Moreton Island contains a landscape of wind-swept sand dune country, rocky headlands, lakes, streams, paperbark, swamps, banksia heathland and mangrove and salt marshes.

Vegetation along the vast ocean beach is typical of coastal south-east Queensland. The sandy foredunes support spinifex grass closest to the waters edge and creepers hold the sand together higher up the dunes.

The beaches are also rich in fauna. Eugaries (pipis) and beach shellfish are particularly abundant, attracting birdlife and fishermen alike. Birds such as the pied oyster-catcher patrol the beach areas, often in pairs, looking for small sea creatures. It is often called the pipi bird as its favourite food is pipi flesh.

Other birds often seen on the beaches are the masked lapwing, eastern curlew, white ibis, pied cormorant, silver gull, crested tern and of course, the pelican. The cormorant does not have waterproof feathers like many other birds, and often spreads its wings when resting to dry them in the sun and sea breeze. In all, there are over 125 bird
species on the island.

Wildlife is limited by the island's isolation. The short-nosed bandicoot, water rat, pale field rat, a few species of bat, and gliders make up most of Moreton Island's native mammal life. Reptiles are more strongly represented. A large range of snakes and lizards, including the carpet python, freshwater snake and re-bellied black snake, bearded dragon, blue-tongued lizard and the familiar sand goanna are found on the island.
Frog communities are common.

There are some larger animals on Moreton Island, but they are not native to the island. Goats and pigs were brought to the island in 1865 to provide food for shipwrecked sailors. These animals have caused much of the erosion of the dune areas by trampling and feeding on the delicate vegetation which protects the beach sands from the elements. All the goats have now been removed for the island.

Few trees survive in the wind-battered coastal strip from Reeders Point to Cape Moreton, but beyond its beaches and swamp areas, Moreton Island is covered in dense vegetation. Inland areas are heavily shrouded in closed heath, sedgelands, strips of open forest and areas of mixed scrub. These forests support a wide variety of beautiful native trees including banksias, cypress, box, bloodwoods, paperbarks and scribbly gums.

The freshwater lake system in the north teems with small life forms as do the sea grasses and tidal flats on the bay side below the Sand Hills. The sea grasses are the favourite haunt of the dugong or sea-cow. Although almost exterminated in the 1940's, numbers have slowly been building up and dugong are now often sighted in the bay.

Walking over the immense area of shallow sandy flats at low tide reveals a host of tiny marine life. The ground literally swarms with life - translucent green worms, sea anemones, molluscs and thousands of blue soldier crabs and the lightning fast ghost crab.

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