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Seven Margate Beach Picnic Shelters Set for Renewal

A picnic shelter at Margate Beach. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Sheba_Also (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Seven picnic shelters at Margate Beach Park remain in line for renewal, with the project continuing in City of Moreton Bay’s 2026–27 works program.

The shelters were identified for upgrades in Council’s previous budget alongside work on the park’s public amenities. The latest budget again provides for picnic shelter renewal, although detailed designs and a construction timetable have not yet been released.

As of September, Council has not announced that work on the seven shelters has started or named a contractor specifically for the project. It has also not detailed whether the existing structures will be completely replaced or whether some will be refurbished.

READ: Margate Beach Park in Line for More Foreshore Upgrades

Seven picnic areas in the program

The work centres on seven shelters at Margate Beach Park, the waterfront recreation strip along Margate Parade.

The park includes covered picnic tables, electric barbecues, seating, drinking fountains, toilets and showers, while the waterfront boardwalk provides a continuous route for walkers and cyclists along this part of the Peninsula.

Exactly what will change around each shelter is yet to be confirmed. Published project information does not detail replacement tables, barbecues, lighting, bins, landscaping or bicycle facilities, nor does it identify changes to the adjoining boardwalk.

There is also no announced closure of Margate Beach Park. Beach access, parking and pedestrian and cycle access remain available, with any temporary restrictions expected to become clearer once Council releases a construction program.

The shelters continue a long recreational use of this stretch of Moreton Bay foreshore. Suttons and Margate beaches became popular swimming, picnicking and day-trip destinations as Redcliffe developed as a seaside resort, and the waterfront remains one of the Peninsula’s busiest outdoor recreation areas.

$650,000 amenities upgrade alongside shelters

The shelter renewal sits alongside an upgrade to Margate Beach Park’s public amenities, with $650,000 in Queensland Government funding allocated to the Margate Beach Park Amenities Upgrade through the South East Queensland Community Stimulus Program.

That funding is for the amenities project and should not be read as the cost of renewing the seven shelters. Council has not published a combined final cost for the two components in the material reviewed by Margate News.

Council’s park listing identifies toilets and showers among the facilities at Margate Beach Park, but available project documents do not provide enough detail to establish precisely what will be replaced or altered as part of the amenities upgrade.

Council has also not stated that the seven shelters are unsafe. The works have instead been identified through its capital program for renewal of existing park infrastructure.

Separate from the Suttons Beach Pavilion works

One potential source of confusion is the wording in Council’s latest budget, which describes the shelter renewal as being at “Suttons Beach Park, Margate”.

Council’s park directory identifies Margate Beach Park on Margate Parade and Suttons Beach Park further north on Marine Parade in Redcliffe. Earlier Council planning documents have also considered the adjoining areas together as the broader Suttons Beach–Margate Beach Parks precinct.

The seven shelters, however, were specifically identified at Margate Beach Park in Council’s 2025–26 budget.

READ: Woody Point Beach Project Moves Into the Next Stage

The project should not be confused with the much larger Suttons Beach Pavilion redevelopment further north. That is a separate project, with construction already underway and completion expected in 2027.

For Margate Beach users, the next significant step will be the release of the shelter designs and construction schedule, which should establish when individual picnic areas will be affected and exactly what will replace or be retained from the existing structures.

Published 9-September-2026

Redcliffe Housing Support Grows as 41 Positive Outcomes Recorded

Photo Credit: Medianet

Housing pressure remains a major part of demand at Redcliffe’s Peninsula Support Hub, where 41 individuals and families recorded positive housing outcomes in the first half of 2026. The Salvation Army said the outcomes included crisis accommodation, supported accommodation, youth accommodation and private rentals.

From January to June, the Hub supported 386 individuals and families through 661 instances of assistance. The organisation also recorded 54 referrals to other housing providers and 105 housing-related assistance responses for 67 people experiencing housing distress.

Beena Saju, Regional Manager for The Salvation Army Homelessness Services, said the results represented more than individual service transactions.

“Every housing outcome, every connection to support, and every positive step forward represents a person or family moving closer to stability and hope.”

Housing remains the Hub’s biggest area of need

Housing remained the most significant area of need during the six-month reporting period, according to The Salvation Army. Another 103 community members received 216 instances of support involving financial problems, physical health, legal matters and mental wellbeing.

An unnamed client had sought help from the Salvos while dealing with alcohol dependency and housing difficulties. The organisation said the person later reached six months of sobriety and received approval for a housing transfer.

Saju said people using the service had shown resilience and determination while facing difficult circumstances.

New housing projects move ahead in Redcliffe

Additional housing is also being developed or proposed in Redcliffe. The Queensland Government is building an eight-storey social housing development on Anzac Avenue with 49 self-contained one- and two-bedroom homes for about 70 people.

Tenants will be referred from Queensland’s Social Housing Register through the Moreton Bay Housing Service Centre. The project will include accessible homes, communal space and a ground-floor meeting area where support can be provided to residents.

A separate Moreton Bay Youth Foyer is proposed for Redcliffe, with plans for 40 self-contained units for young people aged 16 to 25. Eligible residents would be able to rent accommodation while receiving on-site support connected with education, training and employment.

Further projects are progressing across the wider City of Moreton Bay. A 14-unit community housing development at Morayfield is moving ahead through a partnership involving City of Moreton Bay, Coast2Bay Housing and the Queensland Government, while council has also backed a community housing project at Caboolture and says social and affordable housing projects are under construction at Deception Bay and Mango Hill.

Statewide demand remains high

Queensland’s housing register also points to continuing demand for social housing. As of 30 June 2026, 24,866 households representing 46,037 people were on the state’s social housing register, while 5,292 households had entered social housing during the previous financial year.

City of Moreton Bay says rising living costs and a long-term lack of investment in social and affordable housing have worsened housing insecurity and homelessness locally. Its five-year Housing and Homelessness Action Plan focuses on people sleeping rough, partnerships with service providers and government, management of public spaces and measures intended to improve housing options.

In August, council opened Wyllie Park at Petrie as a free tent-camping option, including for people experiencing homelessness who were unable to access crisis accommodation or emergency housing. Council said the site was voluntary and was not an alternative to established crisis accommodation or longer-term housing.

Council says crisis accommodation and social housing are Queensland Government responsibilities and that it does not provide housing for people experiencing homelessness. Its role includes referring people to specialist services and supporting community and affordable housing projects through measures such as low-cost leases of council land and waived development and infrastructure charges.

Support remains available in Redcliffe

The Peninsula Support Hub provides housing referrals and practical support to people experiencing housing distress while they seek accommodation. The six-month figures record 41 positive housing outcomes alongside continued referrals, housing assistance and support for financial, health, legal and mental wellbeing issues.

The Hub operates at 49 Portwood Street, Redcliffe. People experiencing or at risk of homelessness can also contact Queensland’s 24-hour Homeless Hotline on 1800 474 753 or the Moreton Bay Housing Service Centre on (07) 5432 0700.

Published 9-Sept-2026

150 Years of Humpybong: The School That Grew With Redcliffe

Humpybong State School in 1949. Photo Credit: Queensland State Archives, Digital Image ID 26572

When Humpybong’s first pupils arrived for school on 1 February 1876, their classroom was a small slab-and-bark building near what is now Elizabeth Avenue and Duffield Road.

In the 150 years since, the school has moved to Ernest Street, split into separate primary and infants schools and come back together again. Its enrolment eventually climbed to almost 1,000, and among the thousands of children who passed through its classrooms were three brothers named Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.

Photo Credit: 1958 School Register of Humpybong State School

Redcliffe changed just as dramatically around it. Yet one thing survived all those changes: the Humpybong name, inherited from an earlier chapter of the Peninsula’s history and still carried by the school today.

This September, Humpybong State School marks its 150th anniversary.

READ: When Dolly Came to Brisbane: A Local Farewell to a Country Music Legend

The Name Redcliffe Didn’t Erase

Humpybong is an unusual name now, but in the 19th century it was much more familiar locally. City of Moreton Bay historical records associate it with Aboriginal words describing the shelters left behind after the Moreton Bay penal settlement was moved from Redcliffe to the Brisbane River in 1825.

The precise translation is less certain than some popular accounts suggest. Council traces the name to ngumpin, later anglicised as “oopie-bong”, with “humpy” or “oompie” referring to shelter and “bong” presumed to mean vanished.

As Redcliffe became the established name for the Peninsula, Humpybong gradually receded from everyday use. The school kept it, making it one of the most visible reminders of the older place name.

From Elizabeth Avenue to Ernest Street

The original slab-and-bark schoolhouse was replaced by another building nearby in 1878. Three decades later came a much bigger change.

Humpybong Provisional School and the separately operated Redcliffe Provisional School both closed in December 1908. Their pupils came together in March 1909 at a new Humpybong State School in Ernest Street, where the school remains today.

Humpybong State School, 1949.. Photo Credit: Queensland State Archives. Image ID: 3319316

The district around it was changing quickly. The Hornibrook Highway opened in 1935, and post-war growth pushed Redcliffe’s population from 8,871 in 1947 to about 18,000 by 1959.

Humpybong grew with it. A Queensland State Archives photograph records a new classroom in 1952, and in 1959 Humpybong State Infants School opened separately for younger children. The two schools remained separate until they were reunited in 1998.

Nearly 1,000 Pupils by 1999

Official records put Humpybong State School’s enrolment at 992 students in 1999. Today it is considerably smaller, with Department of Education figures recording 464 Prep to Year 6 students in February 2026 and Benjamin Reed as principal.

Those figures bookend one period of a school that has repeatedly changed size and shape as the Peninsula around it changed.

READ: Bells Caravan Park Mural Will Put Clontarf’s Stories on the Wall

A Bell From 1929

One piece of Humpybong’s earlier school life survives at Redcliffe Museum: a school bell dating from 1929. For the anniversary, it is being displayed alongside old uniforms and other memorabilia.

The museum will host an Alumni Stories afternoon from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday 12 September, followed by Humpybong State School History: Then and Now from 10am to noon on Saturday 19 September, looking at changes in classrooms, teaching, transport and school life.

The school’s main birthday celebration takes over Waterfront Oval from 4pm to 8.15pm on Friday 11 September, with performances, fete activities, a bush dance and birthday cake. Entry is free, with an RSVP requested to help organisers plan numbers.

Former students and staff return the following morning for the Humpy Tea Reunion from 9am to 12.30pm, featuring school tours, historical displays, memorabilia and an art show.

The Peninsula outside Humpybong’s gates bears little resemblance to the place where children first walked into a slab-and-bark classroom in 1876. The school has moved and rebuilt, generations have come and gone, but 150 years later the old Humpybong name remains.

Published 7-September-2026

The Road to the Grand Final: Your 2026 Dolphins Finals Guide

Four seasons after entering the NRL, the Dolphins are heading into September from third place, with their first finals assignment taking them across the Tasman to face the second-placed New Zealand Warriors.

The qualifying final at Go Media Stadium on Saturday, 12 September offers a direct route deep into September. Win in Auckland and the Dolphins move straight into a preliminary final with a week off; lose and the double chance earned through their top-four finish keeps their season alive.

After spending their first three seasons trying to reach September, the Dolphins have finally arrived. What matters now is how far they can go.

Week One: Warriors v Dolphins

Qualifying Final
New Zealand Warriors (2nd) v Dolphins (3rd)
Saturday, 12 September
Go Media Stadium, Auckland
4.05pm AEST / 6.05pm NZ time

Both sides arrive in serious form. The Dolphins have won seven consecutive matches and the Warriors six, setting up a qualifying final between two teams carrying genuine momentum into September.

They Already Know How Close This Can Get

Their only meeting this season provided a fair indication of how little may separate them.

The Dolphins won 26–24 at Suncorp Stadium in Round 17 after Selwyn Cobbo scored late and Jamayne Isaako converted from the sideline. That gives them evidence they can break down the Warriors, although repeating it in Auckland under finals pressure is a different assignment.

The Warriors have home advantage and a powerful middle capable of restricting the Dolphins’ attacking freedom, making the contest for field position particularly important.

Three Matchups That Could Shape It

The Battle Through the Middle

James Fisher-Harris, Mitch Barnett and Erin Clark give the Warriors considerable experience and physicality through the middle. The Dolphins have plenty to answer with, but they need to earn the field position that allows their strike players to become influential.

If the Warriors consistently force the Dolphins to begin sets deep in their own half, Isaiya Katoa could spend much of the afternoon kicking from poor positions. Give him a platform further upfield and the complexion of the game changes quickly.

Katoa and the Kicking Game

Finals football places a premium on completing sets, finding grass and forcing opponents to work out of their own end, putting considerable responsibility on Katoa.

The 22-year-old has become increasingly important to the Dolphins’ attack, but Auckland may test his patience as much as his creativity. Against a Warriors side capable of punishing poor field position, knowing when to play conservatively could be as important as producing the spectacular.

Finding Space for the Strike Players

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Herbie Farnworth give the Dolphins the ability to turn ordinary passages into points, while the wider backline provides Katoa with threats across the field.

The Titans saw that danger in Round 27, when the Dolphins recovered from 14–0 down to win 24–20 and Tabuai-Fidow scored twice while running for 261 metres. It was another demonstration of their attacking capacity, although repeatedly relying on recovery football would be a dangerous habit to carry into September.

The Selection Questions

The official Week One team is still to be named, with three players in particular to watch.

Cobbo missed the Titans match with an ankle problem, Kodi Nikorima was withdrawn with hamstring tightness and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki sat out with a knee issue. All three are currently listed by the NRL as targeting a return during the finals.

Their availability would bring the Dolphins considerably closer to the combinations used during their late-season run, but until the team is named, their Week One selection should not be treated as certain.

Seven Straight Into September

The Dolphins could hardly ask for a stronger form line. Seven consecutive victories have carried them into their maiden finals campaign, including wins over Parramatta and the Roosters before the 24–20 comeback against Gold Coast.

The Titans match was hardly a flawless tune-up. Gold Coast raced to a 14–0 lead inside 16 minutes and threatened again late, forcing the Dolphins to regain control and then withstand pressure to close it out.

There may be some value in having faced that immediately before the finals, but it also reinforced a concern that has followed the Dolphins through their winning run.

The Double Chance — and Why It Matters

Finishing third means defeat in Auckland would not end the Dolphins’ season. They would instead move into a sudden-death semi-final in Week Two against the winner of the Sharks-Cowboys elimination final.

Victory is far more valuable. Beat the Warriors and the Dolphins skip Week Two entirely, gaining an extra week to recover before playing a preliminary final for a place in the Grand Final.

The shortest route therefore requires three victories from here: Warriors, preliminary final, Grand Final. Lose in Auckland and an additional sudden-death match is added to the journey.

Five Reasons the Dolphins Can Go Deep

The case for the Dolphins as premiership contenders has already been built across the regular season, but several strengths matter particularly now.

Tabuai-Fidow and Farnworth provide elite strike power, while Katoa has grown increasingly comfortable directing the side. There is enough size and experience through the forwards to compete when finals football tightens up, and seven consecutive victories provide compelling evidence of current form.

Then there is their resilience. Brisbane led the Dolphins 24–0 in Round 23 before losing 40–32, while Gold Coast led 14–0 in Round 27 and lost 24–20.

Those comebacks are evidence of a team that is difficult to put away. They also point directly towards its biggest vulnerability.

The Biggest Obstacle

The Dolphins have developed an uncomfortable habit of showing how dangerous they are after making life considerably harder for themselves.

Recovering from 24 points down against Brisbane produced one of their most memorable wins of the season, and the Titans comeback sent them into September on another high. Against the strongest sides in the competition, however, those deficits can become too large to retrieve.

Their attacking talent gives them unusual capacity to rescue matches. In the finals, avoiding the need for a rescue in the first place may be more important.

What It Could Come Down To

The Warriors earned the advantage that comes with finishing second, and Auckland is about as demanding an assignment as the Dolphins could have drawn for their first finals appearance. They also enter September with six consecutive victories, so neither side has much reason to fear the other’s form.

The Dolphins have already shown they can beat this opponent, but doing it again will require something they have not always managed during their late-season surge: producing their best football without first putting themselves in trouble.

Get that part right and the reward is substantial. A victory in Auckland would deliver a week off and leave the Dolphins one win from the Grand Final.

For a club entering its first finals campaign only four seasons after joining the NRL, that is already remarkable territory. From here, though, the story is no longer about how quickly the Dolphins got here.

It is about what they do now.

Published 7-September-2026

Bells Caravan Park Mural Will Put Clontarf’s Stories on the Wall

Aerial view of Bells Caravan Park. Photo Credit: moretonbay.gov.au

Clontarf locals are being asked to help shape a new mural at Bells Caravan Park, with their memories and stories set to provide inspiration for the artwork.

City of Moreton Bay has commissioned artist Jennifer Kent to create the mural on the caravan park’s amenities block as part of its Art At Large public art program.

Before the final design is installed, Council is holding a free community workshop with Kent at Redcliffe Library on Friday, 28 August. The 90-minute session, running from 1.30pm to 3pm, will give residents a chance to share stories, memories and connections to Clontarf and Bells Caravan Park.

The workshop is open to all ages and no art experience is required. Council is encouraging people interested in drawing or storytelling, as well as those who simply have something to contribute about the area, to take part.

What those contributions ultimately bring to the mural remains to be seen. Council has not released a final design for the amenities block, making the workshop part of the process rather than a preview of a finished work.

More Than 140 Years of Clontarf

There is no shortage of local history to draw from.

Clontarf was already appearing on maps of the Peninsula during the nineteenth century. Council records show “Clontarf” and “Clontarf North” were among townships listed for sale in 1882, during the land boom that helped establish Redcliffe as a seaside destination.

Getting there was another matter. With the Peninsula still relatively isolated, generations of day-trippers arrived by water. The best-known of the passenger steamers, the Koopa, carried its first passengers to Redcliffe Jetty in 1911 and continued bringing visitors until it was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War.

Clontarf’s role changed dramatically with the opening of the 2.8-kilometre Hornibrook Highway on 4 October 1935. The new crossing connected the Peninsula more directly with Brisbane’s northern suburbs and, according to Council’s historical records, helped drive significant population growth across Redcliffe.

The suburb’s name changed too. Clontarf was commonly known as Clontarf Beach for many years, but following debate within the former Redcliffe City Council, the Queensland Place Names Board approved Clontarf as the official suburb name in 1971.

The foreshore remains central to the suburb’s identity. Council’s own planning work describes Clontarf as the urban entry to the Redcliffe Peninsula coast, sitting between Hays Inlet and the shores of Bramble Bay, with the historic Hornibrook Bridge abutment identified as an important part of its character.

Local Stories Before the Paint

Kent is the lead artist with South-East Queensland-based Manamana Dreaming, a First Nations family group working across art, cultural education and community projects. Her portfolio includes collaborative murals and other projects developed with schools, families and community participants.

For the Bells Caravan Park commission, the first public step is not painting the wall but hearing from the people who know the place.

The workshop will be held at Redcliffe Library, 476 Oxley Avenue, from 1.30pm to 3pm on Friday, 28 August. It is free, although Council is taking bookings, and participants under 18 must attend with a guardian.

Exactly what will eventually appear on the Bells Caravan Park amenities block has not yet been revealed. For Clontarf locals, the next opportunity is to help provide the stories that could shape it.

Updated 7-September-2026

Talobilla Park Keeps Growing as a Peninsula Sports Hub in Kippa-Ring

Talobilla Park at Kippa-Ring. Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay

Talobilla Park’s Next Chapter Takes Shape at Kippa-Ring

Talobilla Park is changing again.

A new softball clubhouse is under construction at Kippa-Ring, more work on the park’s softball facilities is planned, and next April international teams will arrive to train ahead of the 2027 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals.

It is the latest investment in a place that has gradually become one of the Redcliffe Peninsula’s biggest concentrations of community sport.

Across Talobilla today are baseball, rugby league, football and softball facilities. Council records four baseball fields, four rugby league fields, three soccer fields and up to eight softball diamonds, with nine sporting and community organisations holding leases or permits across the precinct.

Read: Talobilla Park to Become Home of $4.8M Clubhouse for Redcliffe Softball Community

The timetable has shifted

The new home of Redcliffe Leagues Softball Association is one project that has taken longer to get moving than first expected.

When news of the $4.8 million replacement clubhouse was reported in April 2025, construction was expected to start around the middle of that year and run for about 12 months.

Instead, temporary facilities began arriving in November, ahead of demolition of the old clubhouse. Council awarded Apollo Property Group the $4,809,106 construction contract on 10 November 2025.

The Australian Government is contributing $2,440,500 through the Thriving Suburbs Program, with City of Moreton Bay funding the balance. The replacement includes change rooms, a clubroom, kitchen and supporting facilities for an association with hundreds of members.

Council’s tender register now puts the expected completion date at 5 June 2027. That means the clubhouse will still be under construction when international softball arrives on the Peninsula two months earlier.

Talobilla’s World Cup role has changed

Eight international teams will be on the Redcliffe Peninsula from 5 to 11 April for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals.

Talobilla was originally announced as the competition venue, but that changed in May when Softball Australia confirmed the tournament matches would instead be played at Kayo Stadium.

The Kippa-Ring fields remain part of the event as the official training and warm-up venue for the competing teams.

Talobilla Park field allocation map. Photo Credit: Moreton Bay Council

Council’s 2026–27 Budget also provides for further work on Talobilla’s softball facilities in preparation for the tournament. That investment is separate from the clubhouse, although the published budget material does not spell out the full scope or cost of those additional works.

Read: Dolphins Pitch Kippa-Ring Precinct Upgrade Ahead of Brisbane 2032

An idea that goes back to the 1990s

There is an older thread running through all this.

In the early 1990s, long before a softball World Cup was on the agenda, Redcliffe City Council had already decided what it wanted Talobilla to become. A parks strategy set an objective for 1992–93 to develop the park into a “focal formal sports area” serving sporting organisations across Redcliffe.

The transformation came gradually rather than through one big redevelopment. Softball established its current base at Talobilla in 1998, while the Peninsula Padres moved there in 2004–05. Rugby league and football also became part of a sporting precinct that continued to fill out as the Peninsula grew.

That process has never really stopped. In November 2025, Council granted the Padres a new 10-year lease as plans progressed for a replacement district-level baseball clubhouse. The club now has more than 400 players.

The construction happening around Talobilla today is another piece of a plan that has been taking shape for more than 30 years. There has been no single transformation and no grand unveiling — just successive generations of fields, clubs and facilities building on what was already there.

Next April will bring something new. While the World Cup matches will be down the road at Kayo Stadium, the eight international teams will prepare for them on the same Kippa-Ring fields used week after week by local players.

Published 6-September-2026

Two Wins From a Premiership: Redcliffe Dolphins Are Right in the Hunt

Redcliffe have spent much of 2026 looking like a team capable of going deep into September. After Sunday’s 20–16 escape against Central Queensland, the equation has become considerably simpler: two more wins and the Dolphins are Hostplus Cup premiers.

They have also earned themselves the best possible preparation for the first of them.

Sunday’s qualifying-final victory at Kayo Stadium sent the Redcliffe Dolphins directly into a home preliminary final, giving them a weekend off while Burleigh and Townsville fight for the right to meet them.

For a side that finished second and closed the regular season with four straight victories, that is a strong position. But the manner of Sunday’s win may tell us more about Redcliffe’s premiership prospects than some of the bigger scores that came before it.

The Run Into September

Redcliffe finished the regular season with a 14-5-1 record, three competition points behind minor premiers Sunshine Coast.

The ladder contained another number worth noticing. The Dolphins scored 577 points and conceded 344, leaving them with a +233 points differential — the best in the competition, ahead even of the Falcons’ +187.

Their final month showed where much of that difference came from.

Redcliffe shut out the PNG Hunters 32–0 in Port Moresby, then returned home and put 46 points on Brisbane Tigers. Tweed were beaten 30–12 a week later before the Dolphins finished the regular season with a 44–26 victory over Western Clydesdales.

Those were four very different afternoons, but together they took Redcliffe into September on a run no other finals opponent could ignore.

The Tigers match was perhaps the clearest display of their attacking ceiling. Redcliffe ran in eight tries, Jude Saldanha scored three, Trai Fuller crossed and Joshua James contributed a try and seven conversions.

Tweed made them work differently. Redcliffe led only 12–8 at halftime and the scores were level early in the second half before the Dolphins pulled away.

Then came September, and a much sterner examination.

The Capras Made Them Earn It

Central Queensland arrived at Kayo Stadium in serious form of their own, having won five straight matches and eight of their previous nine.

For 40 minutes, they looked every bit like it.

The Capras scored three first-half tries and took a 16–4 lead into the sheds. Redcliffe had been hurt by errors and poor decisions, and suddenly the comfortable victories of August did not count for much.

What followed was probably more instructive than another big winning margin would have been.

A penalty try to Saldanha brought Redcliffe back into the contest before Brent Woolf forced his way over in the 63rd minute to make it 16-all. With three minutes remaining, James found Jaron Purcell, who put Fuller through the gap for the try that settled it.

Redcliffe 20, Central Queensland 16.

It was not their cleanest performance of the past month. At this stage of the season, that hardly matters.

Finals football has a way of changing the questions. Opponents bring form of their own, mistakes become more expensive and one poor half can put an entire season in danger.

Redcliffe had one of those halves on Sunday. They found a way out of it.

Five Straight, With Something Bigger Ahead

Sunday extended the winning streak to five and continued a season in which Redcliffe have spent much of their time around the top of the competition.

There is plenty of experience behind the run.

Captain Sheldon Pitama played his 150th Cup match against the Capras, with every one of those appearances coming in Redcliffe colours. Fuller remains capable of producing the sort of moment that decided Sunday’s final, while James has been heavily involved in the Dolphins’ attack through the closing stages of the season.

Yet the stronger case for Redcliffe is not really about one or two names.

They have beaten minor premiers Sunshine Coast 28–14 this season. They finished with the competition’s best points differential. They closed the regular season with four wins of 18 points or more, then won a completely different sort of game when their finals campaign began badly.

That does not make Redcliffe inevitable premiers. Sunshine Coast finished three points clear at the top and also won its qualifying final, while every team still alive has already survived enough football to get this far.

What Redcliffe have done is put themselves in a position where much of that can unfold without them.

Next weekend, they can watch.

One Game From the Grand Final

Redcliffe’s next match will be a preliminary final at Kayo Stadium on the weekend of 19–20 September against the winner of Burleigh and Townsville.

Win it, and they are in the Hostplus Cup Grand Final.

There is an added local dimension to where this season could finish. The 2026 QRL Grand Final Day will also be played at Kayo Stadium on Saturday, 26 September.

So after a season spent chasing the top of the ladder, Redcliffe now have the possibility of playing the rest of their football without leaving home.

Sunday’s first half against the Capras was enough of a warning that nothing about the next two steps should be treated as straightforward. It was also a reminder of why September cannot be judged purely by margins and ladder positions.

Redcliffe were 12 points down at halftime and three minutes from the end they were still locked at 16-all.

They won anyway.

After 20 regular-season matches and one tense afternoon of finals football, the Dolphins are now one victory from a Grand Final and two from a premiership.

For a club making its 10th consecutive finals appearance, this is where another strong season has finally brought them: a week off, a home preliminary final, and the premiership very much within reach.

Published 6-September-2026

Woody Point Beach Project Moves Into the Next Stage

Several months after Woody Point’s new beach was announced, work along the Crockatt Park foreshore has moved further along the waterfront — but locals will have to wait a while yet before they can put down a towel on the new stretch of sand.

The approximately 60-metre beach near TS Moreton Cadets formed the first stage of the Crockatt Park Seawall Upgrade. City of Moreton Bay’s construction schedule had that work running from April to July, while two other stages are now within their scheduled construction periods.

The beach is not due to open separately. Council says public access will begin when the wider project is completed, currently targeted for mid-2027, weather permitting.

Work Moves Along the Waterfront

The project is much bigger than the new beach.

A 331-metre stepped concrete seawall is being built between Woody Point Jetty and Woody Point Boat Ramp, replacing coastal protection infrastructure and helping defend the foreshore against erosion, severe weather and sea-level rise.

Council has split construction into four stages.

Stage 2, covering the seawall near Woody Point Jetty, is scheduled from April to September. Stage 3 began in August and covers the section between Crockatt Park and Woody Point Jetty, with work programmed through December.

The final stage, directly in front of Crockatt Park, is scheduled from January to May 2027.

That means construction will remain part of the Woody Point waterfront for some time. Council says nearby parkland, parking and the boat ramp may be temporarily affected during the works, while pedestrians can expect diversions around active construction areas.

A Beach Built Into a Bigger Coastal Project

When Council announced the beach earlier this year, it said about 2,000 tonnes of sand would be used to create the new area.

*City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery and Councillor Karl Winchester at the site* *where the beach is under construction. Photo Credit: City of Moreton Bay*

But the project was primarily designed as a long-term coastal protection upgrade.

The new seawall has a design life of 100 years. Before construction, engineers tested a scale model at the Queensland Government Hydraulics Laboratory at Deagon, using simulated extreme storm conditions to assess how waves and water would interact with the structure.

The finished foreshore will also include new staircase access with handrails for people with ambulant disabilities. Textured surfaces along the shoreline are designed to provide visual and tactile wayfinding for people who are blind or have low vision.

Some trees will be removed during construction, with Council planning replacement planting throughout Crockatt Park.

Still on Track for a 2027 Opening

The Crockatt Park seawall remains on City of Moreton Bay’s works program, with the project specifically included in Council’s 2026–27 Budget for Division 6.

It is jointly funded by City of Moreton Bay and the Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund, with $4.5 million in federal funding allocated to the project.

For anyone who saw the beach taking shape and wondered whether an opening was close, the important date remains mid-2027.

Council has not announced an earlier public opening for the beach. Its current project information says the overall Crockatt Park upgrade is aiming for completion by mid-2027, weather permitting.

Until then, Woody Point’s newest stretch of sand remains part of the construction site — and part of a much bigger overhaul of the foreshore.

Published 1-September-2026

Dolphins Fight Back From 14 Down to Beat Titans Before Finals

The Dolphins stared down a 14-point hole on the Gold Coast and came roaring back, beating the Titans 24–20 to carry winning momentum into the club’s first NRL finals campaign.

Gold Coast had them 14–0 down inside 16 minutes and threatening to turn the final night of the regular season into an uncomfortable one. By half-time, though, the Dolphins had dragged themselves back to 14–12 before two quick tries after the break completed the turnaround.

It wasn’t the performance of a top-four side cruising towards September. What mattered was how the Dolphins responded once the Titans had put them under genuine pressure.

Gold Coast Lands the First Punches

Playing his 100th NRL game, Jayden Campbell crossed after six minutes before AJ Brimson added another in the 10th. Campbell converted both and then kicked a penalty goal to give the Titans a 14–0 advantage.

The Dolphins, with Kodi Nikorima, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Selwyn Cobbo all given the night off as Woolf took a cautious approach ahead of the finals, had made a mess of the opening quarter and were suddenly chasing the game.

Their opportunity arrived when Keano Kini was sin-binned in the 23rd minute, and they didn’t waste it. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow crossed less than two minutes later, Herbie Farnworth followed in the 28th and Jamayne Isaako converted both to cut the deficit to 14–12 at the break.

Twenty-Four Unanswered Points Change the Game

Rather than losing momentum at half-time, the Dolphins came out and finished the comeback almost immediately.

Ray Stone crossed in the 45th minute after Francis Molo broke the Gold Coast line, putting the visitors ahead for the first time. Two minutes later Tabuai-Fidow was through again and, with Isaako maintaining his perfect night from the tee, a 14-point deficit had become a 24–14 lead.

It was the Dolphins at their most dangerous. Once they found some rhythm, four tries arrived in a little over 20 minutes.

What followed was less convincing, with errors preventing them from putting Gold Coast away and giving the Titans enough possession to stay in the contest. Campbell eventually crossed for his second try in the 71st minute and converted to make it 24–20.

The final minutes became a scramble rather than a procession. Isaako was placed on report following a tripping penalty, while Titans prop Moeaki Fotuaika was sin-binned and placed on report late as Gold Coast searched for a way to steal the match.

They couldn’t find it.

A Win With a Warning Attached

There is plenty for Kristian Woolf to take from the comeback, but probably just as much from the way the Dolphins got themselves into trouble.

Giving a Titans side that entered the round in 16th a 14-point start was an obvious concern, while the errors that followed the second-half surge allowed a game the Dolphins appeared to have taken over to remain alive until the closing minutes. September is unlikely to offer the same margin for recovery.

Still, Tabuai-Fidow’s double again showed how quickly this attack can change a match. Farnworth continued his late-season scoring form, while Isaako’s four conversions ultimately made the difference in a four-point result.

There was a little history attached to the win as well. The Dolphins had won each of their previous three matches against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium, so their perfect record there against Gold Coast now stands at four from four.

More significantly, the regular-season climb that began with their NRL debut in 2023 is complete. Finishes of 13th, 10th and ninth have now given way to a top-four season and the club’s first appearance in September.

The Dolphins won’t want to take Friday night’s opening 20 minutes with them. The ability to recover from it, however, might be worth packing.

Titans 20
Tries: Jayden Campbell 2, AJ Brimson
Goals: Jayden Campbell 3 conversions, 1 penalty goal

Dolphins 24
Tries: Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2, Herbie Farnworth, Ray Stone
Goals: Jamayne Isaako 4 conversions

Half-time: Titans 14–12 Dolphins
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Round: 27, 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership

Published 4-September-2026

Redcliffe Woman Wins $ 150,000 After Checking $10 Scratchie

A young Redcliffe woman planning to move out of home has received an unexpected $150,000 boost after buying a scratchie from a local Oxley Avenue newsagency.

The woman, who is in her early 20s and has not been publicly named, won the top prize on a $10 Bingo 10X Instant Scratch-Its ticket purchased from Midway News at 544 Oxley Avenue. She plans to save most of the money and put it towards moving out.

Routine purchase delivers six-figure surprise

The woman bought the ticket on a Monday but did not scratch it until the following day. After using a self-checker and learning the ticket had won a prize, she went back over it to confirm the result.

She initially believed she had won $75 before realising the prize was $150,000. The discovery prompted an emotional call to her mother, and she later told lottery officials the result was still difficult to comprehend.

Scratchies were not entirely unfamiliar to her, with family members having given them as birthday presents in the past. Buying one for herself was an occasional decision, however, and the winning ticket was a spontaneous purchase.

Moving plans move closer

The Redcliffe resident said she intended to put most of the winnings aside and use the money to help her move out. She has not disclosed where she plans to move or whether she intends to rent or buy.

No major spending plans have been announced. The $150,000 prize instead gives her a substantial financial buffer as she prepares for the costs of establishing a home of her own.

Midway News adds another major win

Midway News owner Deepak Rawat said staff were pleased to see another customer secure a significant prize from a ticket sold at the Redcliffe shop.

Rawat said the business had sold a division-one Lotto entry and two top-prize Instant Scratch-Its tickets in recent years, along with other smaller major wins. Staff plan to mark the latest result with posters in the store.

The Oxley Avenue outlet has previously sold other significant winning tickets, including a $1 million Gold Lotto entry claimed by a Redcliffe shopper in 2023 after going unchecked for several weeks.

A mother and daughter also won a $50,000 Instant Scratch-Its top prize from a ticket bought at the store in 2022. Another Redcliffe woman secured a $200,000 Lucky Lotteries first prize from an entry purchased there in 2019.

Published 3-Sept-2026