Aside from being an “events city”, the Gold Coast is also evolving as a “waterways city”. The combination is opening doors for exciting waterways events and activities, and allows a greater appreciation for the waterways that connect the Gold Coast from the hinterland to the ocean.
EASTER ON SOUTH STRADBROKE ISLAND
The Easter long weekend is always an anticipated time of the year for boaties. It is the perfect time to catch up with friends and family as the weather and the celebrations all come together at that time. This year, Tipplers Passage along South Stradbroke Island was full of weekender boats enjoying a few days of freedom and fun. Camping grounds at Tipplers and South Currigee were teeming with families sharing the community space with other families.
Couran Cove Island Resort also offered Easter holiday activities for kids and adults to keep everyone busy. Even day visitors were able to enjoy the island vibe. The resort’s café and restaurants were buzzing with people who were enjoying unlimited outdoor and water activities. The marina was packed with boats that created a spontaneous community of boat-loving and water-loving people for the whole weekend.
A growing number of boaties are discovering and enjoying these weekend destinations on South Stradbroke. Holidaymakers, and avid boating and fishing fans share these waterways, enhancing the sense of community among those who love the Gold Coast waters.
WATERSONGS @ BLEACH
Living along the canals of the Gold Coast offers a unique experience that not everyone is able to enjoy. Water Songs, presented by Bleach Festival in April 2019, is a concept that brought music, art and creative performance onto residential and living spaces, with the canals and creeks of the Gold Coast as the backdrop. According to artist Kacey Patrick, Water Songs is a reflection of how we perceive these canal spaces and how we can connect the community to these spaces a little bit more.
One of the guests in the Benowa home concert, Samantha J., shares her thoughts: “The voices and subject matter were almost religious. The water that reigns in our blood began to stir as the various angles of the tides took us on a trip of wonder. Something the audience had in common that intrinsically brought us here and bonded us is our love of water.” bleachfestival.com.au
SUSTAINABLE FRESH SEAFOOD
An appreciation for our food always comes when we are able to understand where it comes from. Chef Kevin Andrews of Nineteen at The Star developed an eight-course sustainability seafood dinner that presented seafood from the shallowest to the deepest. A special event held in May, it was an opportunity for the young chef to cater for the guests while instigating conversations about sustainability in the fishing industry.
We started our sustainable seafood journey with fresh oysters from Tasmania and NSW, found within five metres deep. Mussels (found within 15m deep), scallops (found within 30m deep), and clams (found within 50m deep) came next. As we
moved deeper into the night, our dishes were also coming from the deeper parts of the ocean. From the bug, prawn and sword fish (found within 100m, 500m and 600m deep, respectively), to the deepest ocean fish, the tooth fish (2200m deep), it was an experience of taste, texture, smell, as well as an adventure into the deep, from which we enjoyed our evening’s seafood gourmet experience.
Chef Kevin believes that we all have to be mindful of marine life in the oceans, as we need to allow nature to continue to provide sustenance for the next generations, just as it is providing for us today. star.com.au
THE INAUGURAL MULLET FESTIVAL
Every year, from the end of April through June, the schools of mullet fish begin their journey to the ocean and move up north for the mullet run. The Indigenous communities in the Gold Coast and Tweed regions always take the time to celebrate the sustenance that the mullet have always provided them for centuries.
Geoff Togo, a member of one of the Indigenous crew that catch mullet, says that the sea mullet is, for him, the most versatile fish. We eat the meat and roe, use the skeleton for crab bait, and the scales were traditionally used as buttons. The mullet have also shown consistency in their behaviour over the decades. Geoff says that he has not seen a decline in the numbers of mullet ever since he started catching them in the late 50s.
This year, through the Karulbo Partnership, the communities of the region paid tribute to the humble mullet through the staging of the first Mullet Festival in Currumbin in June to celebrate
one of our oldest traditions, the beginning of the ‘Mullet Season’. The program included Welcome To Country, live music performances, and Aboriginal dances that commemorate nature. A mini photo exhibit on the mullet run along the coasts of Tweed and the Gold Coast, showed the community tradition of catching the mullet. The event was an opportunity for the various families and community members to gather together and catch up, and of course to share a meal with perfectly cooked fillets of mullet with everyone. karulbo.com.au
SAILING MEDITATION
Imagine the Broadwater as a calm and meditative space. The lapping of the waves against the boat, the gentle rocking, and the strong westerly wind blowing are all you could hear and feel. All this in the midst of a cacophony of sounds from motorboats, helicopters, and other urban noises that the busy Broadwater is known for. It is possible to drown out these external sounds, and simply focus on the chirping birds and the whispers of the wind. That happened when we went out on a sailing catamaran for a sunset meditation cruise in early winter.
The Sailing Into Sunset With Guided Meditation program was organised by Pure Aloha Yoga, in collaboration with Gold Coast Sailing Charters.
The meditation took us through the colours of the seven energy centres, exploring a deeper sense of Dharana and Dhyana. The sailing catamaran Serano brought us into the space on the Broadwater for our guided chakra meditation on the lounge deck, as we faced out into the ocean through the Seaway. As the sun slowly set on the mountains of the hinterland, we enjoyed a glass of bubbles, the sights and sounds of the Broadwater at dusk, as we cruised back around Wave Break Island. purealohayoga.co
By Roselle Tenefrancia
/jul-sep2019
