Sustainability, Environment and Culture

Sustainability

The activities undertaken are carefully monitored to ensure that they are sustainable, do not damage the surrounding environments and ecosystems and are culturally sensitive.

Curlew Escape’s cruises and tours are designed to ensure that its presence in Moreton Bay and its islands is environmentally and culturally sustainable. It adopts codes of conduct for conducting tours including those involving tours in environmentally and culturally sensitive areas and around wildlife.

Rare and Endangered Species

The business commits to not selling merchandise derived from rare and threatened species and advice is provided to customers to not purchase these items from other sources. 

We are low-impact so as not to disturb turtles, dolphins, dugongs and birds. This is achieved through using a sail boat, an electrically motorised dinghy, non-motorised guest watersports and low-impact guides for kayaking and snorkelling we provide to guests onboard.

Climate Change & Minimisation of Carbon Emissions

Curlew Escape is a sailing vessel, and we sail whenever we have wind, only motoring if there is a lack of wind. Even when we do motor, as a displacement hull, Curlew Escape is very efficient and only uses 5 litres per hour of diesel.

The yacht’s lithium batteries are recharged using the four solar panels atop the Bimini. 

Our dinghy uses an EPropulsion electric outboard, which is recharged from the house batteries. No petrol is used. 

Finally, Curlew Escape’s company car is an electric car and the owner has a 10KW grid-connected rooftop solar system to more than provide for charging of the car.

Rest assured that a day onboard Curlew Escape has a very light carbon footprint. In the 2024 financial year, the business emitted 10.5t of Co2 equating to 22 kg per guest, before offsets. 

If you would like to minimise your carbon emissions, consider carpooling or taking a maxi taxi to the marina. 

Ecotourism

Curlew Escape subscribes to the tenets of ecotourism. See Ecotourism Australia. For more eco-tourism experiences see the Green Travel Guide. 

It is very quiet, only 55dB and does not disturb marine life.  With a typical operational speed of 3 knots (top speed is 5 knots), marine life can easily move away. 

Other than the dinghy, all near-shore activities are unmotorised: swimming, snorkelling, stand-up paddleboard, kayaking and mermaid line.

Curlew Escape is Eco-Tourism certified for Advanced Ecotourism.

Accessibility

While we are a sailboat, we have welcomed passengers with accessibility needs including: the elderly and infirm; wheelchair patrons, as well as hearing and vision-impaired customers. Our vessel has easy access and an accessible cockpit. Please get in touch with us to discuss your individual needs.

Waste & Recycling

Curlew Escape has 3 onboard toilets and operates in accordance with the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Regulation 2018.

We have a convenient recycling ♻️ container bin on the yacht for Containers for Change, which are then transferred to a collection point at MBTBC Marina. 

Guests are not required to bring any single-use cutlery, crockery, drinkware, stemware or servingware. We have nonbreakable ones on board which we wash up after use.

The marina also has an engine oil recycling ♻️ station, where used oil is poured. The oil is then processed and reused in industry.

Acknowledgement of Country—Quandamooka People

Curlew Escape acknowledges the traditional and historical owners of the lands and waters of Moreton Bay where we operate.

Quandamooka Country (the Moreton Bay region) is the ancestral homeland of the Nunagal, Goenbal and Ngugi's peoples, together known as the Quandamooka People, who speak the Jandai, Gower and Munyan dialects which are part of the Yagara language. The Quandamooka People are people of sand and water, having owned and occupied the lands and waters of Quandamooka since time immemorial.

Quandamooka is a word from the Jandai dialect. When Quandamooka People talk about Quandamooka, they talk about land and sea country, which comprises Moreton Bay, Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), and several smaller islands and adjacent mainland.

Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), Peel Island(Teerk Roo Ra) and St Helena Island (Noongoon) are part of the traditional lands and waters of the Quandamooka People. Guests should be respectful of the cultural significance and the environment of the Quandamooka People, and not disturb the flora and fauna, including by not feeding, or harassing wildlife.

For most of our area of operation, QYAC is the registered cultural heritage body under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (QLD).  They have a duty of care under the Cultural Heritage Act to take all reasonable and practicable measures to avoid disturbing or damaging any items or areas of cultural heritage. Note that it is a serious offence to harm any Aboriginal Cultural Heritage.

For more information, see the QYAC website.

The Unique Values of Moreton Bay in Qandamooka Country

The archaeological heritage of Moreton Bay and the surrounding islands is an extensive, rich and diverse cultural record, comprising more than 1,000 known sites.

The Quandamooka People, and their ancestors before them, have continuously occupied the lands and seas of Moreton Bay and the sandy bay islands for thousands of years. The archaeological heritage of Moreton Bay and the surrounding islands is an extensive, rich and diverse cultural record, comprising more than 1,000 known sites.

Contemporary cultural knowledge relating to these sites and landscapes remains strong and is associated with living traditions, ideas and beliefs.

The islands, marine and wetland environments are outstanding natural habitats for the protection of many conservation significant species.

An array of marine and terrestrial wildlife inhabits the area, which is also an important feeding area for migratory wader birds on the East Asia-Australasia Flyway. The marine areas, from shallow lagoons to the open sea on the east of the island, are important habitats for a rich diversity of fish, sharks, reptiles and marine mammals of international importance for conservation.

Quandamooka Country is particularly renowned for its significant and stable population of dugongs and its three areas of the critically endangered Eastern Australia sub-population of grey nurse sharks.

Since European settlement, the bay has been much loved and there is a wealth of history and tradition built up around sailing the bay and visiting its islands. 

Qandamooka Country is being investigated for UNESCO World Heritage protection.