Cleveland Point Reserve

Do:
— Bring the kids, the family and a picnic blanket down for a Sunday picnic
— Stop. Breathe in. Take in the view, which, on a clear day can give you landscapes across to Stradbroke Island
— Take shoes suitable for walking across the sand flats
Don’t:
— Bring your dog after 9am or before 4pm. For serious. There’s fines if you’re caught with Rover (even on a lead) during these times on weekends.
— Forget to bring your fish and chips for a picnic from one of the local shops in Wellington Point or Birkdale

Cleveland Point reserve is located right on the point. It is a great family place. It has a large open grassy area and the views right around you are amazing. The lighthouse takeaway shop has reasonable fish & chips. Beware though, because they know you won’t drive somewhere else they do charge a bit and the service is fairly average. If you are prepared to wait though it is a great spot to go for lunch.
The historic lighthouse was a little bit underwhelming (I had heard about it a lot before turning up). But I suppose it’s history is quite significant. It can get busy here on the weekends and I have been left driving around the «loop» a few times before finding a park. The picnic tables also get taken up very quickly so I would recommend taking a rug to sit on the grass.
All in all a great place to go on the weekend for a drive out to the point. Take the family, have lunch and enjoy the views and the bay breeze.

There’s a clear view to Straddie from the Cleveland Point Reserve, so that’s a good thing straight away. I visited here when the filming of ‘Voyage of the Dawntreader’ Narnia movie was in full swing and it was a hive of activity, with the recreated Dawntreader right there as large as life — very exciting. It’s much more sedate these days, but great to buy some fish and chips from the Lighthouse takeaway and stroll to the recently refurbished picnic shelters, or wet a line.
This is a really significant place historically too; the capital city of Queensland was nearly Cleveland until the then Govenor Gipps sailed in and tried to disembark at low tide off Cleveland Point and became mired in the mud. Off he went, sailing up the river and fancying the current site of Brisbane as a better option; or so the story goes.
Cleveland Point is a lovely little isthmus, a great Sunday drive; and you can stop for a coldie at the Grandview on the way home.

Cleveland Point appears very suddenly; when you’re driving towards it the trees and houses lining the road disappear and as the space in front of you opens up, the reserve is revealed. Located smack bang on the point, the reserve is surrounded on almost all sides by the bay. It’s not a huge park, but the area’s big enough for plenty of people to enjoy it, and I have never seen it crowded.
Not only is it a lovely location but it’s been set up very well. There is a playground, along with an open space where children run amok as their parents supervise from the picnic tables lining the outside of the park. There’s also the historical lighthouse, built in 1864 and relocated (about 10 metres from its original spot) in 1976. The lighthouse itself is quite small; it’s age is what makes it impressive.
Cleveland Point Reserve is a great place for kids. If they get bored of the park, the muddy shore of the bay is there to entertain them. There’s ample parking, although I find it a little odd that it has been designed so that the one-​way ring road, which is also the car park, encloses the park. It is an efficient system but I would prefer the picnic tables and such to be as close to the water as possible, without a road and cars slightly marring the view. Still, the reserve is not a busy place so the small number of cars doesn’t have an impact on your visit. I went there recently for a picnic and we found it to be a very peaceful and pleasant; it’s definitely my favourite picnic spot.