Shorncliffe Pier

Sometimes you find a place – a special place – that seems to have never changed. Sometimes that’s a bad thing, sometimes it’s a good thing. I get the picture that Shorncliffe Pier is one of those places that hasn’t changed a whole lot in a long time, and that’s a very good thing

Now Brisbane’s east is bordered by Moreton Bay. Go far enough north and you hit the Sunshine Coast, head in the other direction and you’ll get to the Gold Coast. For the most part, this coastal bay is surrounded by suburbs, the port and the airport. You’ll find various esplanades along the various stretches, almost universally gentrified areas where workers cottages have been replaced by millionaires rows – gleaming houses facing outwards to the bay and her protective islands. Seldom is a stretch of land along the bay where it feels like it would have been ‘back in the day’. A small oasis, if you will. Shorncliffe Pier just seems to be one such place.

Perched in a cove, framed by a breakwater on the south and a needle-straight pier on the north lays this little patch of serenity. The only commerce here is the three-wheeled coffee cart and a Mr Whippy van, doing the occasional round. The aptly named Lovers Walk meanders the wide-reaching tidal flats, where even the fit, beautiful people seem to go at a relaxed pace.

We found ourselves at this little patch of happiness on an unseasonally warm winter’s Saturday.

Ophelia, our 10 year old had a ‘sleep over’ the night before, and as expected, got less then the recommended level of sleep a 10 year old should have. That produced a less then recommended level of behavior, which seemed to disappear once she got by the water. The park at the pier is really something else. It weaves its way up the hill – the perfect place for the children to burn off their energy.

A tree-lined strip margins the beach, and looking at pictures of yore I don’t think this place has changed much for generations. The tide was running out towards New Zealand , revealing a sizable patch of wet sand. I was reminded of holidays as a child. Our children pottered on the tidal stretch, poking around in holes, chasing the blue march of soldier crabs, imagining empires out of the circle of sandcastles they’d built.

As this beautiful scene rolled on, Verity and I lazed on the grass, half in the sun, half in the shade. Our oversized picnic rug marked uncontested territory in this peaceful patch of land. A smattering of families enjoyed similar days – parents sipped their coffees from takeaway cups and took too many photos of their children doing everyday things in the magnificent park.

When was the last time you played Frisbee on the beach? To be honest, for us it was the first time, but what a time we had. The mid-afternoon sun painted the beach in gold as we laughed our way through an hour of Frisbee.

We rounded off this perfect day with a stroll down Lovers Walk. The children had their bikes, so they were off like a rocket, vowing to never be seen with us while we walked and held hands in the afternoon sun. My camera begged to capture the stunning afternoon vistas – those golden hues the sun paints across the sky as it slowly falls asleep over the western horizon.

Shorncliffe Pier is one of those places you remember going to as a kid. Lazy. Uncommercialised, Basic, but not boring or lifeless. The whole vibe of the place was relaxed – the type of place you’d love to spend every Sunday afternoon at – dropping a line fishing, sipping your favorite drink, spending time with the people you just love spending time with. Watching your children simply be children, unencumbered by chimes of ‘I’m bored’ or ‘can I play my ipad’. Simply just enjoying lazy afternoons by the water, the same thing you did when you were their age.