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Free Family Activities Planned for Redcliffe Winter School Holidays

Families across Redcliffe will have no shortage of options during the winter school holidays, with Moreton Bay offering dozens of free activities designed to keep children entertained, active and learning throughout the break.

From improv comedy workshops and beginner 3D printing sessions to visits from alpacas and babydoll lambs, this year’s holiday program includes a mix of creative, educational and recreational experiences across the region.

The activities are aimed at helping children explore new interests while giving families affordable ways to stay engaged during the school holidays.

Creative workshops encourage children to step outside their comfort zone

Children interested in performance, creativity and imagination will be able to take part in a variety of library-based activities during the winter break.

Among the offerings is Improv Jam, where participants can learn techniques used to create spontaneous games, stories and scenes. The sessions encourage confidence, communication and creative thinking while providing plenty of opportunities for laughter and teamwork.

Other library activities include beginner 3D printing workshops, magic shows and circus-themed experiences, giving children a chance to develop new skills and discover interests they may not have explored before.

Alpacas and lambs bring farming lessons to local libraries

Animal-themed learning will also feature as part of the Winter Woollies program. Selected City of Moreton Bay libraries will welcome alpacas and babydoll lambs, giving children an opportunity to learn more about wool production and natural fibres.

Families attending the sessions will be able to watch demonstrations showing how raw fleece is prepared through carding before being spun into yarn. The program combines education with hands-on learning and aims to help children better understand how natural materials are transformed into everyday products.

Active holidays program offers sport and adventure

For children who prefer physical activity, the Active Holidays program includes a broad range of sporting and recreational experiences. Activities include target archery, tennis, hip hop dance, junior boxing, multicultural games and survival skills programs.

The sessions are designed to encourage participation, confidence and healthy lifestyles while introducing children to activities they may wish to continue beyond the school holidays.

Mayor Peter Flannery said the holiday program aimed to provide opportunities for young people to stay active, spend time with friends and family and create positive memories during the winter break.

Museums add hands-on family experiences

The holiday schedule also extends to City of Moreton Bay’s museums and galleries.

Families can take part in creative workshops and visit events such as the Farmyard Family Fun Day at Pine Rivers Heritage Museum. Children can also create illuminated LED story lanterns and participate in activities that combine learning, creativity and local culture.

The experiences are designed to encourage exploration while introducing young people to some of the region’s cultural attractions.

Want to go? Check the full details, locations, and booking information below:

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS – LIBRARIES

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS – GALLERIES & MUSEUMS

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS – ACTIVE PLAY

Published 24-June-2026

Redcliffe Markets Up Late Brings Twilight Food, Music and Family Fun to the Foreshore

Redcliffe Markets Up Late is set to transform Redcliffe Parade into a bustling twilight market, bringing more than 250 stalls, live entertainment and roving performers inspired by underwater sea life to the foreshore.

The event returns on Saturday 25 July from 4pm to 9pm, turning the seaside strip from its familiar Sunday morning rhythm into a five-hour evening experience. Entry is free, with visitors who register for a ticket here automatically entered into a draw for a gourmet hamper valued at more than $200.

A twilight celebration by the bay

More than 250 curated stalls bring together South-East Queensland’s gourmet street food alongside artisan goods, handmade wares and market provisions. Live music runs across the evening, with roving performers costumed as underwater sea creatures moving through the crowd as part of the event’s immersive entertainment program.

Family-friendly activities and interactive kids’ activations are scheduled throughout the night, making this a workable event for families who want to venture out for a weekend evening out without sacrificing the children’s enjoyment.

A market with deep roots in the Redcliffe community

The Redcliffe Markets have run every Sunday along Redcliffe Parade for years, establishing themselves as one of the Moreton Bay region’s most visited regular markets with more than 200 stalls, trawler-direct seafood, farm-direct produce, fresh-baked bread, artisan goods and live entertainment each week from 8am to 2pm.

The Up Late events are curated by Goodwill Projects, the same Queensland events company behind the Sunday market, which also operates the West End and Milton markets in Brisbane. July’s edition sits in the sweet spot of the Redcliffe winter calendar, when the peninsula’s ocean frontage is at its clearest and the evening temperature suits outdoor lingering.

The market is located along Redcliffe Parade beside the Redcliffe Jetty, with ample free parking at the north end of the markets and throughout the surrounding streets. The Moreton Bay cycleway also connects directly to the foreshore, making a bike ride to the event a practical alternative for those coming from nearby suburbs.

Redcliffe Markets Up Late runs Saturday 25 July from 4pm to 9pm on Redcliffe Parade. Register for a free ticket and the hamper draw here, or RSVP via Facebook.

Published 22-June-2026

Redcliffe’s Liam Adcock Earns Long-Awaited Commonwealth Games Debut

Australian Athletics

After years of setbacks, surgeries and near misses, long jumper Liam Adcock, who grew up competing at Redcliffe Little Athletics and attended Redcliffe State High School, has earned his first Commonwealth Games selection, securing a place in Australia’s team for Glasgow 2026 following the best season of his career.

The selection marks his first Commonwealth Games call-up, arriving 12 years after he first took up long jump and eight years after narrowly missing out on the 2018 squad.

The 29-year-old heads to Glasgow as one of Australia’s most credentialled squad members. He returns from a breakout 2025 season where he secured bronze at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, won the Rome Diamond League meeting with a personal best of 8.34 metres, and finished the year ranked fifth in the world.

A Redcliffe story that started in a backyard

Adcock was born in Paddington, New South Wales, but grew up in Redcliffe, attending Scarborough State School and Redcliffe State High School before his family settled into the bayside suburb. He began competing at Redlands Little Athletics, before returning to Redcliffe Little Athletics and later training at Deception Bay.

*Photo Credit:* *Liam Adcock/ Instagram*

His entry into jumping events was unconventional. After an injury at age 16 forced a rethink about his sporting goals, Adcock and his stepbrother turned their focus specifically to triple jump. They built a makeshift sandpit in their backyard with a 20-metre run-up, and Adcock registered with Athletics Queensland during Year 12.

An external coach soon advised him to switch to long jump, and the results quickly followed. He won Queensland state titles and reached the national podium in 2017 and 2018. Despite finishing second at the national selection trials, he missed a spot on the 2018 Commonwealth Games team. Following that omission, Adcock took a six-month break from the sport before joining a new training squad.

A succession of severe injuries followed, including major ankle surgery on his take-off leg, keeping him off the national championships circuit through 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The comeback to world-class ranks

Adcock returned to competitive action in 2022, travelling to Europe and jumping within three centimetres of his personal best. His 2023 season delivered a major competitive breakthrough.

He cleared the eight-metre barrier for the first time in Auckland, won the 2023 Australian Athletics Championships in Brisbane with a leap of 8.06 metres, and earned selection for the World Championships in Budapest. In Budapest, his 7.99-metre jump missed the final by one centimetre, a distance that ultimately placed seventh in the final round.

Following the passing of his long-time coach Gary Bourne in late 2023, Adcock relocated to Sydney. He adapted his preparation to a self-coached program, utilizing the track and gym frameworks of coach Andrew Murphy at the Sydney University Athletics Club.

Coach Gary Bourne. *Photo Credit: Australian Athletics*

His subsequent 2025 campaign yielded elite international results. He claimed a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing with a leap of 8.28 metres, and won the Rome Diamond League event, producing a lifetime best of 8.34 metres on his final jump to defeat Olympic champion Miltiádis Tentóglou.

He closed out his international circuit by placing third at the Diamond League Final in Zurich with 8.24 metres, ending the year ranked fifth in the world with the top four Australian long jump performances of the season.

Glasgow and the debut milestone

While the Paris 2024 Olympics was a primary career goal, injury hampered his performance. Adcock slipped on the take-off board in a warm-up meet prior to the Olympics, aggravating a pre-existing hamstring tendinopathy in his take-off leg. The injury limited his power output in Paris, where he finished the qualification round in 27th place with a best mark of 7.56 metres.

He responded with a strong domestic season, culminating in a dominant victory at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney with a jump of 8.26 metres. This performance locked in his automatic selection for Glasgow.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will mark Adcock’s debut at the event, entering the competition sitting equal fourth on the Australian all-time long jump list. For the Moreton Bay community that watched him record his early jumps at the local track, the Glasgow selection rewards 12 years of competitive persistence.

To track Liam Adcock’s progress in Glasgow, visit athletics.com.au or commonwealthgames.com.au.

Published 17-June-2026

Leadership Pathway Builds Early Skills At Redcliffe School

Photo Credit: Redcliffe State High School

Redcliffe State High School is preparing Years 7 to 11 students for future school leadership through a program centred on teamwork, communication, school involvement and practical preparation.

Redcliffe Students Build Leadership Skills Early

Redcliffe State High School is helping younger students prepare for future leadership roles through its Leadership Aspirant Program.

The program supports students from Years 7 to 11 who want to become future school leaders. It gives them a structured way to learn about leadership before they reach formal senior roles, including the school’s Year 12 and Year 9 leadership groups.

Students involved in the program are encouraged to take part in school life, understand leadership responsibilities and build the skills needed to contribute within the school and wider community.

The program was developed after staff identified a need to prepare students earlier for leadership roles, responsibilities and application processes.

Students preparing for school leadership — *Photo Credit: Redcliffe State High School*

Practical Preparation Before Formal Roles

The first two terms focus on connection, previous leadership experiences, personal strengths, areas for improvement and teamwork.

In term three, the program moves into preparation for formal leadership opportunities. Students practise public speaking, work on CVs and prepare for interview questions.

They also take part in school activities, including parent-teacher interview nights and Friday fun days. These opportunities give students practical experience beyond the classroom while helping them understand what school leadership can involve.

Students also prepare materials that may support future leadership applications, including speeches and CVs.

Redcliffe Program Reaches Different Kinds Of Leaders

The program is also aimed at students who may already show leadership outside formal school positions.

Some students lead through sport or community involvement without holding recognised school leadership titles. The Leadership Aspirant Program gives those students a way to develop those skills within the school setting.

Students are expected to show they are willing to take on responsibility and contribute to activities connected with school leadership. The program presents leadership as a role built through preparation, teamwork and involvement, rather than a title alone.

Redcliffe students practising leadership skills — *Photo Credit: Redcliffe State High School*

Students Learn From Working Together

Students in the program have described teamwork as one of the main lessons.

Ayva Marsh said the program helped her understand the leadership qualities needed for the following year, including the value of working with others instead of taking on every task alone.

Daniel Tavake said learning about leadership qualities and the benefits of the role encouraged him to take part.

Eliza Wood said the program helped her understand the importance of working together and the stronger impact students can have as a group.

Jesse-James Schuster encouraged other students to join the program, while Michael Robinson described it as a worthwhile experience for students interested in becoming leaders.

School Culture Supports Student Pathways

Redcliffe State High School’s wider approach focuses on connection, learning, belonging and student pathways.

The school also has programs and activities linked to student growth, including Year 12 academic mentoring and the Reddi Rewards Program, which recognises positive student behaviour across year levels.

Within that setting, the Leadership Aspirant Program gives Redcliffe students another way to build confidence, practise communication and prepare for the responsibilities that come with school leadership.

Published 17-June-2026

Free Family Event to Welcome Redcliffe’s Newest Little Queenslanders

BCC

Families with babies and toddlers in the Redcliffe area have a free community morning coming their way, with the G’day Little Queenslanders event set for Pelican Park in Clontarf.

The event will run from 9am to 12pm on Sunday 12 July and is part of a statewide program visiting 14 Queensland regions in 2026, designed to celebrate children born in the past two years and connect their families with local services, community organisations and other parents in the area.

Entry is free and no registration is required to attend, though families who register in advance receive a personalised keepsake certificate on the day officially welcoming their child.

Inside the family-friendly program

The event is built around young children and the adults who bring them. Live kids’ entertainment including a Bluey Live Interactive Experience featuring Bluey and Bingo keeps small hands and feet busy, while creative family-friendly activities give little ones something to interact with beyond the usual park setting.

Information stalls from local services and community organisations give parents and carers a practical reason to browse, covering the kind of resources that are genuinely useful in the early years. Food and drink trucks will be on site, and dedicated chill-out spaces give families somewhere to settle for longer stretches rather than moving constantly.

The personalised certificate, produced on the day for families who register in advance, serves as a keepsake of the occasion, something to tuck into the baby box alongside the milestone photographs.

Pelican Park, Clontarf

The event location at Pelican Park on the Hornibrook Esplanade sits at the edge of Bramble Bay with sweeping views across to the Hornibrook Bridge and the bay beyond.

The eastern shoreline of the Redcliffe Peninsula is known feeding ground for green turtles foraging the seagrass beds of Moreton Bay, giving the backdrop a quiet ecological significance that local families who spend time at the water’s edge here will already know.

The park has picnic facilities, grassy open areas and good vehicle access from Hornibrook Esplanade, making it a practical choice for families with prams and young children.

How to register

Families can find the Redcliffe event listing and register for a personalised certificate here. For general enquiries, contact the program team at littlequeenslanders@premiers.qld.gov.au or on 07 3003 9200.

G’day Little Queenslanders Redcliffe runs Sunday 12 July from 9am to 12pm at Pelican Park, 101 Hornibrook Esplanade, Clontarf.

Published 15-June-2026

Redcliffe to Host Oceania Under 21 Hockey World Cup Qualifier

Oceania Hockey Federation/Facebook

The Oceania Hockey Federation has announced Redcliffe as the host of its 2026 Under 21 Junior World Cup Qualifier, with elite junior national teams from across the Pacific set to compete at Mary Nairn Fields.

The tournament will run from 28 September to 4 October and will feature leading junior national teams from across the Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, competing in an 11-a-side format for qualification to the FIH Junior World Cup. It is the region’s most significant junior hockey event and one of the few pathways through which Oceania nations can earn a place at the sport’s global showpiece.

Delivered in partnership with Redcliffe Hockey Club and City of Moreton Bay, the tournament marks a major milestone as an international hockey event for the Moreton Bay region.

A qualifying path that produces serious talent

The Oceania Under 21 Junior World Cup Qualifier is the competition through which Australia and New Zealand determine who represents the region at the FIH Junior World Cup.

The most recent edition was held in Auckland in January and February 2025, where New Zealand edged Australia to win the men’s qualifier in a shootout. Both nations qualified for the 2025 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup held in Tamil Nadu, India.

The 2026 qualifier at Redcliffe represents the next cycle in that pathway. Under-21 players competing this October are the generation building toward the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, where hockey will feature on the full program.

OHF CEO Craig Gribble described the tournament as a foundational step for emerging athletes. “This tournament is a vital pathway for emerging athletes aiming to compete on the world stage as we build towards Brisbane 2032,” he said. “Hosting the qualifiers in Redcliffe provides a unique platform for high-performance competition while also strengthening hockey across Oceania.”

A venue with nearly 100 years behind it

Mary Nairn Fields at Oxley Avenue is home to the Redcliffe Hockey Club, which has been a fixture of the Moreton Bay sports landscape since its foundation in 1932. The club runs both men’s and women’s competitions across multiple grades, and the Oxley Avenue grounds have hosted Queensland-level competition for decades.

The club runs both men’s and women’s competitions across multiple grades, and the Oxley Avenue grounds have hosted Queensland-level competition for decades.

*Photo Credit: Hockey Australia/Facebook*

The event reinforces City of Moreton Bay’s growing reputation for hosting high-performance international sport and highlights the city as a destination for major events. Players, officials and supporters from across Oceania are expected to make the trip to Redcliffe for the week-long tournament.

Tournament details and schedule

Match schedules, team confirmations and ticketing details will be announced in the coming months as the tournament takes shape. The format is 11-a-side across the full week, with qualifying matches building toward a final that decides Oceania’s representatives at the FIH Junior World Cup.

For the Redcliffe community, the tournament represents a rare opportunity to watch elite international sport at a local venue, with players who will, in many cases, go on to represent their countries at Olympic level.

Further information will be available through the Oceania Hockey Federation’s website and Redcliffe Hockey Club’s channels as the event draws closer.

Published 8-June-2026

Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Share Dragon Boating With Locals in Kippa-Ring

Photo Credit: Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Club Inc./Facebook

Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Club Inc. is giving locals a closer look at its paddling community through a Come and Try Dragon Boating event in Kippa-Ring.

Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Welcome Locals to the Water

Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Club Inc. is holding a Come and Try Dragon Boating event for non-members interested in learning more about the club and its paddling community.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, 13 June 2026, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am at the Redcliffe Red Dragon Boat Club in Kippa-Ring. Participants are asked to be at the Redcliffe Red Dragons and Pink Snapdragons shed by 9:00 am.

The session is set to begin with a warm-up and coach briefing before the group aims to be on the water from 9:30 am. Registration is required so coaches can prepare crews before the session starts.

Participants are also asked to follow hygiene practices, including washing down boats, club paddles and the sweep oar after the event, and not attending if unwell.

Kippa-Ring dragon boating session — *Photo Credit: CrSandraRuck/Facebook*

A Redcliffe Peninsula Club Built on Support

The Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons are a not-for-profit dragon boat club for breast cancer survivors and supporters. The club is based at Talobilla Park in Kippa-Ring and paddles across Moreton Bay.

Founded in 2005, the club brings together paddlers from across the Redcliffe Peninsula, including Scarborough, Margate, Kippa-Ring, Woody Point and Clontarf, along with the wider Moreton Bay and Brisbane region.

Its activities include regular dragon boat training, regional regattas, breast cancer awareness fundraising and social events. The club is part of Dragons Abreast Australia, where it is known as DA Moreton Bay.

Paddlers training on Moreton Bay — *Photo Credit: Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Club Inc./Facebook*

What New Paddlers Can Expect

The Come and Try event gives visitors a chance to see where the club trains, meet members and experience a paddling session in a supportive setting.

No previous dragon boating experience is needed. The club provides paddles and life jackets, and newcomers are guided through the activity.

The club welcomes breast cancer survivors and supporters, regardless of fitness level or paddling background. It presents dragon boating as a way to stay active, enjoy Moreton Bay and connect with others through a shared team activity.

Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons dragon boat team — *Photo Credit: Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons Breast Cancer Dragon Boat Club Inc./Facebook*

The Story Behind the Pink Snapdragons

The Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons were founded after Jayne Coe, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer at 31 and later with a lung secondary in 2001, was inspired by breast cancer paddlers she met at the National Dragon Boat Regatta in Canberra in 2003.

After returning to Redcliffe, she worked towards forming a local club. Redcliffe Pink Snapdragons was established in 2005 with support from Dragons Abreast Australia and the local community. Jayne served as the club’s first president until her death in 2007.

In 2025, the club marked 20 years of paddling, friendship and survivorship. It recorded more than 50 active members and more than 100 events attended.

The Come and Try event continues that local story, offering Redcliffe residents a way to understand the club’s work, its history and the role dragon boating plays in bringing survivors and supporters together on Moreton Bay.

Published 8-June-2026

Meet the 12 Young Voices Shaping Redcliffe’s Future

@kerriannedooleymp/Instagram

The Redcliffe Youth Advisory Council (RYAC) has selected 12 students from across the peninsula for its 2026 program, kicking off with a workshop where members identified the issues they believe matter most to young people in the region.

The group, drawn from schools, homeschool settings and university, spent their first session brainstorming the challenges and opportunities they want the program to address. Topics raised included poor behaviour in schools, career pathway information, financial literacy, environmental volunteering, access to mental health services and bullying.

It is the kind of list that reflects the range of perspectives in the room: practical, personal and community-minded in roughly equal parts.

The 2026 members

This year’s council brings together students aged 14 to 21 from across the Redcliffe peninsula.

The 2026 cohort includes:

Jake Dunne, 17, School Captain at Clontarf Beach State High School
Isabelle Brymner, 14, from Mueller College
Charlie Buchanan, 16, Clontarf Beach State High School
Lucielle Kokot, 15, Southern Cross Catholic College
Gabbi Lennox, 15, Clontarf Beach State High School
Grace Elfverson, 16, North Lakes College
Zhalee Brackstone, 18, Youth Director of Redcliffe Musical Theatre
Chloe Keepa, 17, Clontarf Beach State High School
Harriett Peters Kingshott, 16, home educated
Lucy Mather, 18, university student
Eden Bielby, 14, Grace Lutheran College
Daniel Harlow, 17, from Redcliffe State High School

*Photo Credit: @kerriannedooleymp/Instagram*

Members were nominated by schools, self-nominated, or recommended by parents and teachers. Eligibility requires students to live in the Redcliffe area and be aged between 14 and 21.

A nine-month program with real-world experiences

RYAC runs across four workshops from now through to November. In July, members will take part in a personal development session on DISC profiling facilitated by Action Coach Brad Flynn. In September, the group visits Parliament House for a tour, a meeting with the Premier and the chance to watch Question Time in session.

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The program wraps up in November with a family and carer morning tea, where members receive certificates of completion and celebrate their year’s work with the people who supported them through it.

For young Redcliffe residents interested in future programs, participants must live in the Redcliffe area and be aged between 14 and 21. More information is available by emailing redcliffe@parliament.qld.gov.au or by following the council on Instagram.

Published 2-June-2026

Redcliffe Whale Watching Season Marks 30 Years On Moreton Bay

Photo Credit: Brisbane Whale Watching/Facebook

Redcliffe is preparing for the return of whale watching season, as Brisbane Whale Watching marks its 30th season taking passengers onto Moreton Bay to see humpbacks during their annual migration.

For nearly three decades, the winter migration of humpback whales has brought passengers to Redcliffe Jetty and out across Moreton Bay aboard Brisbane Whale Watching’s Eye Spy.

That seasonal rhythm is set to continue when Brisbane Whale Watching launches its 30th season on Saturday, 6 June, marking a milestone for one of the area’s long-running marine tourism experiences.

The locally operated business departs from Redcliffe aboard Eye Spy, taking locals and visitors onto Moreton Bay during the annual humpback migration. Daily tours are scheduled to operate through winter until October.

The milestone season gives the return of whale watching added significance for Redcliffe, where the business has become closely associated with winter on the peninsula and the movement of whales through Moreton Bay.

A Business Shaped by Moreton Bay’s Whales

Brisbane Whale Watching was founded by Captain Kerry Lopez, whose path to whale watching began with a whale sighting in Moreton Bay in 1990.

After securing one of the original whale watching permits issued for Moreton Bay, Captain Kerry launched the business in 1996. Since then, more than 300,000 guests from around the world have taken part in its tours.

The 30th season also reflects the broader story of humpback whales along the east coast. Captain Kerry has linked the business’s history with the recovery of the East Coast humpback population, referring to a rise from about 100 whales to more than 50,000 now passing through Moreton Bay Marine Park.

That change has helped make whale watching a regular winter experience from Redcliffe, with each season bringing new passengers onto the bay and returning guests back to the water.

Eye Spy Remains Part Of The Redcliffe Experience

The tours operate aboard Eye Spy, a multi-million dollar, high-speed catamaran built locally by South Pacific Marine in Brisbane.

The vessel includes multiple outdoor viewing areas, walk-around access across lower and upper decks, air-conditioned cabins, large windows, five toilets and wheelchair-friendly lower deck access. It also carries onboard technology including an underwater microphone and an underwater GoPro.

Eye Spy has low-noise propellers and a hull design intended to reduce wash. The vessel is supported by Sky Spy, a small Cessna 172 aircraft used to help locate whales and provide position details to the boat, reducing travel time to sighting areas.

For passengers, the season offers several ways to join the tours, including standard, premium and VIP whale watching experiences. General admission is listed from AUD $185, with Brisbane CBD transfer options and a 2026 season pass also available.

*Photo Credit: Brisbane Whale Watching/Facebook*

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A Milestone Season Amid Rising Costs

The 30th season arrives as tourism operators continue to face pressure from rising operating costs.

Fuel costs remain a concern because they affect several parts of the operation, including coach transfers and onboard catering. Those pressures can affect ticket pricing while operators continue to maintain passenger numbers through the season.

Despite those challenges, the upcoming season remains centred on the return of the whales and the long-running Redcliffe operation built around them.

Brisbane Whale Watching has also received recent recognition, including Best of Queensland GOLD status for 2026 and induction into the Moreton Bay Business Awards Tourism Business Excellence Hall of Fame in 2025.

As the new season begins, the milestone places the focus on how far the business has come since the whale sighting in 1990 that helped shape its direction. From Redcliffe Jetty to the waters of Moreton Bay, Brisbane Whale Watching’s 30th season marks both a return to the bay and a significant chapter in the area’s winter whale watching story.

Published 1-June-2026

“It Makes Me Feel Human”: Inside the Redcliffe Hub Helping People Get Back on Their Feet

The Breakfast Club Redcliffe Inc/Facebook

Every week at the Peninsula Support Hub, a volunteer team runs five meal services, hands out food hampers and opens the doors to showers, laundry facilities and internet access for people who need them.

The Breakfast Club has been doing this work since 2017, starting from a small shopfront with limited space and limited reach. The move to the purpose-built hub, which opened in July 2025, changed the scale of what was possible. The first breakfast service at the new hub fed 35 guests. Attendance has since doubled.

Since opening, the club has served 4,646 meals, distributed 1,081 food hampers, provided 714 showers and completed 401 loads of laundry for people experiencing homelessness or financial hardship.

More than just a meal service

The numbers are striking, but the feedback from guests puts a different kind of weight on them.

“It means I don’t feel like a refugee. It makes me feel human,” one guest said. Another described a first shower after months without access: “After a couple of months without a shower, having a hot shower made me feel alive and refreshed.”

*Photo Credit: The Breakfast Club Redcliffe Inc*

For Breakfast Club President Michelle Gilchrist, that response is exactly what the service is designed to produce. “It provides a space where the community can come together and care for others,” she says. “People know they are welcome, whether they need support or simply have something they want to share.”

The hub sits within a broader support ecosystem run by the Salvation Army, which manages the facility and connects guests with housing advice, financial counselling, legal assistance, mental health support and family programs. In the hub’s first six months, 996 people received support, with 380 seeking help with housing and 219 seeking financial assistance or advice.

The partnerships that keep it running

The Breakfast Club relies on community organisations to maintain and expand what it offers. Orange Sky Australia sends volunteers each week to provide laundry services and helped fund upgrades to the hub’s drying facilities, a practical detail that makes a significant difference for guests trying to maintain clean clothes without a home.

*Photo Credit: The Breakfast Club Redcliffe Inc/Facebook*

Community Bank Samford, through its community grants program, recently funded a new commercial fridge that doubled the club’s cold food storage. The same grant covered computers for guests needing internet access and printing, as well as equipment for the administrative team.

Mandy Bell, Senior Branch Manager at Community Bank Samford, described The Breakfast Club as “a community pillar for the past nine years.”

“Recently, funding from our community grants program enabled them to buy a new fridge, doubling food storage for daily meal services and food hampers, which are distributed twice weekly to those in need,” Bell said.

A hub that feels like a neighbourhood

The Peninsula Support Hub was built as more than a service delivery point, and in practice it works that way. On any given day the building fills with conversation, volunteers preparing meals and guests who return regularly enough to feel ownership over the space.

Many guests help out with small tasks around the hub, contributing to the atmosphere rather than simply receiving from it. That dynamic, where people experiencing hardship also contribute to the community around them, reflects what the Breakfast Club has always aimed for.

The Breakfast Club operates from the Peninsula Support Hub at Oxley Avenue, Redcliffe. Volunteers and donors are always welcome. To get in touch or find out how to support the service, visit their site or contact the Salvation Army Redcliffe on (07) 3883 3200.

Published 29-May-2026