Redcliffe Beach, Jetty and Lagoon: A Day Out Guide

Redcliffe is a bayside suburb on the Redcliffe Peninsula with a patrolled beach, a free swimming lagoon, a historic jetty and a Sunday market, all within walking distance of each other. It is one of the easiest beach days out of Brisbane, about 45 minutes by car.

The Redcliffe beach strip runs along Redcliffe Parade and Marine Parade, so you can swim in the morning, walk the foreshore to the jetty and finish with a coffee without moving the car.

Swimming at Settlement Cove Lagoon

Settlement Cove Lagoon, on Redcliffe Parade, is a free public swimming lagoon. The main lagoon is salt water with chlorine and up to 1.8 m deep. There is also a children’s pool, partly shaded and fenced, no deeper than 0.3 m, when it is open.

Lifeguards are on duty every day from 5 am to 9 pm from 1 September to the first Monday in May, and from 6 am to 6 pm from the first Tuesday in May to 31 August. Entry is free and you cannot book.

The lagoon has toilets, change rooms, a playground and sheltered barbecue and picnic areas. Two ramps lead into the water, and lifeguards can bring a water wheelchair on request.

Diving, jumping, alcohol, glass, smoking and vaping, bikes, skates, scooters and portable barbecues are not allowed. Only small rings and floaties are allowed for children, and parents must supervise their kids at all times.

Suttons Beach

Suttons Beach, just south of Settlement Cove Park on Marine Parade, is a patrolled swimming beach with gentle waves that suit kids. There are beach showers, picnic shelters, barbecues, toilets and a playground, and accessible beach matting makes it easier to reach the sand. Cafes and shops are a short walk away.

Redcliffe Jetty and the foreshore walk

The Redcliffe Jetty is about a 10-minute walk north of Settlement Cove Park along wide paths that suit prams, bikes and mobility devices. People fish from it, and a Visitor Information Centre sits at the entrance, with local advice and maps. The first jetty here dates back to 1885.

From June to October, humpback whales pass through the bay and can be seen from the jetty.

Bee Gees Way

Bee Gees Way is a free laneway at 109 Redcliffe Parade, established in 2013, with music, band history and an outdoor screen of Barry Gibb talking about the Bee Gees’ time in the Moreton Bay region. After dark there is a light and sound show.

Redcliffe Markets

The Redcliffe Markets run every Sunday on Redcliffe Parade, on the waterfront. Hours are 8 am to 2 pm from March to November and 7 am to 1 pm from December to February, rain, hail or shine. Entry is free.

Settlement Cove Park

Settlement Cove Park, on Marine Parade, is the easy base for a family day. It has an amphitheatre, a basketball court, a playground, electric barbecues, shelters, tables, a water fountain and toilets, and the council describes it as wheelchair friendly.

Is Redcliffe dog friendly?

Dogs are not allowed in the Settlement Cove Lagoon area, although certified service animals can go everywhere except the water. Dogs on a leash are allowed on the walking paths.

Suttons Beach is not one of the council’s designated dog beaches, and dogs are prohibited from foreshores unless an area is designated, so leave the dog at home for the swimming beaches. The nearest council dog beaches are at Scarborough and Queens Beach.

Planning your visit

• How long: a half day for a swim, the jetty and lunch; a full day if you add the markets and the beach.
• Best time: Sunday mornings for the markets, any warm day for the lagoon, June to October for whales from the jetty.
• Cost: free. Food and drinks are extra.
• What to bring: sunscreen, a hat, towels and water. Glass and alcohol are banned at the lagoon.
• Accessibility: an accessible path runs from the accessible car spaces to the lagoon, the main lagoon has two water ramps, and Suttons Beach has accessible matting.

Getting there and parking

Redcliffe is about 34 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 45 minutes by car. The Redcliffe Peninsula is reached by the Houghton Highway across Moreton Bay.

For the lagoon, use the car park off the roundabout at Redcliffe Parade and Anzac Avenue, near the surf club, where designated accessible spaces are also close by. On Sundays the markets list free street parking and a car park at the northern end of the market, with accessible parking at the Chemist Warehouse and Woolworths car parks.

By public transport, the Redcliffe Peninsula train line runs from Petrie to Kippa-Ring, and Kippa-Ring is a bus interchange for local services to Redcliffe. Route 696 loops from Kippa-Ring station through Redcliffe and has stops at Settlement Cove Lagoon and Redcliffe Jetty. Check times and plan your trip with the Translink Journey Planner.

More detail is on the council’s Settlement Cove Lagoon page, and the markets are at Redcliffe Markets. Details can change, so check before you go.

Nearby

• Boxhead Park, Lota – a bayside park on Brisbane’s side of the bay.
• Lower Moora Park, Shorncliffe – another Brisbane bayside park for a second stop.
• Wynnum Wading Pool Park – a bayside wading pool if you like the lagoon idea.
• 5 of the Best Markets in South East Queensland – more markets worth a weekend.
• Beginner’s Guide to Fishing – getting started before you drop a line off the jetty.

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