News
29 May, 2025
Oarsome Turnout for Bribie Regatta
The largest gathering of classic boats in Queensland took place on Bribie Island over the May 18–19 weekend, at the 26th Bribie Island Classic Boat Regatta.
Hosted by Bribie Aquatic Community Events, the regatta saw hundreds of participants attend, along with curious onlookers and family fun stalls and markets.
Regatta founder, Alan Graham, said he was thrilled to see more than 100 boats enter the weekend event, with perfect weather making it a great two days for participants. “Bribie Aquatic Community Events are doing a marvellous job,” Mr Graham said. “It’s the perfect location, you’ve got the kids playing in the water, and there’s a great community in Bribie, so there’s lots of people that will come down and have a look.”
Rose Marie is a stunning 140-year-old example of the boatbuilding history on display. Her engineer, John Davis – who built the steam engine and boiler currently in Rose Marie alongside his father in England in the 1960s – attended the regatta with pride. Another attendee at this year’s regatta was Gary Doornbos, who needs no introduction as a contemporary exponent of wooden boatbuilding skill.
The only barrier for entrants in the iconic boat parade through the Pumicestone Passage is the height of the Bribie Bridge, limiting the event to boats small enough to sail underneath. While this denies access to some boat owners and enthusiasts, it has been a blessing in disguise for showcasing the smaller classic craft that beach themselves along the shoreline, which allows the general public to get up close and personal with the beautiful boats and their owners.
The Bribie Island Boat Regatta first took place in 1999 to celebrate the island’s rich maritime history and to express love for the classic wooden boats of the early 20th century. Bribie Island’s history with boats goes back hundreds of years to when the traditional owners of the land (the Gubbi Gubbi and Joondoburri people) used Bribie as a hunting ground, which they reached by canoe through the Brisbane River.
Once just an opportunity to parade boats through the Pumicestone Passage, the Bribie Island Boat Regatta has evolved into much more than that, with vendors having set up food and market stalls, as well as model boat showcases.
