Suttons Beach is another of the Redcliffe peninsula's gorgeous family-friendly destinations, great for a day trip from Brisbane. Situated just a few minutes drive from the Redcliffe city centre, or a half hour from Brisbane, it boasts ample facilities for an entire day's fun in a picturesque setting.
The beach park stretches for about a kilometre, hugging the shoreline the entire distance. Pagodas covering picnic tables and barbecues are spaced throughout and there are plenty of grassy areas to set up a blanket under the magnificent pine trees which line much of Redcliffe's coast line. From there, it's only a few steps to the beach, with yellow sand (the colour sand should be) dotted with tiny shells and lapped by gentle waves, perfect for little ones. When they get tired of the beach, there are showers to rinse off the salt water before they hit one of the two adventure playgrounds at either end of the park.
A wide path extends along the beach and continues from either end of the park, south along the Margate boardwalk or north to the Settlement Cove Lagoon and the city centre. There is plenty of room for joggers, bike riders and rolllerbladers.
If you'd prefer fish and chips to a barbecue,
Sails Takeaway is right in the centre of the park, offering fish and chips, burgers, ice-cream and more, as well as coffee for tired mums and dads.
Suttons Beach is very popular on weekends so the parking area usually fills up pretty early but if you miss out, head to the surrounding streets and it should be fairly easy to get a park nearby. If you are willing to get in early and snag an entire pagoda and barbecue area, it's perfect for big family gatherings or Australia Day barbecues. Of course, if the crowds scare you off, Redcliffe has plenty of other great beaches like
Scarborough Beach on the northern end of the peninsula.
