A Night Under the Stars at Peel Island, Queensland
It was one Saturday afternoon when we decided on an impromptu, spur of the moment Peel Island camping trip was just what we needed! The weather forecast promised a beautiful night, followed by an even more perfect morning!
Our initial excitement was soon tempered by practicality. We realised that some last-minute rewiring was required on our boat before we could set off on night-boating-adventures. Undeterred, we worked into the late afternoon, ensuring everything was ship-shape.
We arrived at Raby Bay Boat Ramp. The anticipation of our trip added an extra layer of excitement to the crisp evening air. We conducted a final check of all our navigation lights - safety first! Once this important task was completed, it was time to pack and launch our boat for its first overnight trip.
Navigating slowly and carefully, we cruised across to Peel Island at a leisurely pace of about 15 knots. The journey took about 20-25 minutes at this pace and we were lucky to have good lights, a good GPS, and good moonlight!
Upon arriving at Peel Island, we wasted no time in setting up camp for the night. We unloaded all our gear from the boat and pitched our tent with practiced ease. As dusk fell, we fired up the BBQ and cracked open a coldy, ready to enjoy a chilled evening under the stars.
It turned out to be a truly stunning night. The sky above us was crystal clear with stars twinkling like diamonds against black velvet. The island wasn’t too busy but there were enough boats anchored off Peel Island’s ledge - about 200m from shore - which added to the serene ambiance. As darkness deepened, lights from North Stradbroke flickered in the distance like distant fireflies.
The next morning greeted us with another spectacular display from Mother Nature; a beautiful sunrise against a clear sky provided an awe-inspiring start to our day. As tide had receded during our slumber, our boat rested peacefully on the sand nearby.
We fired up the BBQ once again for breakfast, and recollected on last night’s spur of the moment trip. We relaxed on the shore next to sizzling sausages and steaming mugs of coffee.
As mid-morning approached, we watched as high tide breathed life back into our beached vessel. Taking advantage of water under the boat, we left Peel Island behind and spent the rest of our day exploring other parts of Bay before returning home later that evening.
Our impromptu camping trip at Peel Island proved to be an unforgettable experience filled with fun-filled moments under starlit skies - proof that sometimes spontaneous decisions can lead to some truly unforgettable adventures.
