A long-lost love affair rekindled

Redcliffe, it’s been a while. And though I left you in the lurch while I was off making a life to the north, your laidback coastal charm is still alluring.

You made that very clear one glorious autumn day recently.

Redcliffe Parade was already energised this early Saturday morning.

But I promised my first date to the Bee Gees.

I had been meaning for more than a decade to make the pilgrimage to The Bee Gees Way: a 70m walkway at 109 Redcliffe Parade honouring hometown heroes, the legendary Gibb brothers – Barry, Maurice and Robin, as well as younger brother and pop idol Andy.

Music fans can easily spend a half-hour or more here. Largely curated by Barry, himself – the only surviving member of one of Australia’s greatest music exports and top-selling artists – this outdoor museum has lifelike sculptures, larger-than-life murals, a fascinating array of photos, album covers and historical snippets, plus a massive screen playing media interviews, home videos, filmclips and performances.

The soundtrack to my young life played on repeat in the background, helping me relive memories of Saturday Night Fever and the first album I ever bought: the self-titled Universal Summit compilation vinyl in 1972.

View from Redcliffe Jetty. Image: Shirley Sinclair

Next, more reminiscing on a walk out on historic Redcliffe Jetty – a 1995 replica of the original built in 1885 – where families had set up under the pavilion, throwing in fishing lines in the hope of catching bream, whiting or flathead for lunch.

It was obvious by this time that Redcliffe people are not wallflowers or stay-at-homebodies. They’re out and about jogging, walking their dogs along the foreshore, brunching and meeting for coffee with that ever-present water view.

So, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Preece’s at The Jetty obliged with hearty smashed avocado and corn fritters, all washed down with the first coffees of the morning.

A full tummy then necessitated a long stroll by the waters of Moreton Bay through Charlish Park and past the Settlement Cove Lagoon (already packed with picnickers and barbecuers), around the point and outside Redcliffe Surf Life Saving Club to Suttons Beach – scene of many surf sports triumphs when my now-adult sons visited for nipper carnivals.

A cordoned-off area indicated the Suttons Beach Pavilion Redevelopment Project is underway after Moreton Bay Council awarded the construction tender in November last year.

The project features: the new pavilion building (including the rooftop among the hospitality areas, a public deck and event space); extensive landscaping; public changing rooms; new shade structures; and an upgraded car park (www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Projects/Parks/Suttons-Beach-Pavilion-Redevelopment-Project).

The redevelopment is part of the changing face of the former Redcliffe Peninsula District.

Arnold Keuker. Image: Shirley Sinclair

But one thing stays the same in the towns of Clontarf, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, Rothwell, Scarborough and Woody Point: a strong sense of pride.

It’s evident in the beautifully presented old Queenslanders and new-build mansions you pass on a drive to Scotts Point at Margate.

You can see it at the Belvedere Hotel at Woody Point, bursting at the seams with visitors and locals as a sun-kissed Saturday afternoon turns into palate of colours at sunset.

You can feel it at The Dolphins’ NRL matches, drawing many of the peninsula’s almost 70,000-strong population to home games at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, and Kawana’s Sunshine Coast Stadium.

And I also found it behind the counter at Peninsula Distillery in Clontarf where the passion and innovation of chief distiller and one of the founders, Arnold Keuker, is creating award-winning gin, vodka, single malt whisky, cane spirit and rum.

A friend who is lucky enough to call himself a local tells me I have to try The Rustic Olive (Italian), Little Lamb (Mediterranean/Spanish) and Thai Boi Eatery (authentic Thai), and that The Komo with its large terrace and the Moreton Bay Boat Club at Scarborough are great spots to catch up for drinks.

With the Redcliffe Market offering fresh, farm-direct produce and artisan products every Sunday, my long-lost love affair with the area seems far from over.