Wine Varieties

The Bribie Winelander

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December 15, 2014

Tags: Wine. Cabernet Sauvignon. Sauvignon Blanc. Pinot Grigio. Chateau d’Yquem. Pinot Gris

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER

For many years wines produced in Australia carried the names of traditional European styles, which given the influence of immigrants arriving from Germany and Italy isn’t surprising. Names such as Hermitage, Claret, Moselle, Hock, Champagne, Port and Burgundy adorned our labels.

In the 1990’s though, we reached an agreement with the European Union that these would be taken off and we replaced them generally with the grape varieties that went to produce that wine.

In Australia, a wine that has up to 85% of a certain variety doesn’t have to disclose the other varieties in the remaining 15%. It used to be said that Grange at one time had nine or more different varieties but as Shiraz was the main variety it was known as Grange Hermitage.

Although as a nation we enjoy Shiraz more than other red grape varieties, we also are capable of producing very good Cabernet Sauvignon, especially from Coonawarra in South Australia and Margaret River in The West.

The Cabernet Sauvignon wines of Coonawarra often have very strong blackcurrant and mint aromas and come from a very small patch of red earth known as Terra Rossa which is some 20 km in length and 2 km wide.

In this region, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes represent 58% of all the varieties grown and history shows the first plantings in the region were in 1890 with the first vintage being 1895 by John Riddoch, whose name is remembered on one of Wynns premium reds. Other well-known vineyards include Zema Estate, Leconfield, Parkers, Balnaves, and Hollicks. Also, several of the larger wine companies have vineyards in the area and one of my favourites is The St. Hugo from Orlando which is consistently a great example of Coonawarra Cabernet at it’s best.

This month the varieties we are looking at are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Cabernet Sauvignon and I shall make a couple of suggestions for wines to adorn your Christmas table.

SAUVIGNON BLANC.

In our region, New Zealand has certainly claimed this market for themselves with their distinct zingy acidic style. With aromas of passion fruit, gooseberries or capsicum, the wines are perfect for drinking on their own or can be matched with white seafood or any shellfish. Also try with goats cheese, turkey and most white meat.

In France over 70,00 acres are devoted to this variety and the wines are often matured in oak barrels, giving them a totally different character sometimes known as Fume Blanc. The variety is not only used for making dry wines. In Bordeaux, they blend the variety with Semillon to produce one of the worlds great dessert wines, Chateau d’Yquem. One of the best I have tried recently is actually an Australian wine from Wicks Estate in Victoria.

PINOT GRIGIO

Fairly new to the Australian market, this wine is also known as Pinot Gris and is a grape variety some are predicting will be as successful as Sauvignon Blanc. The styles can be different varying from acidic and racy to luscious, it is up to the consumer to decide which style they prefer.

As with Sauvignon Blanc, the wine is better matched with white fish, shellfish, and white meat.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

I just love a great Cabernet and they go so well with any red meat or mature cheese, especially at a barbecue. Often blended with Merlot to produce a softer style of wine. If you want to enjoy a red on a warm summers day just pop it into the fridge for twenty minutes or so to get the temperature down to around 16 or 17 degrees when the wine will be at the perfect temperature to enjoy.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CHRISTMAS LUNCH OR DINNER:

CHRISTMAS ON A BUDGET (AROUND $10.00):

SPARKLING WINE:

Hardys Sir James.

WHITE WINES:

Jacobs Creek Chardonnay
Jacobs Creek Riesling
Evans and Tate Sauvignon Blanc
Yalumba Y Pinot Grigio
Banrock Station Moscato (sweeter style)

RED WINES:

Wyndham Estate Shiraz
Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
De Bortoli Cabernet Merlot
Rawsons Retreat Merlot

ROSE:

Jacobs Creek

FORTIFIED:

Penfolds Club Tawny.

A BIGGER BUDGET CHRISTMAS:

SPARKLING WINE:

Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve Champagne

WHITE WINES:

Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay
Kilikanoon Morts Block Riesling
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
McWilliams Elizabeth Semillion
Pizzini Pinot Grigio

RED WINES:

Penfolds RWT Shiraz
St. Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon
Felton Road Pinot Noir
Cullen Dianna Madeline Cabernet Merlot ROSE:
Turkey Flat Rose

FORTIFIED:

Campbells Rutherglen Classic Muscat
Penfolds Father 10 Y.O. Tawny. Also, remember that we have a unique sparkling wine in Australia that suits Christmas down to the ground and that is the sparkling Shiraz.

Here are a few suggestions.

Seppelt Original Sparkling Shiraz
The Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz
Peter Rumball Sparkling Shiraz
Morris Sparkling Shiraz Durif

Remember any questions contact me on [email protected] Cheers!

A brief history of wine

The Bribie Winelander

David Sweedman

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November 24, 2014

0

Tags: Wine. Chardonnay. Shiraz. History

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER

Making wine isn’t rocket science, the wine was probably first developed by accident some five thousand years B.C. in China or the Middle East when the sugar in the juice of some crushed grapes reacted with natural yeast.

Probably it was off the skins or just floating around in the air and combined with some heat started the fermentation process off. I have no doubt the first accidental winemaker tried this strange concoction and was the first wine drinker to wake up the following morning with a hangover! Obviously, in those days the wine they were drinking had no preservatives and they probably developed a taste for oxidised wine.

It is thought Romans or the Greeks discovered that by adding a little sulphur the wine freshness lasted longer. Then of course came the bottle and cork. The evolution of the perfect container and enclosure has continued and it was an Australian company that came up with the screw top known as a Stelvin Cap due to severe problems with cork taint in the late eighties and early nineties when over 10% of our wine was affected.

Although this system hasn’t been accepted universally I am sure eventually more countries will see the light and go down that track eventually. Unfortunately, some of the romance of a waiter discouraging a cork disappears when he unscrews the bottle but least you almost certainly get a wine in perfect condition and we almost lost this technology. In the late 1970’s, early eighties Yalumba had already recognised a problem with some corks and developed the Stelvin Cap, initially, the seal was only used on the cheaper end of the market and eventually was once again replaced by corks.

GOOD WINE MAKES THE DINNER PARTY MUCH MORE LIVELY, ALWAYS START THE
EVENING WITH BUBBLES AND THE FUN WILL BEGIN.
DON MARQUIS COMMENTED:
“I DRINK ONLY TO MAKE MY FRIENDS INTERESTING”

When cork taint became a severe problem in the nineties wineries tried replacing cork with plastic corks and other strange closures but when someone opened some cellar stock from the early stelvin tests found the 15-year-old wine in perfect condition interest reappeared. Now, most of our wines regardless of cost are under this enclosure, except for some export wines to America and Europe who regard this closure still for cheaper wine so corks are still used, and they insist on using plastic corks in their homegrown cheaper products.

When will they ever learn? Wines have characters which make them unique and also helps when matching certain styles of food to them each month we will look at a couple of varieties and try to match the food.

CHARDONNAY:

Chardonnay is the most planted white grape variety in the world and excels most in cooler climates where its peach, nectarine and melon flavours and aromas are backed by subtle mineral characteristics. When matured in French Oak barrels the added flavours of the oak add to the complexity of the wine. Varietal characteristics include grapefruit, celery, minerals, green apples, citrus, peach, melon, and nectarines Food match: Note where making a white wine sauce use the wine that is being served with the meal. Roast pork, mature cheese such as cheddar, chicken salads, roast chicken, paella, cheese fondue, duck pate, turkey dishes, minestrone soup, mussels in white wine sauce, scallops in white wine sauce, potato soup, rockmelon and prosciutto, salmon pate, roast lamb, spicy spaghetti marinara, tarragon chicken.

SHIRAZ:

This grape is widely grown in Australia and grows well everywhere, however it grows particularly well in The Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale, and The Barossa Valley. Varietal characteristics include black olives, white pepper, black pepper, spice, raspberry, redcurrant, jammy, plum, eucalyptus, earthy, and chocolate. Food match: Again use the wine in making sauces and serve with the meal. Beef lasagne, chargrilled steak with pepper sauce, beef burgers, paella, Irish stew, venison with a red wine sauce, mousaka, paprika beef, or spaghetti bolognese. Cheers!

ISLAND HISTORY – LIBRARY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS SERVICE

Our History

David Sweedman

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November 16, 2014

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ISLAND HISTORY – LIBRARY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS SERVICE

Tags: history. Queensland. Bribie Island Library.

BY BARRY CLARK- BRIBIE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Bribie Island Public Library is arguably the most used public facility in our community. The building these days is modern, spacious and well utilised but it started from very humble beginnings.

The site where the library stands today was originally known as “The Hill”, being an elevated sand dune that ran beside swampy ground through what is now the bowling club and caravan park. It was a popular vantage point in the early days of tourism through the 1920’s and 30’s, where campers pitched their tents and crowds of visitors enjoyed picnics and games.

Featured Image(above): Soon after the new library had opened an interesting weather event was captured in a photo taken by local Pharmacist Don Mullen, showing a white covering of hailstones on the ground and a rainbow arching over the new building.

During the Second World War, the site was used for fuel and water storage tanks and pumps. After the war, a small wooden building on the site was used as an amenities and changing shed by visitors. This shed was used in the period from1956 to 1959 as a snack bar and fish & chip shop by Jim Looke, and then remained empty and largely unused for several years after that.

With a resident population of just a few hundred people at that time, nobody had seen the need for a public library on Bribie Island. In 1963, just before the new Bribie Bridge opened, a large new hall was built in Cotterill Avenue as a roller skating rink and dance hall. This building has had an interesting history over its 50 year life, becoming a cinema for several years in the 1970’s before TV became popular, then as the Busy Fingers Op Shop for over 20 years, until it eventually became the Baptist Church as it is today.

It was in this brand new hall in 1963 that a group of local business people held the first meeting for the formation of a Bribie Island Chamber of Commerce. The small but very active Bribie community were hopeful of establishing a civic centre with meeting rooms and a library. This idea coincided with the return to Bribie Island in 1963 of a lady who would play a very significant role in the establishment and development of a public library.

Marguerite “Lou” Young had spent some time on Bribie Island during the war years at their family cottage named “Toga”, when the military were in occupation and just a few civilian residents remained here. In 1963 she came back to live on Bribie with her husband Ken and three children. They established and ran “Bribie Welding Works” which continued for 28 years. Lou Young soon became involved with the Bribie Island State School P&C where she reorganised the school library.

Lou had always been a self confessed “Book Worm” but this task involved her first and only book burning, of old and battered books, and a request for funds to obtain new books for current student needs. Although having few formal qualifications, Young was then asked by the local Police Sergeant to set up a public library, which she promptly did in the old wooden shed on The Hill.

This very basic library opened in the shed in 1964, with just 200 fiction books and 100 non-fiction books. Lou’s mother, Mrs Farleigh was the very first member to sign up. However, book reading was not very popular on Bribie in those days as only 19 members joined in the first three years. Interestingly, records reveal that the islands most famous resident and International recluse artist Ian Fairweather became library member number 23.

The many thousands of visitors and holiday-makers were keen readers, and a second-hand book exchange was also available in the shed for those who were not eligible to be members of the official Caboolture Council Library. The library continued to operate in this small shed for the next 16 years until 1976, when the Caboolture Council built a brand new modern brick library, just south of the shed.

Lou Young served as the librarian from inception, initially part-time, and then becoming the full-time Council Librarian. The 1976 building is today’s southern end of the library complex housing the large Hector Holthouse room, used for exhibitions and functions, and the smaller John Bateman meeting room. Soon after the new library had opened an interesting weather event was captured in a photo taken by local Pharmacist Don Mullen, showing a white covering of hailstones on the ground and a rainbow arching over the new building.

In the first 20 years to 1984, membership of the Library grew to some 3800 members, but over the following 30 years membership and usage grew to over 14,000 members today. This dramatic increase in library services led to a major new extension to the library building in 2004. The original old shed remained on the hill until 1992 when it was finally declared unsafe and demolished by the Council.

The granddaughter of Jim Looke, the fish & chip operator in the 1950’s, sought to retain the shed as an item of Bribie history. However, it was demolished. However, in recognition a small plaque was placed in a garden in front of the library entrance, which can still be seen today, paying tribute to Jim Looke’s business in the shed from 1956 to 1959. The humble shed played a significant role in the development of the Bribie community, and its demolition in 1992 coincided with the retirement of Lou Young as librarian after 27 years of dedicated service.

Just prior to her retirement Lou Young compiled a document titled “Bribie Island – Collection of Information for Student” capturing many aspects of Bribie Island history. She sought to document answers to the many thousands of questions she had been asked about Bribie Island over her many years of service.

This publication may soon be updated and republished by the Bribie Island Historical Society as a tribute to Lou Young, who retired to Esk and died in 2010. The library was significantly enlarged in 2004 with an extension on the northern end, which today houses all of the books and technology of the modern library services. The current Librarian Bronwyn Ash and her exceptional staff invite the public to commemorate 50 years of service by the Bribie Island Library next month.

Recipe: DEB & MIKE’S CHILLI CHEESE OYSTERS KILPATRICK

Recipes from the locals

David Sweedman

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November 16, 2014

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Tags: Chilli. Cheese. Oysters Kilpatrick. Recipe. Food. Chillis

DEB & MIKE’S CHILLI CHEESE OYSTERS KILPATRICK

Caution: addictive!

Ok, so let me start by saying that Oysters Kilpatrick traditionally is made with Worcestershire sauce.

Definitely, no barbeque or tomato sauce goes into this recipe. So much of today’s food is jammed packed with extra sugar that we just don’t need.

Mike and I love our chilli and developed this recipe a few years ago after being a bit disappointed that restaurants had changed the original recipe. We tweaked it a bit to our liking and hope that you will love them too.

Bribie has the most delicious oysters when they are harvesting but if you find that the locals are unavailable, I suggest you go with the Coffin Bays. They have a very deep shell that will hold quite a bit of ingredients – enough for a full belly!

INGREDIENTS:

Oysters Bacon Cheese Worcestershire Sauce Tabasco Sauce
Half a lemon per dozen oysters
Salt and Pepper

METHOD:

To start:

go and get yourself as many oysters as you can eat! Find a tray that will go under your grill and make some aluminum foil stands for each oyster. This involves tearing a piece of foil and lightly screwing it into a walnut-sized stand.

Another option is a bed of rock salt. We can’t have all the juice running!

Finely cut enough bacon to cover each oyster.

Grate enough of your favourite cheese to sprinkle on top.

Place your oysters on the tray making sure they won’t topple over.

Sprinkle with bacon first, then cheese.

Add a squeeze of lemon to each, and fill your shell with Worcestershire sauce.

Add in 4—8 drops of Tabasco. Caution, the older it is, the hotter it gets!

Salt and Pepper to taste, and grill for about six minutes for each tray.

DON’T BURN THEM, KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE, AND ENJOY!

HUUUGE 1930’S SAW SHARK

David Sweedman

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November 14, 2014

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Tags: Swordfish. Deep sea fishing. History. Queensland. Fishing trivia. Saw Shark

How’s this for a catch! This swordfish was caught in local waters (off Scarborough) in 1938. Undeniably massive in size, exactly how heavy and long this big guy was has been lost in history.

Thanks to Trevor from Bellara Bait and Tackle for sharing it with the island. Any interesting pics you’d like to share with the rest of Bribie, send them over to [email protected]. Please like and share our articles and feel free to comment at the bottom of the page!

Bribie Island Fishing Report and Tide Times Nov 2014

Fishing Bribie

David Sweedman

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November 14, 2014

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Bribie Island Fishing Report and Tide Times Nov 2014

Tags: Bribie Island Fishing Spots. Tide Times. Queensland. Moreton Bay Islands.

REEL LIFE – FISHING REPORT

Another month of warmer weather has seen a great change in how we should be fishing and what we should be fishing for. Summer whiting is now in abundance around the island beaches and sandbars, and those fishing light with either worm yabbies or prawn either side of the high tide are reaping the rewards.

Fish up to 45cm have been filling eskies for those fishing around Woorim and Red Beach. Flathead through the passage are well and truly on the bite now too and seem to be taking anything you can throw at them. I have found that fishing the gutters off the beaches and around the weed beds on a run out with small live baits or strips of mullet or whole pilchard has been achieving best results.

Flicking soft plastics or small hard body lures over the shallows on a rising tide is also producing good numbers of flathead and whiting as the fish move over the shallows to feed. Still, plenty of nice table sized bream around but with the warmer weather upon us, the better fish are being located in the deeper water by day and over the shallows and around the sea walls early morning or evenings and at night.

Once again, fishing lighter with anything like mullet strip, gar, prawns and chicken gut should see good results. There is still some good Jewfish hanging around but they seemed to have slowed lately with only the occasional report filtering through from those fishing around the bridge pylons or Bongaree jetty at night. Squid or live baits will usually get you amongst the fish.

Offshore reefs have seen some great fishing with snapper and good sized cod. Mackerel have also been caught around the southern channel markers and offshore. Looks like it’s going to be a good season for crabs this year.

There are lots of nice sized and full sand crabs being caught in pots and on lines. There seems to be no best bait for your pots, but a whole or half mullet or fish frame won’t hurt your chances of picking up a feed. Still, a few tailor around but they are more of a bycatch now when fishing for other species.

The amount I’ve seen lately you could count on one hand. Mangrove jack is still playing hard to get but as summer draws nearer we should start seeing more of these great fish coming in. More next month.

Tide Times

Click here to see Bribie Island Tide Times

Wine, Wine, Wine, tell me something I dont know

The Bribie Winelander

David Sweedman

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October 14, 2014

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Wine, Wine, Wine, tell me something I dont know

Tgas: Wine. Champagne. Pinot Noir. Chardonnay. blanc de blanc.

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER – WINES

The consumption of wine on a regular basis has now become a very important part of the Australian way of life.

It was not too many years ago beer was the choice of most and where wine was drunk it tended to be quite sweet. Over recent years we have become more adventurous with our choice of beverages, so I thought it would be helpful to give you some information with regards to wine styles which may give you some help when choosing your next purchase. Over the next months, we will look at different styles and try to offer suggestions as to what food to serve them with.

If you have any queries please drop me an email on [email protected] and we will find the answer and include them in our articles as others may be thinking along the same lines. The first wines we will look at are sparkling wines.

With Christmas just around the corner, many will be considering sparkling wines for this occasion, as sparkling wines are a great start to any event and as ever there is a choice to suit any budget.

At the top end, Champagne has always had an aura about it and rightly so. It is the benchmark for all sparkling wines and Champagne will always be Champagne and no other sparkling wine can now carry this title. Even in France, only wine produced within the district of Champagne can carry the title, however, I have noticed the Americans still insist on using the term.

The main grape varieties used in Champagne making are Pinot Noir for body, Pinot Meunier for fruitiness and aroma, and Chardonnay for freshness and elegance. Champagnes made totally from Chardonnay are called blanc de blanc. Most Champagnes are nonvintage (N.V.), which means blending from different cuvees keeping the style consistent.

Some do carry the vintage though, and it would be wise to check on the growing conditions of that year before buying. Thank goodness for Google! Sparkling wines from other countries include Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, and Sekt from Germany. The value of The Australian Dollar in recent years has made Champagne the most affordable it probably ever has been, meaning a massive increase in sales.

The other day I bought a bottle from a chain store that was their exclusive label for around $25, which would be the cheapest I have ever seen and I have to say for the price it wasn’t bad! It is even possible to buy Veuve Clicquot and Moet Chandon on special for around $50 per bottle with PiperHeidsieck and Tattinger under $40, however with the dollar value changing you should buy now to save!

Grandin isn’t a bad alternative if you want French at a lower price but always consider a good Australian instead.

Good Australian alternatives:

PREMIUM:

House of Arras Brut Elite Cuvee
Grant Burge Pinot Chardonnay
Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay Pinot Noir
Chandon N.V. (related to Moet Chandon)
Jansz Non Vintage
Brown Bros. Prosecco VALUE:
Seppelts Fleur De Lys N.V.
Omni N.V.
Yellow Glen N.V. Yellow
Jacobs Creek Pinot Chardonnay Cheers!

Bribie Island Fishing report – October 2014 – Tide Times

Fishing Bribie

David Sweedman

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October 12, 2014

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Bribie Island Fishing report – October 2014 – Tide Times

Tags: Fishing report Bribie Island. Tide times. Boating camping fishing. Queensland. Fishing Spots.

REEL LIFE – Bribie Fishing report

With the weather now warming, the fishing around Bribie, up the Pumicestone Passage, and through the creeks running into it has been producing some quality fish.

Most of the beaches are now seeing good numbers of summer whiting, with the best baits being worm, yabbies, and prawn. Large flathead is being caught around the sandbars, gutters, and beaches on a multitude of baits and lures. For many, fishing the gutters around the sandbars on an outgoing tide has been producing the goods.

Bream are still about in numbers right through the passage and canals on the island with fish around the 30 – 40 cm mark being fairly common. The best baits here have been prawns and mullet strip, while those working soft plastics around the canals and creek mouths are being rewarded with nice table fish as well.

Plenty of pan-sized snapper around the bridge pylons and deeper drop-offs in the passage(left) and Michael Schuberg with an 83 cm flathead caught off one of the many sandbars, released after a quick photo.(right)

Squire and snapper are still around in numbers for those fishing the deeper holes reefs and drop-offs. Fish the outgoing tide early morning or late afternoon with strips of fish or squid. The bridge pylons and deeper holes in the passage, as well as off the Bongaree jetty are producing some nice Jewfish and fish around the meter mark are fairly common. The most successful baits here have been whole or live mullet and squid which can be caught in a number of places around the island fairly easily.

It was a disappointing tailor season, but we are still seeing some fish making their way into people’s eskys. Unfortunately, though, those targeting them have found them a little patchy.

Crabs are finally on the move, and those putting in the effort have been rewarded with some quality sand and mud crabs around the shallows and up through the creeks. With the warmer weather now upon us, it’s the time to start heading offshore and around the southern channel markers targeting mackerel and other pelagics. Either that or heading up the creeks to chase mangrove jack.

Tide Times

Click here to see Bribie Island Tide Times

RECIPE: DEB’S PICKLED CHILLIES

Recipes from the locals

David Sweedman

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October 6, 2014

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Tags: Pickled Chillies. Recipe. Food.

DEB’S PICKLED CHILLIES

It’s finally that time of year, our vegetables are starting to get their grow on. That means that it’s a good time to start to think and plan exactly what we are going to do with all of our produce.

I for one love chilli in all different ways. This particular recipe is as simple as it gets and oh so yummy! I use these in sandwiches and salads, actually, anywhere there is chilli required in a recipe.

Pickling chillies are great because you can choose the chillies that you like. Either fiery hot or mild, it’s completely up to you. A trial and error type process, it’s really a pickle, then wait and see kind of thing. You’ll soon work out which plants you grow have the hottest chilli! If you have an abundance, this recipe is simple and you can pickle as many as you like in one go.

The process begins with your chillies the night before, washing them and then (here’s the tedious bit) putting a small slit lengthways in each chilli with a sharp knife (this is so the salt and vinegar gets right through the entire chilli, preserving them properly)

Afterward, put them all together in a bowl with about half a cup of salt per kilo of chillies (rock salt works best).

Fill with water and place a plate or something on top so they don’t float. Leave overnight.

The next day, drain the chillies.

The actual recipe is really simple:

INGREDIENTS:

A mixture consisting of 2/3 white vinegar and 1/3 water, making sure there is enough mixture to cover every chilli in each jar. That’s all there is to it!

No matter how many chillies you have it’s still the same ratio! You will also need enough jars to accommodate your chillies.

I sterilise mine before use by boiling them. METHOD: Put all of your chillies into the jars prepared.

Boil the water and vinegar mixture for about five minutes, and pour over the chillies into the jars.

Tap, shake and wiggle the jars to get rid of any excess air.

Just pop the jars into the pantry for about 3-4 weeks before you eat, and refrigerate after opening. Simple!

Recipe: COQ AU VIN BLANC

Recipes from the locals

David Sweedman

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September 15, 2014

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Tags: Cooking, recipe, food. Chicken. recipes.

COQ AU VIN BLANC

2 chicken fillet, diced (breasts or thighs)

3 tablespoons of plain flour

oil and butter for frying

1 brown onion, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

1 leek, sliced & cleaned

3 rashers bacon, cut into small strips

150 gms button mushrooms, sliced

1tbs brandy

1 cup of decent quality white wine

500ml chicken stock

6 sage leaves

1tbs dried Italian herbs

Salt & pepper

The juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons double cream

1 knob of softened butter

METHOD:

Coat chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Reserve remaining flour for later. Heat up a generous amount of oil and butter in a heavy-based casserole pot. In batches, lightly fry floured chicken until golden brown. Remove from casserole pot and put aside. In the same dish, fry the onions on medium heat for 4 minutes, add the garlic, leek, bacon, and mushrooms. Cook for five minutes on a medium heat.

Stirring regularly, add the brandy and white wine. (Give the bottom of the pan a good scrape to release any chicken scrapings which add to the flavour).

Add the stock, herbs, salt, and pepper, and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the lemon juice, the cream, and the cooked chicken.

Leave to simmer for about thirty-five minutes.

Combine the softened butter with the reserved flour in a bowl and add a ladle of the juice from the casserole to make a slurry with no lumps.

Add this to the simmering mixture to thicken. Serve with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

SUGGESTION:

Rather than letting it simmer, you could place the dish in a preheated oven at 200C for thirty-five minutes.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – 1st

Letters To The Editor

David Sweedman

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September 12, 2014

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Tags: Letters to the editor. Magazine. Local Newspaper

Hi, Richard/Alexandra. Nice work on your new venture, The Bribie Islander. I particularly loved the print size, just this once I do not need my reading glasses to read the magazine! Seniors will be delighted!

I believe that a once-monthly magazine has been needed on this island for a long time. It gives many of us time to read, put it down & again pick it up & continue to read when one has things to do, not so easy with the weekly papers, as they require reading when they arrive, (not a big problem, for they do not have all that much content) otherwise the next one is on one’s door before it is fully read & after all not much is in these papers except ads? I do understand that these must be included to pay the way.

Congratulations & may you have a long run of success. Cheers, Bill

Crime report – Sept 2014

Crime Report

David Sweedman

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September 6, 2014

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Tags: Crime Report Bribie Island

CRIME TIME

WITH THANKS QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE

Crimes committed in the Bribie Island area towards the end of August. Should you see anything suspicious or concerning, please contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

ASSAULT

On August 25, a man armed with a hammer has entered a residential address on Banya Street, Bongaree. A physical altercation then occurred between the victim and the man, and he left the address before police arrived.

DRIVING OFFENCES

On August 24, 2014 A 33-year-old woman was charged in relation to driving a vehicle while over the General Alcohol limit. She is to appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on the September 17.

Police located a 34-year-old man driving without a licence on Bribie Island Road; he was subsequently issued a Traffic Infringement Notice in relation to this offence.

Police located a 17-year-old woman driving without a licence on Bribie Island Road; she was issued a Notice to Appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on the September 3.

On August 27, 2014, Police located a 48-year-old man driving without a licence on Bribie Island Road; he was issued a Notice to Appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on September 17, and the vehicle he was driving was immobilised by police for a period of 90 days.

Police located a 26-year-old man driving a Toyota Hilux motor vehicle performing a ‘burn out’ on Goodwin Drive, Bongaree. He was charged in relation to the careless use of a motor vehicle, driving without a licence, and drink driving. His vehicle was impounded for 90 days and he is to appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on the October 1.

DRUGS

On the August 28, police executed a search warrant at residential Bongaree address. As a result, a 24-year-old man has been charged in relation to Possession of Dangerous Drugs (Cannabis) and Possession of a Pipe. He is to appear at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on September 29. ENTER AND COMMIT (BURGLARY)

On the August 27, a bicycle was stolen from within an open garage at a residential North Point, Banksia Beach, address.

MENTAL HEALTH

Over the past week, police have attended five separate calls for assistance in relation to persons attempting or threatening suicide. All these instances were successfully resolved with the assistance of the Queensland Ambulance Service.

WILFUL DAMAGE

During the night of August 23-24, The occupants of a residential address on Ottiwell Street, Woorim, have had their external garden lights damaged. A vehicle had its sides scratched while parked on Fourth Avenue, Bongaree.

History – Bribie Island

Our History

David Sweedman

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September 5, 2014

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Tag: History. Bribie Island. Queensland. Australia.

BRIBIE ISLAND’S FASCINATING HISTORY

BARRY CLARK – FOUNDING PRESIDENT, BRIBIE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY // IMAGES: BARRY CLARK & JOHN OXLEY LIBRARY

Bribie Island has many remarkable and often surprising secrets to reveal… if you know where to look.

When James Cook sailed past this coastline in 1770, he observed the far distant hills and named them “Glasshouses”, reminding him of Glass-Works in his distant homeland. When Matthew Flinders and his aboriginal companion Bongaree came exploring almost 30 years later in 1799, he was the first European to set foot on what is now Bribie Island.

Featured image(above): School children at Mission Point, Bribie Island, being relocated to Stradbroke Island 1892. Possibly the very first photograph ever taken on Bribie Island.

Flinders travelled up what he called the Pumicestone River, and climbed one of the Glasshouse Mountains. Over the next 50 years, there were very few who came to this remote island and little trace can be found, other than surveyors marks and evidence of the long aboriginal occupation. In 1823 three castaway convicts spent several months with the local aboriginal people and were fortunate to be rescued on the island by those searching for a new penal colony site.

The worst of the worst convicts from Sydney were initially sent to a new penal settlement at Redcliffe in 1824, but this was relocated within a few months to a new and better site on the Brisbane River. It would be another 35 years before the State of Queensland was declared when separated from NSW in 1859.

During all those years there were still very few white men who came to this desolate island. Within a hundred years of the first sighting of these shores by Captain Cook, the once extensive Aboriginal population of Moreton Bay had been reduced to just a few. This led to the establishment of the first Aboriginal reserve right here on Bribie Island at Whitepatch in 1877.

Barry Clark’s free Heritage Walk brochures available at Visitors Centre, Library and Museum.

The remaining individuals from various groups around Moreton Bay were dumped here on the island with basic provisions under government supervision. Not surprisingly, it created many social issues and soon closed down. A few years later, a school for aboriginal children was established at Mission Point.

Once again though, it proved an unsuitable site and the children were soon relocated to Stradbroke Island in 1892. What is believed to be the very first photo ever taken on Bribe Island records that event. In 1891 Bribie Island was briefly visited by Archibald Meston, an Explorer, Author, Politician, and the official “Protector of the Aborigines”. He made this comment… “Bribie Island is one of the meanest pieces of country in Australia… a howling desert of tea-tree swamps rank aquatic vegetation and unimaginable cussedness”

It is therefore quite remarkable that just 17 years later a group of Brisbane businessmen decided to invest significant sums of money, building steamships and leasing large areas of the island to develop Bribie into Australia’s first island holiday destination.

In 1912 the Brisbane Tug & Steamship Co. built a Jetty at Bongaree, and over the next few years saw the island develop as a destination for mass tourism, with many thousands of visitors coming by steamships every weekend and holiday, enjoying cheap and healthy holidays. More people came on camping holidays to Bribie Island than lived in the entire Caboolture Shire at the time.

These remarkable “boom” years for Bribie Island were however impacted in the 1930’s by the Great Depression, and soon after that came World War 2. These events led to great upheaval as the military moved in, most residents were moved out, and extensive defense structures were built on the island in 1942.

Some were removed after the war but many remain visible to this day. The “Steamship excursion” trips to the island resumed after the War, but by then the motor car was the popular form of transport, and increasing numbers braved the dreadful roads to the island. By 1963, a bridge had been built and the island was joined to mainland Australia. Looking back over more than 200 years since the first arrivals, our island has experienced many remarkable events, many of which can still be seen.

There are lots of things to look out for as you move around the island that provide clues to the past. Available at the Visitors Centre, the Library, and the Museum are free brochures for self-guided walks around interesting old buildings in Bongaree and the location of heritage plaques along the waterfront.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

• There are over 50 Aboriginal sites officially gazetted on the Island, representing their occupation of this land over many thousands of years.

• The Water Tower in the Caravan Park at Bongaree is on the site of a large Aboriginal shell midden.

The area known as “Red Beach” is a name carried over from the War Years when Australian and US troops did beach landing craft training at various colour coded beaches.
Australia’s first Opera Australis was written by Emily Coungeau whose grand home, “Coungeau House” was built in 1915 and still stands in Banya Street, Bongaree.
In the 1960’s, an Ionospheric Research Centre with an Atomic Clock was established on Bribie Island to study the behaviour of radio signals in the upper atmosphere.
In the years 1914, 1932 and 1976 the residents of Bribie Island made three unsuccessful attempts to break away from Caboolture Shire and establish Bribie Island as its own shire.

THE BRIBIE WINELANDER

SAUVIGNON BLANC.

PINOT GRIGIO

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CHRISTMAS LUNCH OR DINNER:

CHRISTMAS ON A BUDGET (AROUND $10.00):

SPARKLING WINE:

WHITE WINES:

RED WINES:

ROSE:

FORTIFIED:

A BIGGER BUDGET CHRISTMAS:

SPARKLING WINE:

WHITE WINES:

RED WINES:

FORTIFIED:

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