Below the modern West End apartment blocks, on a bend in the river next to Orleigh Park, sits a small, weatherboard building – home to South Brisbane Sailing Club. This year, SBSC celebrates 120 years of sailing on the Brisbane River. Perhaps you or your children would like to be part of this tradition. If so, come on down; SBSC is a family-friendly club that caters for all ages and all levels of skill, from those who have no prior experience to budding Olympians.

On Saturdays from early September until the end of March 2025 (and less frequently during winter), the club will host morning training classes and afternoon races, sometimes followed by cheese and crackers.

South Brisbane Sailing Club began life in 1903 as the Victoria Sailing Club, acquiring its present name three years later. Initially, the club rented rooms in various local hotels as headquarters, until moving to premises in Fish Lane, West End, in 1925. Our first 222 members were keen sailors across many nautical vessels, and just like today it was the strong social bonds that held the club together. In photos from the early 1900’s our sailors and members are seen in some very fancy dress attire for a regular picnic at our club on the river’s edge. We are happy to report that regular picnics (sausage sizzles) are still held on the same front lawn overlooking our beautiful river, although today the dress code is somewhat more casual.

In 1956, the club moved into its own, newly built clubhouse on a site leased from Brisbane City Council, and here it has remained to this day, surviving floods and pandemics. Most recently in 2022, the entire lower floor was submerged in raging brown water, eventually filling with mud. Fortunately, SBSC members had a plan. Once all the boats were safely evacuated and the great brown snake had returned to its regular swell, our team marched in with shovels and hoses in hand. And in the blink of an eye (and many hours of laborious TLC), our clubhouse was back in business. The big brass bell ringing once more to call all the sailors in and prepare for our next adventure.

After many years of races and events, the current day club is adorned with mementos from its past. Every wall of the upper clubhouse is decorated with photos, medallions, records and flags, a beautiful display of a well loved place.

SBSC is a volunteer-run club. The volunteers who run the races and drive the safety boats on Saturdays are the heart of the club. They are also a source of opportunities for those who may not wish to sail themselves, but who would like to be part of the activities, perhaps as parents of new junior sailors. Our Learn to Sail program has grown rapidly to cater for adults and children alike. Our ties with the local West End community also grow more with each new class of sailors that come to learn; finding more than just practical skills, but a network of kind characters who’ll look out for each other in a storm.

During the week when our club isn’t being used for sailing events, the homely wooden hall is hired out to community groups.

If you would like to sail with us but don’t have a boat, don’t worry! SBSC has you covered with dinghies available for hire. We are above all a community sailing club, where sailing knowledge (and wine and cheese) gets shared freely.

To all West End residents and anyone who loves our river, you are always welcome at SBSC. Whether it’s to sail a boat or just watch the water flow, our sailing club is a historical haven, and we intend to uphold that tradition. If you are looking for a place to kickstart a sailing lifestyle, have a yarn and see some familiar faces every weekend, we would love to meet you at SBSC. For more information, please visit our website sbsc.org.au.

Photo captions and information

FL40817 – Yachts on the Brisbane River at the opening of the sailing season in 1894. Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

FL200433 Sailing boats from the South Brisbane Sailing Club on the Brisbane River, off Orleigh Park, South Brisbane. (n.d.). Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

FL1205875 Ladies and Management Committees of the South Brisbane Sailing Club, ca. 1921. (n.d.). Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

FL312567 Annual picnic of the South Brisbane Sailing Club, Green Island, 1921. (n.d.). Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Main Image: Sailing on the Brisbane River, December 2023 Photo: Martin Brown.