Thursday, September 28, 2017

Bribie Island


One of the things that I like about the Brisbane area, is that you can drive 30 minutes in any direction and it feels like you are in the country.

Although we are thoroughly enjoying our city break, I really enjoy the country and regional feel of many areas within close vicinity of Brisbane.  As they say "You can take the girl out of the country, but you cant take the country out of the girl"!

Bribie Island Bridge

Bribie Island is one of these places. About an hour drive North of Brisbane, it is a large island at about 35 kilometres in length.  About 80% of the island is bush land (National Park).  It is only the Southern tip of the island that is habitated.  We were told that the population is about 18,000 and will be capped at 30,000.


We thought we would do a drive around the island but soon discovered that this would not be possible (maybe if you had a four wheel drive?).

I look forward to going back in summer as there are beautiful clean beaches surrounding the island and we can take our little dog for a walk on the Southern Beaches from Red Beach to near Woorim (but not at Woorim).

We had a lovely Fisherman's Basket for lunch at the Sylvan Beach Seafood cafe, overlooking the water.

Sylvan Beach Seafood Cafe

Bribie Island reportably has the "best fishing and boating in South East Queensland" as you have a safe inlet and no sand bar to get out to the ocean.

It is a beautiful place with a country vibe. But there were still too many people for my parents! Although there is a lot of tourist accommodation, there is not as much as I expected.  I find it hard to understand why it has not taken off before now?

Molly at Bribie Island Bridge



Sunday, September 17, 2017

Deception Bay

Every weekend, it is the same question:  Where should we go today?

The objectives for today were:
  • To walk 10,000 steps
  • A Dog Friendly Walk
  • A new place and
  • A Beach, within 50 kilometres of Brisbane
Deception Bay was the answer.  



We arrived at low tide and were surprised to see that it was primarily a mud beach with mangroves.  It must look totally different (beautiful) when the tide is in.  Maybe this is why it is called Deception Bay?

As a child,  I enjoyed catching crabs, throwing jelly-fish at my sister, fishing and rowing at a similar beach in South East Victoria, so I felt immediately comfortable at Deception Bay.





We walked along the foreshore path, about 2.5 kilometres from Captain Cook Parade to the Esplanade (ie. 5km return).  Many people were walking along the beach (mud) with their dogs off leads.  I imagine on a hot summer's day that it would be a great place to take dogs for a swim as it appeared that it would be shallow.

There were not many people along the path, but those that we did meet seemed to be locals and were very friendly.



Molly was happy for a drink after the walk

I just love how the Brisbane City Council provides facilities to encourage people to get outside and enjoy the surroundings.  At Deception Bay there were;
A Children's Playground
Barbeque
Picnic Tables and Chairs
Several Boat Ramps
Toilets
Showers to clean your feet/shoes/dog (needed after venturing into the mud!)
Drinking Fountains
Dog Water Troughs
Doggy Doo Bags






As a family historian,  I also enjoyed reading the various plaques along the footpath, which provided history about the area and prior residents.








The size of Queensland Mangroves amazes me, when
compared to the Mangroves in Victoria!














So although this is not the sandy beach that we anticipated,  it was still a very enjoyable walk, which reminded me of my childhood adventures.  I loved it when a young girl, bare feet covered in mud, came up to me with pride, with her red bucket, to show me the "big crab" that her dad caught!