Redcliffe
Redcliffe city, aka the Redcliffe Peninsula, is sleepy seaside town 45 minutes drive north of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. Considered part of greater Brisbane area, many commuters live in Redcliffe and work in Brisbane.
=Understand
Redcliffe was the first European settlement in Queensland. It was colonized in Queensland in 1824 by Europeans. Prior to that Redcliffe was inhabited by Aborigines.
Get in
It is 23 km north of Brisbane. The easiest way to arrive in Redcliffe is to drive.
Public transport from Brisbane is an option via train to Sandgate and then a connecting bus to the peninsula.
Get around
The bus services in Redcliffe are connected to Brisbane's Translink system. If you have a Go card to travel around Brisbane you'll be able to use to get to and around Redcliffe. The local bus services however tend to be a bit slow and take winding routes.
The local bus services do go throughout the peninsula on a regular basis. They also extend to Chermside, Caboolture and Brisbane City centre.
For those not in a hurry walking is a very pleasant option for transport around the peninsula and almost everywhere interesting can be accessed via a walk along the beach. Similarly for cyclists.
Everything is within 5 minutes drive.
See
Redcliffe offers many interesting things to see, including,
- The many monuments around, including the ANZAC memorials and John Oxley memorial.
- The Redcliffe Historical Society Museum, which gives visitors an insight into Redcliffe's rich historical background.
- The seaside, for which Redcliffe has been famous for nearly 185 years.
- The city of Redcliffe at night during the Christmas season when all the trees are lit up with different coloured fairy lights and can be spotted kilometers away.
- The Gayundah shipwreck, which is dangerous to climb on, but wonderful to admire from a small distance.
Do
Redcliffe acts as a hub for the tourist activity in the Moreton Bay region.
- Moreton Island. A beautiful large sand island. It is a 95% national park and a good place to go camping.
- Whale watching. Hunted nearly to extinction, measures to repopulate the Humpback Whale can be considered one of the few environmental success stories. If you're around between June and November going on a whale watching cruise is definitely recommended.
- Go to the giant library that's full of books and all kinds of wonderful resources.
- Take a stroll along the boardwalk down on the beachfront (also a great place to ride one's bike).
- Have a picnic in one of the many parks and lots of playgrounds for the children.
- Go for a swim in the beautiful calm beaches, there is also a lagoon and an indoor swimming pool.
- The lagoon is provided free by the local council and is popular with the locals. Get there early on weekends to stake out a spot if you want to have lunch! (Or you know, walk a few minutes down to the road to a beach.)
- Do take the tourist drive - follow the brown dugong signs.
- Scuba dive beneath the wreck of the HMAS Gayundah near Woody Point.
Buy
A nice cool sarong and some finger foods to be enjoyed by the beach.
Redcliffe is known for its fish and chips.
Buy some art as Redcliffe has many art shops and budding local artists.
Eat
Eat out at many of the nice restaurants that are mostly found on the coastal areas. Barbecue facilities are found at all of the parks, even those not found on the beach. The Redcliffe Parade area is very trendy and boasts cool breezes, a great view to Moreton Island and many coffee shops.
Morgans in Scarborough is very popular and famous for its seafood and fish and chips.
Try Sails on Sutton's Beach in Redcliffe or the Golden Ox in Margate for fine dining.
Drink
There are one or two pubs that also double as hotels and/or restaurants.
Sleep
Hotels are mostly found on the coastal part of Redcliffe.
Redcliffe is a very relaxed place to stay. Most overnight accommodations consist of guesthouses and holiday accommodations. Overnight is available in many of the high rise apartments.
Scarborough, on the northern part of the Redcliffe Peninsula, is a great place to look, with coffee shops and restaurants too.