We were going absolutely stir-crazy in this house. No internet, constant stream of rain, I was at work when it wasn't raining--we've barely had a chance to think about doing something fun, let alone get out and do it. And more to the point, with Emily, Sarah, and me all unemployed, it's hard to find something that's cheap and fun to do. So--to the mobile interwebs I went, looking for something new and exciting.
I found Shorncliffe Beach a few pages in on Trip Advisor. It wasn't a top attraction, but it was a beach, all we had to pay was $8 total transportation to get there and back, and the reviews said it was "lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops."
Well... I can say that it was not lined with fish and chip places and coffee shops, at least none that we saw.
It took just over an hour on public transport to get to the beach, taking a train from Roma Street station to Shorncliffe Station, and the beach was just a short walk from there. It isn't the prettiest of beaches, but I was expecting that, and I'm not sure if I would have wanted to swim in the water. It reminded me more of a big lake than an ocean--there weren't any waves, the sand was brown, and the water a bit mucky. But Cal had said that the beaches right off the coast of Brisbane weren't great. We're obviously going to go to the Gold Coast at some point, so they can get their fill of pretty beaches then!
Anyway. We walked down to the beach, which was at the very bottom of a hill. Maybe the fish and chip places were lining the street above, or something, but we didn't go up to check. First we went to the pier, but it was closed off, so we walked down the beach to another pier-like-thing that probably wasn't meant to be walked on and we climbed on it and walked to the edge.
The beach area was pretty tiny, but it was an awesome place for shell collecting. While there were a lot of ground-up shells, there were also tons of whole ones without any crabs or anything living in them. We found lots of cool ones. Sarah even found some sea glass. Also, tons of jellyfish--the big, proper, these-look-like-they-fell-out-of-Finding-Nemo jellyfish, not the bluebottles that wash up on the Gold Coast.
Then, of course, because they decided to go to the beach with an Upton--that is, me--it started raining. Which wasn't such a bad thing, because once we left the beach area the wind died down and when it wasn't raining, it was hot and humid.
We took shelter in the playground, which was AWESOME. I mean, I'm almost two-three and I thought it was awesome. Kids would love this thing. Lots of secret hideaways and staircases and ropes and slides. There were only a few kids there, all a bit too young to play on the "big kid" equipment (there's a place for little guys too)--probably because it was raining. Though, I did read in the reviews that Shorncliffe is usually a bit quiet, so it might be a good idea to visit if you don't want crowds.
After, we walked back to Sandgate--one train stop before Shorncliffe--along a nice walkway that would be excellent for running if people are into that sort of thing. It was lined with covered areas complete with barbecue facilities and drinking fountains--perfect places for family get-togethers or something. When we reached the end of the walkway the rain just started coming down, so we briefly took shelter under a pavilion and left Cal to look up where the nearest food place was while we ran out and conquered the rain (as we do).
Turns out, we were mere feet from a fish and chip place, whose name I regrettably cannot remember. We all only ordered chips. Cal and I probably had gotten a few too many, but I was dying for something salty at that point so I was okay with that. We went back to sit at a picnic table by the water, and that's when a reenactment of The Birds took place.
Seagulls everywhere. Not even kidding. One of them didn't have a foot (he was very mean). Cal and Sarah started throwing chips at them, which only encouraged more to surround us, and when we got up to leave they followed us. I'm not sure how we shook them.
From there, we had a short walk to Sandgate Station and hopped on a train back to the city.
Overall, I don't think it was the most fun we could have had in a day, but it was cheap and enjoyable, and we got some pretty cool pictures with a stormy-sky backdrop. I wouldn't call it a top attraction, but if I had more guests who were coming to stay for an extended period of time, I'd take them there, too.
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