365 Places: Sandgate
Day 27: Sandgate, Queensland, Australia
Upper Esplanade and bay views, Sandgate, ca. 1907
Image Credit: pictureqld.slq.qld.gov.au/
If you happened to be standing at Woody Point on the Redcliffe Peninsula and looking back at Brisbane, chances are you would be looking at Sandgate.
Sandgate is a suburb of Briabane, located about 16 kilometres from the CBD. It is a popular place for Brisbanites to go for a Sunday drive, perhaps to enjoy some fish and chips in the park overlooking Moreton Bay. Its beach is not very popular with swimmers as there are a lot of mangroves and the sand is quite silty. Also, I have always been a bit frightened to swim there anyway, due to a story my mother told me about her childhood; that there were many sharks prowling the shallow calm waters of the bay.
What is beautiful about Sandgate and the surrounding suburbs, is that they feature some very fine examples of Queenslander houses, defined by their beautiful wide verandahs and timber work. This distinct style of architecture is becoming increasingly rare in Brisbane, as these lovely old gems have been either demolished or removed, to make way for apartment blocks.
The Queenslander calls to another time, a time where life was lived more elegantly, more relaxed and in synch with the long humid summer.
Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld)