Cleveland Queensland

It was Sunday, and I was waiting on a train to the city to change to a train for the Gold Coast. I decided to have breakfast at Hog’s Breath Cafe, right on the waterfront at Cleveland Marina. It was a perfect day

The Marina was very quiet. One yacht had moored on the public pier, and the owners came ashore. When I returned, the same pier had a collection of fishermen with their rods and buckets fishing, mostly older grandpas and grandsons. Next to the Marina are some apartments which I assume are mostly inhabited by the retired and the elderly. I doubt that anyone else can afford to own properties along the Marina. I know that every time I have seen someone, which is not often as residents in these areas keep themselves well hidden, they have been much older than me, and that is old.

There was no-one around when I arrived, but when I was leaving I saw that the other cafes along the Marina had customers mostly eating cakes. I looked at the breakfasts to see if any looked good, to see that cakes was selected everywhere. I wondered if cost was a factor. My Muesli cost $12.95 and I had free water as the coffee was $4.50. I also had a brioche at $5.95 because these items were the cheapest on the menu. A full breakfast was $22.50, and  eggs were $19.00. I wanted to buy a drink for the lady at the Railway Station who held my luggage while I had breakfast, but baulked at paying $4.50 for a small bottle of coca cola. Maybe this is why people have cake for breakfast. A single cake was $8.00.

A modern boutique style marina with 75 floating berths nestled in protected waters surrounded by boardwalk at Cleveland, Brisbane. The marina has all weather access and is only a few miles from the delights of Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island and offers a choice for boat owners to cruise the open waters of Moreton Bay to the north or the sheltered channels to the south through to the Gold Coast.

http://www.peterhansenyachtbrokers.com.au/raby-bay-marina

I asked one day if there were hire boats, or tours going from here, and was told there is one, but it does not go often, and is run by someone privately.

Like all Marinas these days, the yachts appear unlived in, and sit still and silent in their berths, being a status symbol to those who can afford to purchase a yacht to leave it sitting in a paid berth so they can tell their associates that they own a yacht. My response is always, ‘..but why do you have a yacht’…implied but never stated….’when you never use it’. I never get an answer, so I say ‘Wonderful…it would be wonderful to have a yacht’ and they beam generously at me, for after all one who owns a yacht can afford to be benevolent to those who do not own a yacht, and who also have that slightly yearning look that suggests they would like to also be a yacht owner if things were different.

After breakfast I strolled the restaurants seeing that there is quite a few there, equally priced to Hog’s Breath, equally situated along the marina walkway with the same beautiful view from a slightly different viewpoint, and decided next time I must try a different one.

It was time to go back to the station and travel to the Gold Coast, so I ambled back enjoying the beautiful scenic views, past a couple of children using the playground equipment, and a lady sitting on a seat looking very lonely. I smiled at her and walked on, collected my suitcase and boarded the train to my next adventure