THE Anzac Day public holiday provided the opportunity for many on and off the island to take a four day break. Visitors flew in for some pre-winter R&R and enjoyed bright sunny, even summery days for touring, golf and a bit of fishing and a lot of music listening.
The Moonbird Festival musical experience continued throughout the weekend. An evening Recital of ‘Nocturne’ for solo guitar performed by Andrew Blanch at the Brewhouse attracted a mixed audience who enjoyed pizza and beer; soirees at Red Hut, Waterwings Gallery in Currie, at Andrew and Di Blake’s Whalehouse at Yellow Rock mixed local cuisine and performance and the old sheds at Currie Harbour treated and challenged the audience with ‘new sounds’ produced using violins made from eel and kelp.
The inaugural festival closed on Sunday night with the Bowerbird final concert in the Currie Town Hall.
Ex-residents and musicians Charles and Ros Pearce returned to the island and travelled straight down south to Seal Rocks. They surprised tourism operator Ian Johnston and his off-road King Island Tours group with a memorable ‘pop up’ saxophone serenade during their paddock-to-plate experience. Charles performed later at the fully booked Wild Harvest restaurant and on Sunday at Legs wine bar and café in Currie.
King Island is becoming known as the destination to make a memorable experience. A group of friends from around Australia chose this four-day break to celebrate this year’s significant birthday.
The group, predominately from NSW and Queensland meet up every couple of years and celebrate a group birthday and on significant dates will create memories travelling somewhere special. This year King Island was chosen for the year’s 50th birthday celebration. It was four days of golf, fishing around the island, and local dining.
On Sunday, after having fishing success on the Naracoopa Jetty in the morning, they were excited to find the trevally running at the Currie Wharf. After the catch and release they were off to watch the footy, find a crayfish and have dinner at the King Island Club.
Dave said, “This is great, this is what making memories is about.”