Russell Island

Russell Island is the largest island in the Southern Moreton Bay Island group having an area of approximately 15.9 km². It comprises a variety of country types, from coastal Eucalypt forest with rich red volcanic soils to wallum forests and melaleuca wetlands. The island is fringed with mangrove forest and tidal mudflat that provide a rich ecosystem for both invertebrate and vertebrate fauna. Needless to say the fishing and crabbing can be spectacular. Russell Island has a permanent population estimated at around 4,000. (3,698 at the 2021 census). As at July 2022, Russell Island had 6,733 properties issued with valuations by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Of these approximately 2,310 had private dwellings constructed upon them.

With advancements in communication and information technology, people are increasingly choosing places like Russell Island to live and work from home.

In line with other locations, Russell Island real estate took a hit during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, bottoming out in mid-2011. Values remained fairly level, but in that time the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, including Russell, saw a significant increase in both building activity and population. More and more people were starting to realize the benefits of Island life and Redland City Council were finally starting to pump money into much needed infrastructure.