There's so much to do at this year's Island Storytellers!
Join us 30th September - 8th October 2023 for a celebration of storytelling in Quandamooka.
The festival will be held in the beautiful southern Moreton Bay islands, with water based events on the sailing ship South Passage and the cruising pleasure craft MV Lady Brisbane. |
This year in addition to events held on Lamb Island - Ngudjuru, we welcome events on
neighbouring islands hosted by Writers on Water from Russell Island - Canaipa, & Inspirational Writers Group from Macleay Island - Jencoomercha. Follow us on Facebook for regular updates. |
Programme 2023
Please note: the programme is subject to change and boating events may be postponed in the case of bad weather.
Saturday 30th September
Lamb Island - The festival precinct is a 15 minute walk from the jetty, or you can take the Lamb Van which greets the ferry
- 08:30 LIRA Gallery Bookshop Café opens & Ticket office opens at the Pioneer Hall
- 09:00 Welcome to Country – With Avril Quaill
- 10.00 Tell me a Story - Avril Quaill & Anita Heiss discuss listening and hearing.
- 12:00 Lunch – A la carte Bistro & pre-ordered picnics at the Lamb Island Rec Club.
- 12:00 Children's Picnic Storytime with Redland Libraries. Picnics can be pre-ordered, stories start at 1pm.
- 13.30 The Biographer's Art with Historians Troy White, Dr Deborah Jordan, Dan Griffiths and Adrian Hellwig.
- 19.15 Moonlight Movies - Free Outdoor Screening of Red Dog at Macleay Island Community Centre
Sunday 1st October
Lamb Island Festival Precinct
- 08:00 Shinrin-Yoku (Nature bathing) Haiku Poetry workshop - Lamb Island Community Garden with Karen Throssel
- 09:00 LIRA Gallery Café opens for refreshments
- 09.30 Pioneer Hall: Spitfires! Writing strong women in literature - Judy Lattas (Convenor), Donna M Cameron, Mirandi Riwoe, Michelle Upton and Melissa Lucashenko.
- 11:30 - Book Club Events
- Book Club with a View – Terms of Inheritance, Michelle Upton - SOLD OUT
- Speedboat Book Club - Redlands Coast Guard, Natalie Sprite & Brian Falkner - SOLD OUT
- 12:00 Lunch, book swap/signing in LIRA Gallery Bookshop
- 13.30 Book Club with a View - Lamb Island: The Burnished Sun, with Mirandi Riwoe - SOLD OUT
- Create an Opera in an Afternoon & Perform it! has been cancelled due to illness.
Monday 2nd October

Macleay Island - Progress Hall (MIPA Hall)
Join us for a special writers' day, with a luxurious morning workshop, a discussion about publishing and an opportunity to pitch your book to a commercial publisher!
Join us for a special writers' day, with a luxurious morning workshop, a discussion about publishing and an opportunity to pitch your book to a commercial publisher!
- 9 -11.30am - Writer's Workshop with Mel Archer: Embodied - Simple daily rituals to nourish your creative self includes gift bag and morning tea. Participants should bring a yoga mat. Book here
- 13:00 - The Business of Writing Panel discussing publishing options and the importance of editing - featuring Esther Bertram, Troy White, and Kate Stevens from Hachette.
- 14.00 Five Minute Pitches with Kate Stevens from Hachette. Eight writers will be given the opportunity to present a five minute pitch of their book/manuscript.
Tuesday 3rd October
- 10.00am-1.00pm - Russell Island Community Hall - Unlock Your Untold Stories™ - Workshop with Alex Blake - bestselling author, award-winning editor, mentor and founder of Diamond Stories. Focus on unlocking your story, its magic, its impact and its legacy. Humans are natural storytellers, and we each have a lifetime of stories locked inside of us. Come along to Alex's 3 hour workshop and discover how to turn your idea for a book into reality. Tickets coming soon!
Wednesday 4th October
Wednesday's event takes place on Russell Island.
- 10am – Nature & the Poetic Stroll - with Sharon Jewell. Starting from the Ferry terminal on Russell Island. Writing within the natural provides abundant opportunities for contemplation and wonder. Stroll from the Jetty to Kennedy Farm and build a series of poetic works, where the written word becomes more than a reflection of what you see and reveals the world in new and surprising ways. A Writers on Water event.
Thursday 5th October

11am - The Bayview Room - Lamb Island Recreation Club.
Calming meditation for coping with grief.
Workshop with author Kay McInnes.
Get Tickets
Calming meditation for coping with grief.
Workshop with author Kay McInnes.
Get Tickets
Friday 6th October
Events on the water get underway - with departures from Brisbane, the Bay islands & Manly Qld.
- 07.30 Lady Brisbane departs Hamilton for the Island Discovery Cruise. This is a two part event, more info and tickets here
- 11.00am - 2.30pm Spring Luncheon on the Bay on the MV Lady Brisbane. Storytelling and spring cornucopia luncheon featuring local seafood and island delicacies as we cruise among the bay islands. Created in conjunction with the Russell Island Writers on Water, with sponsors: Sirromet and 8th Sense Kitchen.
- 17.00 The tall ship South Passage departs Manly Qld. for Stargazing Adventures - two nights sailing Moreton Bay and the Bay Islands, with special events scheduled in on board and in the islands. There will be four guest storytellers and dark sky stargazing with Astro-Physicist Professor Duane Hamacher. Guests are welcome to bring a small musical instrument. Sailing adventure ends at Manly on Sunday Evening 8th October. Age 14+. 24 passengers only - $580.00pp. No smoking or alcohol permitted on board.
Saturday 7th OctoberMurder mysteries and sea shanties on board the South Passage!
South Passage event times may change slightly according to tides and conditions on the day.
Sunday 8th October
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