Shorncliffe Jetty

Shorncliffe pier is situated in the suburb of Shorncliffe, Australia near Saint Patrick’s College the private school and lower Moora Park. This pier with its white faded timber railings, colonial street lamps spaced out along the stretch of pier, and resting shelter towards the end is a much visited attraction for families, residents and tourists to the area.

History

During the early history of Shorncliffe and its neighbouring bayside suburb Sandgate, both were beachside suburbs visited by Brisbane residents for day trips and holidays. In 1865, a company was formed to construct the pier aiming to increase connections between Brisbane and Sandgate. Lobbying efforts to persuade the state government to build a pier failed. William Deagon, a local hotel proprietor choose to build a jetty opposite his hotel in 1879. It was smaller than the current pier but still had a tram track.

The existing jetty was deemed inadequate and new company was registered in 1882 which built a new pier between 1883 and 1884. It was originally 260 metres long but this extended by another 91.5 m to allow ferries to dock at low tide. A small toll was collected at the entry to the pier. Ferry services had mixed commercial success. The last ferry to Brisbane ran in 1928. At that time the pier housed an amusement parlour including gaming machines and an open air picture theatre.

In the 1950s, Queensland's first surf life women lifesavers, the Sandgate Ladies Life Saving Club, used bathing sheds at the pier.

The pier still stands reaching out into the bay over a century later. The pier is the start of the Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race in April and is an element in many photographs and pieces of art circulating in Brisbane art galleries. With views of Redcliffe peninsula, the Boondall Wetlands, Moreton Bay Islands and the Shorncliffe cliffs, the pier is a feature in the nautical landscape of this northside Brisbane suburb.