Teerk Roo Ra National Park (Peel Island)

Teerk Roo Ra National Park (Peel Island) is a Moreton Bay island with beautiful beaches, significant cultural heritage values and natural conservation values, both terrestrial and marine. The 519 ha island is surrounded by mangroves, except for a sand beach on the southern side that forms Horseshoe Bay. Rich in cultural significance, Teerk Roo Ra is the only intact example of a multiracial lazaret in Australia. It opened in 1907, housing leprosy patients for the next 52 years. Prior to the lazaret, the island served as a quarantine station (1874 to the 1890s) and home for 'inebriates' (1910–1916). Boating and fishing are popular activities around the island. Both Horseshoe Bay and Platypus Bay provide clean, calm waters for swimming. The shipwrecks in Platypus Bay host a variety of marine life, providing a popular place for snorkelling. Ensure you have a dive flag visible when snorkelling to warn boats of your presence; the area around the wrecks is also used for boat mooring. Horseshoe Bay and Platypus Bay are the only parts of the island open to the public. The rest of the island is a restricted access area to help preserve its historic remains.