Moreton Island quad bike, bush to beach.

The Moreton Island quad bike day we recommend runs from Brisbane and back: a boat leaves 220 Holt St and takes 75 minutes to cross, and the hours on the island hold lunch, free time and the ride. The ride is the resort's own guided tour on purpose-built tracks between bushland and beach, listed at 45 minutes.

The package covers the boat both ways, the guided ride, one drink on board, a voucher for lunch and a resort pass until the boat home. You need no riding experience: the guides give every rider basic training on the tracks before the group sets off. The boat home leaves the island at 4.00PM. In between, the time is yours: the pools, the beach, a long lunch or a second activity booked on the island.

The listing starts from $119; cancel it 2 days or more before and you get everything back. With 532 reviews averaging 4.4, it is the most reviewed of the quad days sold for the island. The guides below go deeper on price, rules, the trail, the season and what to wear, so you can book with every question already answered.

The tour starts on the ground: each package bundles a safety briefing with the gear, and the guides teach the basics before anyone rides. The resort puts the whole tour at roughly 40 to 45 minutes, instruction included, so the throttle time is a little shorter. Listen closely: braking, steering and spacing are the three skills that make the rest of the ride relaxed rather than tense.

Then the column of bikes heads out on the resort's purpose-built network between bush and shore, which it bills as the best of its kind in Queensland. The sand changes with the weather: the island guide says tracks get bumpy when dry and often improve after rain. Expect soft patches under the trees and firmer sand by the water, with the guide setting a pace the whole column can hold.

If 45 minutes is not enough, there are two ways to ride longer. A repeat ride during your stay is AUD 69, and the Easy Rider beach tour runs for 60 minutes for drivers with an open licence. Both are arranged at the tours desk beside Reception. Ask early in the day, as space is limited and the beach tour depends on the tides.

A child of 5 to 9 can sit on the back of a parent's quad, provided the parent has signed the forms and carries a licence from home. Between 10 and 15 a young rider may take a bike of their own, as long as an adult rides too and a parent signs, and every rider under 18 is given a machine sized for their age. For families that makes the ride one of the few island activities where parents and older children each steer their own machine.

A licence is needed in two other cases. A tandem driver must hold a valid licence to carry a passenger, and the Easy Rider beach tour needs an open or unrestricted licence. Tandem bikes cannot be booked online; call ahead or ask at the tours desk. Bring the licence itself on the day, not a photo of it, so there is no doubt at the start.

Some people cannot ride. The quad bikes are not permitted during pregnancy, and the resort asks every rider to disclose injuries and conditions such as epilepsy, asthma or heart problems before booking. Staff may refuse anyone who appears intoxicated or unwell. When in doubt, call the resort before paying, not at the start line.