{"id":7308,"date":"2026-03-15T10:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T10:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=7308"},"modified":"2026-03-15T10:29:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T10:29:01","slug":"16-brisbane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=7308","title":{"rendered":"16. BRISBANE."},"content":{"rendered":"

Brisbane.\u00a0 The capital city of Queensland.\u00a0 Australia’s third-most populous city.\u00a0 Home to some 2.9 million people.\u00a0 Plus two for a few days as we head south to avoid the continuous rain forecast for a week on the Sunshine Coast!\u00a0 Last year, we spent a few nights in Robin and Linda’s apartment in the Oaks Festival Towers.\u00a0 At that time the Albert Street Metro station was being hugely updated.\u00a0 The Cross River Rail was being developed.\u00a0 The noise of the construction work then was “considerable”.\u00a0 Twenty four hours a day.\u00a0 We found ourselves praying for rain at night.\u00a0 That was the only thing that kept the noise levels down.\u00a0 This year the main building has been “topped-out”.<\/p>\n

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The roof is now being used as a store room!\u00a0 The bulk of activity seen from our window involves the craning of large containers of assorted bits and pieces for construction work on the front face of the station where a large canopy is being installed.\u00a0 Very precise work.\u00a0 I think the crane drivers have done it before!<\/p>\n

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Linda was working in the city on the Monday.\u00a0 We had had the choice of driving down from the Sunshine Coast with her at 05.00 am or taking two 50 cent rides from Woombye to Brisbane Central departing at 10.36 am.\u00a0 It didn’t take long to decide!<\/p>\n

After Linda finished work we had a glass of wine and walked to the Story Bridge Hotel for supper.\u00a0 Fish and chips, and pie and chips, as I recall.\u00a0 The hotel is a pub-style place located literally under the bridge.\u00a0 The projecting wing above the main entrance (seen below) is the very edge of the bridge deck.\u00a0 You can even see a street light on the side of the road up there.<\/p>\n

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Located at the tip of Kangaroo Point, the area is famed for Australian Football League street parties as well as the Annual Cockroach Races!<\/p>\n

Roaches are released from the centre of a circle, and the first to reach the perimeter wins.\u00a0 Allegedly, cockroaches can reach speeds of up to 50 body lengths per second, maybe 5 or 6 kph.\u00a0 And they have almost instantaneous reactions when threatened. Just like snail racing, but rather quicker.\u00a0 I’d hate to be the adjudicator in the event of a tie with the insects crossing the finishing “line” at opposite sides of the circle!<\/p>\n

Walking home (at a sub-roach speed), we crossed the new Kangaroo Point pedestrian bridge.\u00a0 Fabulous views across the river to the high rise buildings of “Riverside”.<\/p>\n

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Looking back, there’s the Story Bridge\u00a0 …<\/p>\n

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… and looking up, the illuminated pillar supporting our crossing …<\/p>\n

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I don’t think I’ve ever before crossed a Bridge which tells you how much it’s being used!<\/p>\n

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We were the 362,394 – 362,396th pedestrians to cross so far this year!\u00a0 What a useful fact-let!\u00a0 We had also contributed three crossings earlier in the evening.\u00a0 So today alone we have accounted for almost 0.002% of the total pedestrian crossings since New Years Day.\u00a0 It was really worth them building the bridge!<\/p>\n

Another day we wielded our credit cards for 50 cent trips on the River Cat ferries.\u00a0 This time we cruised all the way down-river to Hamilton, just short of the Gateway Bridge.\u00a0 This carries the M1 motorway on it’s way to Sydney, almost 1,000 kms to the south.<\/p>\n

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While we were on this stretch of the river, we saw a white bellied sea eagle serenely patrolling his patch of territorial waterway.\u00a0 Clearly distinguished by it’s huge size, white tummy and wings held in a characteristic “V” shape.\u00a0 Fabulous.\u00a0 Fifty cents to be able to watch such a magnificent bird!\u00a0 I call that a bargain!\u00a0 We’ve seen sea eagles in two places before.\u00a0 First on the Isle of Wight where a group of juvenile eagles were released several years ago as part of a re-introduction scheme, and secondly in Norway, north of the Arctic Circle.\u00a0 Both trips cost significantly more than 50 cents!\u00a0 But in both cases the eagles were white tailed sea eagles with a maximum wingspan of typically about 2.4 m compared with about 2.0 m for their white bellied cousins as found in Australia.<\/p>\n

After the excitement of seeing eagles, almost for free, in what is basically an urban area, we need a coffee!\u00a0 We decided to hop off the ferry at New Farm Park from where it’s but a short walk to the Powerhouse.\u00a0 As it’s name suggests this is a re-purposed power station.\u00a0 It has a reputation for being a bit arty-crafty.<\/p>\n

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The place puts on exhibitions and shows, but there wasn’t much of interest in that line today.\u00a0 So time for a coffee.\u00a0 We rejected Caf\u00e9 Vertigo on the fourth floor.\u00a0 There’s already too much of that “instability” about – but we’ll get to that in due course.\u00a0 So it was Mary Mae’s caf\u00e9 on the ground floor.\u00a0 Then back on a Cat to Riverside for lunch.\u00a0 And a very significant lunch it was too!\u00a0 The Pronto Banquet at Massimos.\u00a0 Nine courses for $54 a head.\u00a0 Less than \u00a330 each.\u00a0 Basically, several starters, pasta, eye fillet steak, potatoes, salads and two desserts in the shape of enormous cannoli – well, we are at an Italian restaurant!<\/p>\n

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One of these went into a box to take home for tomorrow!\u00a0 When tomorrow came, the single cannolo comfortably served three of us!<\/p>\n

That evening saw a most peculiar map being shown on Sky news. \u00a0A rainfall map.<\/p>\n

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The pink bit shows a weekly total of 300 mm of rain.\u00a0 In one of the driest parts of the continent!\u00a0 The Corner Country.\u00a0 Where Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet.\u00a0 More or less slap bang in the middle of the Strzelecki Desert!<\/p>\n

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The normal ANNUAL TOTAL rainfall in this region is about 200 mm!\u00a0 (This REALLY is a very unusually wet, wet season!)\u00a0 It is a fact of mine that all good Australians know that the Strzelecki Desert supports a population of the endangered Dusky Hopping Mouse.<\/p>\n

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(Those last two lovely photos are clearly not mine, but borrowed off the internet.\u00a0 They add a touch of class to this post!\u00a0 Thank you Mr Google.)<\/p>\n

Anyway, back to Brisbane.\u00a0 Robyn and Kevin, friends made in the Kimberley, many years ago, joined us for a day.\u00a0 First things first.\u00a0 “Morning Tea”.\u00a0 (This covers any drink taken before lunch.)\u00a0 Coffees in our case.\u00a0 On the 21st floor of the Emporium Hotel.<\/p>\n

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A coffee shop (yellow) with a view!\u00a0 Followed by lunch at a Turkish restaurant (Red) close by on the South Bank.\u00a0 Well we are trying to minimise walking distances in the heat!<\/p>\n

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After a really nice meal, I decided to try their baklava.\u00a0 But we just wanted a taste so we ordered one serve\u00a0 cut in four.\u00a0 After some time, the waiter arrived with the dish and told us he couldn’t really cut it into four, so he had just halved it!\u00a0 It was microscopic!<\/p>\n

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We were not impressed!\u00a0 However, it tasted good (I think) and it did cause a bit of hilarity!\u00a0 In the end, it only cost the princely sum of $3.50, less than \u00a31.80.\u00a0 I guess it’s normally served as an accompaniment to a tiny cup of strong Turkish coffee!<\/p>\n

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A gentle stroll through the parkland of the South Bank gave a great view of the Star Hotel and Casino.\u00a0 That is the building where we failed to find the access lift to the Sky Deck which runs around the hotel at the 23rd floor!\u00a0 Better luck this time?\u00a0 We are sending out a search party tomorrow!<\/p>\n

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Over the Neville Bonner pedestrian bridge straight into the ground level areas of the Star Hotel and it’s time to say goodbye to Robyn and Kevin.\u00a0 They are catching a bus to look for their car which they abandoned this morning on the outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n

The next day we did find our way to the Sky Deck.\u00a0 In fact it was quite clearly signed so long as you start outside the hotel.\u00a0 At 100 m above ground level, the views are stunning from the 250 m curved deck.\u00a0 The M3 motorway which runs far below along the Queen’s Wharf area is known as the Queen’s Wharf Road, or the Riverside Expressway.<\/p>\n

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In 1936, A retaining wall and improvements were made along Queen’s Wharf Road as part of interwar “Beautification Initiatives”.\u00a0 In1968 construction of the modern Riverside Expressway, which runs over and alongside the Queen’s Wharf area, commenced.\u00a0 Major sections were opened between 1973 and 1976.\u00a0 Sadly, this led to the removal of all the original wharf structures.<\/p>\n

Now they really need to made the roads wider again to accommodate increased traffic.\u00a0 Or maybe they should put the road in a tunnel and concealed it completely!\u00a0 Controversial!<\/p>\n

Here I am trying to look cool, calm and collected, while standing on a glazed section of the balcony.<\/p>\n

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Trying not to be distracted by other people’s choice of footware …<\/p>\n

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… while trying to concentrate on the view of Neville’s bridge, the big wheel, one of the river cats and the Performing Arts Centre.<\/p>\n

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From the rear extremity of the Sky Deck, it is almost possible to see our apartment.\u00a0 The yellow arrows point at “our” corner crane as seen in my photo above!<\/p>\n

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Later, on the South Bank river-side walk, we came across these two bronze statues sitting on a bench.<\/p>\n

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A lady sat beside them and was hugely startled when the statue of the guy next to her started moving!<\/p>\n

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Clearly (with hindsight) he was a “living statue”!\u00a0 Sadly, I missed getting a video of the event by seconds!<\/p>\n

The next day was Sunday.\u00a0 Could we find train times from Central Station to the Sunshine Coast?\u00a0 Could we heck!\u00a0 The hotel receptionist couldn’t either.\u00a0 The advice was pitch up and catch a bus to the first station with service.\u00a0 We decided Roma Street station was a better bet for catching buses!\u00a0 In the event, it turned out that there were major track works and the line was closed to all traffic between Roma Street and Bowen Hills.\u00a0 Three stops were stopped!\u00a0 The train was running, but out the back door away from Bowen Hills.\u00a0 It merged with the north-bound track just north of Bowen Hills and we were away.\u00a0 As they say, all’s well that ends well!<\/p>\n

Drat, I still haven’t covered the slippery steps thing!<\/p>\n

That will have to wait.\u00a0 As will the report of our encounter with Victoria from Boccarina and Torika from Nandi (Fiji).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brisbane.\u00a0 The capital city of Queensland.\u00a0 Australia’s third-most populous city.\u00a0 Home to some 2.9 million people.\u00a0 Plus two for a few days as we head south to avoid the continuous rain forecast for a week on the Sunshine Coast!\u00a0 Last… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vietnam-and-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7308"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7354,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7308\/revisions\/7354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}