Stories from Old Cleveland Road

In Brisbane we are fortunate to live so close to Moreton Bay. A trip down Old Cleveland Road takes us from a busy metropolis to a place of great beauty, where time slows down. It is a place for relaxation, and contemplation. Andre Carter has written a collection of stories about this place, and how it still affects us in a primal way, exciting the imagination. He invites us to stand on the rock wall at Cleveland Point or Wellington Point and look out. Ralph Wilson in his oil paintings sees the ever-changing colours and wind shifts on the water. David Malouf in his masterwork Remembering Babylon saw a golden rim of light encircling our beautiful country. What does Andre Carter see?

Place is the beginning of these stories, either the bay, or the alternate world of the city. But place is only a beginning, just as Sydney Harbour was a beginning for Kenneth Slessor. What matters more is us, and what happens to us. The stories that happen here.In one story he sees Peel Island, with its tragic past, an island of lost souls. Nearby is the Old Court House at Cleveland Point, and further away is St Helena Island. Late at night what else could possibly happen than ghosts appearing? The bay is beautiful, but its past is dark and unsettling, and is still with us, particularly when we are alone there on windswept evenings.