My Home The Redlands

I have lived in the Redlands since day dot, before traffic lights and round-a-bouts. Where it was Redland Bay Road to where, as you couldn't find a street sign and there were no street lights and so at night it was pitch black. I would wake up to kangaroo's under the hills hoist clothes line, and we could pat the koala on the chook pen fence. When friends and family came to visit us we were known as living out in the sticks miles from nowhere. 

The Redlands was known as the Salad Bowl back then as we had lots of farms and we could all buy fresh produce and flowers straight from the farm. The beautiful rich red soil is where we get our name from "The Redlands". For my brothers and sister our part time jobs were working on the farms in our school holidays, and on some weekends. When i would pick strawberries i would smell like strawberries from head to toe, and it would depend on how hard i worked as to how much i earned. If i sat in the patch daydreaming and eating the strawberries i didn't earn too much money on those days. It kept us out from under Mums feet when we were out working and earning ourselves some pocket money.

There was only one High School back then, Cleveland High School and later  they built Capalaba High. There we no private schools either, you had to go  outside  the Redlands to attend those schools. We caught the bus to school on Redlands Transport and wherever the bus went that was the school you went to.

Some of the Redlands famous land marks were the Capalaba Drive-in-Theatre, which is now Capalaba Park. The round shop where we stopped to pick up bits and pieces and even petrol was for sale  on the corner of Boundary Road and Panaroma Drive now Wellington Street Thornlands. The dump was at the now soccer field at  Capalaba.  Despots in Middle Street Cleveland was the Myers of the Redlands. Bloomfield  Street was a picture of beauty as you came into Cleveland with the streets lined with Poinsettia's on each side of the road. The caravan park at Victoria Point with a public swimming pool was situated  on the corner of Colburn Avenue and Cleveland Redland Bay Road. Our family would purchase a season pass and go swimming most afternoons in the warmer weather.

The Strawberry Festival was a busy event each year starting with the street parade at 12pm in  Cleveland finishing at the showgrounds, entry was free for everyone. It attracted a large crowd of people and still does today, the highlight being the strawberry eating competition. Back then we had the Strawberry Queen's as well.

We have nicknames we still use Wello Point, Vicky Point, Reddie Bay and Straddie. We had many holiday's at Straddie back when the roads were sand at Point Lookout and the Brumby horses ran wild, We have enjoyed many visits to Coochie Mudlo and even had Sunday School picnics there as well. Enjoyed many a walk out to King Island at Wellington Point. We have seen the making of Raby Bay which was a good fishing spot at the time. Our children have enjoyed many a picnic at all the points in the Redlands over the years. Now our  Grandchildren starting to enjoy the same, the next generation.

We are now what i call the round-a-bout capital of the world, and we have crazy traffic congestion at peak time, Our farms are  disappearing for housing estates, the home i grew up in is replaced by a two lane road. The Redlands has come a long way from the place that was called, out in the sticks. It is more of a city now, Redlands City as everyone wants to the enjoy the beauty we have by living by the bay. 

I have seen the Redlands grow in what seems like a short time, but it is still the place i love to come home to with it's beautiful outlook and bay breezes. Redlands will always be my home.

By Cathy Hollibone