and was named back in the 1840s before Europeans settled there in 1866 when John Campbell was granted a lease on the land on the Northern end of the island.  The majority of the first inhabitants were oyster farmers but in the early 1900s, a village was created and a school opened too.  

Long term residents of the Gold Coast may know of its infamous past with the land scams of the 1970s, when plots of land on Russell Island were sold off and purchasers ended up with plots of land different to those which they had been told.  Some of these were even plots of land that are underwater at high tide.

Around 2,500 people live on Russell island and with a median age of 51, has a much older population than the rest of Australia (37 years old).  Basic shops & services are located across the island but it is seen as much more of a residential island, unlike Moreton or Stradbroke island which are heavily tourism based.

Next – Check out Macleay Island below