The island, whose original inhabitants were the Gubbi Gubbi people, was seen by the explorer Matthew Flinders in 1799, where he named Skirmish Point at its southern end. Early European settlers were castaways, but a fish cannery was opened at the northern end of the island in 1901. Freight and passenger shipping ran regular services to Bribie Island within ten years, some of the passengers being holiday-makers and campers. The bridge was opened in 1963.
Red Beach was littered with hundreds of pieces of driftwood creating weird and wonderful shapes.
By the time we reached Woorim on the eastern side of the island we had covered about nine kilometres and decided it was time for lunch. After lunch we left the beach at the Woorim Surf Life Saving Club and headed back across the island on a shady tree lined path that took us direct to our starting point where we rewarded ourselves with an ice-cream and a final opportunity to savour the lovely sight of afternoon sunshine sparkling on water. |