Riviera

Mystery Weekend Experience surprises Riviera owners

Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia: The first clue was a horse shoe, which led Riviera owners Jan and Peter Barr to their mystery anchorage at Horseshoe Bay, Peel Island, which is located in Moreton Bay, east of Brisbane.

On board their new 43 Open Flybridge, Sequel, Jan and Petermade the 30 nautical mile journey from the Gold Coast to Peel Island with a fleet of 18 Rivieras ranging in size from 36 to 56 feet for a mystery weekend over the 8th, 9th and 10th of July.

After dropping anchor at Horseshoe Bay, Jan and Peter joined 42 fellow Riviera owners on the beach for drinks and hors d’oeuvres where they were given their next clue for the following day’s adventure, which was a tour of the leper colony on Peel Island.

Peel Island’s history dates back to the early European settlement in the 1800s when it was used as a quarantine station for new settlers.

In the early 19th century to as recently as 1959, Peel Island was a hospice for people suffering from leprosy, which is a chronic disease causing skin lesions and deformities and in 2007 the island became a National Park.

Jan said the story of the leper colony was ‘enlightening’.

“We had a wonderful day on Peel Island looking at the colony and to know that it happened as recently as 1959 is very sad,” she said.

“It was a lovely walk from Horseshoe Bay to the colony and we really enjoyed spending time with like-minded people.

“We had a guide from Marine Parks who showed us the buildings and explained the history of Peel Island.

“Just knowing the colony was there and how they lived and the hardships, it must have been extremely lonely for them. They were taken away from their families with no choice and they had no treatment at all so many of them died. It wasn’t until towards the end of 1959 that they realised leprosy wasn’t contagious.”

For M360 Sport Cruiser owners Graham and Ann Belby, this was their first R Marine Queensland Experience.

“We had just come back from Europe where we really enjoyed the local history and we thought it was such a shame we didn’t know much about the history here so the trip to Peel Island was very educational,” said Graham.

“Peel Island has over 100 years of history and it’s not open to the public so for us it was a highlight of the trip and we felt really privileged to experience it – it was quite special.”

Graham said they also enjoyed meeting other Riviera owners and people with whom they had so much in common.

“We really enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next one.”

R Marine Queensland dealer principal Randall Jones said the winter weather was beautiful for the mystery weekend.

“We decided to add a bit of fun to this Experience by giving owners clues and co-ordinates so that they could use their on board navigation equipment to find their anchorage on the first night and then the next day for their mystery trip to the colony,” Randall said.

“We asked everyone to bring their walking shoes, cameras and water and meet on the beach for the mystery trip.

“The leper colony is not open to the public and is a restricted area so the staff from Marine Parks guided us to the track that led to the colony on the northern side of Peel Island.

“It was a good 30 minute walk along a bush track to the colony where Marine Parks and the Friends of Peel group gave us a good insight of what it was like to live there in the early 1900s.

“Everyone enjoyed the three day adventure and catching up with their Riviera friends.”

R Marine Queensland will host their next Experience the annual Great Sandy Straits Experience from September 19 – 24.

For more information contact R Marine Queensland on (07) 5502 9544.

For more information, please go to www.rmarineqld.com.au