Brisbane: Sunny and Sophisticated

     Following our short visit to Sydney and area, we flew to Brisbane, Queensland to visit with my mother's cousin Marie and her son, Nick.  She has a beautiful condo (they call them apartments in Australia and what we in Canada would call an apartment, they call a "flat") overlooking the Brisbane River, which flows through the centre of the city.

Looking from the balcony to the left

Looking from the balcony straight ahead

     We had a full day in Brisbane and were able to explore the city.  Here are some things that make it special.

B is for the Brisbane River.  This river is one of the main reasons why the city is located where it is.  It was an important route to connect areas in the north to the ocean before a railway was built.

It is affected by tides and the regular mix of fresh water with sea water creates an environment that can be difficult for fish to survive, but some have adapted to it, such as the Queensland lungfish, the Brisbane River cod and bull sharks.  Bull sharks can live in salt, brackish or fresh water and are able to travel far upstream.  They are an aggressive shark, so people do not swim in the river anywhere near Brisbane.

R is for Rain.  Having a subtropical climate, Brisbane can experience some large rainfalls which can cause the Brisbane River to flood.  We were on a bus tour when some rain fell, causing a massive traffic delay, but it cleared up after an hour or more on the bus.

Summer is when they get the most rainfall and not long after we left the city, cyclone Debbie dumped about 167 mm (6.5 inches) on the area over a 4-day period.  It made landfall as a Category 4 cyclone in an area farther north but weakened as it moved inland.  Fortunately, it did not cause flooding in Brisbane, unlike a previous experience in 2011.

I is for Interesting. Here are six (hopefully) interesting facts about Brisbane:

1. Locals call it "Brizzie".
2. It is the jumping-off point for the Gold and Sunshine coasts farther north in Queensland.
3. The climate allows most restaurants to have open-air patios for most of the year.
4. Brisbane's China Town was the set used for the Jackie Chan movie Jackie Chan's First Strike in 1996.
5. At Queen and Albert Sts., right in the downtown core, was a multi-storey convict barracks used between 1827 and 1841.  Part of the Barracks still stands.
6. Brisbane was the busiest submarine port in the world during World War II, primarily because it was out of range of Japanese bombers.

S is for South Bank.  The Brisbane River divides the city in half, more or less, but there are frequent ferries that dart back and forth, from stops along both banks on defined routes.  Best of all, one of these ferry lines is free for the public to use! The other service charges a fee but is faster.

South Bank includes the South Bank Parklands which offers a large ferris wheel, Streets Beach (a man-made artificial beach so that swimmers don't have to risk life and limb in the river), restaurants and museums.

South Bank is more culturally oriented than the North Bank area, which includes the Central Business District.

B is for Bridges, particularly the Story Bridge which was right across from the condo we stayed in and can be seen in some photos in this post.  It is a steel cantilever bridge that is used by all traffic and pedestrians and is a twin of the Jacques Cartier bridge in Montreal..

People are able to climb the bridge structure wearing a safety harness for panoramic views of the city, 80 metres above the river below.  It is one of only 3 bridge climbs in the world and costs between $89 and $139 to participate (which we didn't), depending upon the time of day and size of group. See photos below for pictures of some adventurous climbers.

A is for Art.  Not only does the city have the Queensland Museum of Modern Art, it also has interesting art pieces throughout the city, including these giant letters spelling out the city's name.

Here is a link to some of the most interesting sculptures in the city.  It adds to the pleasure in walking about when you come upon something that is a feast for the eyes.

N is for Nice Weather.  Blessed with the perfect subtropical climate and an average of eight hours of sun per day, Brisbane is the ideal destination for life in the great outdoors, despite the occasional large rainfalls as mentioned above.  In their winter (June to August), the coldest it would likely get is around 10 degrees Celsius.  Of course, we hardy Canadians would be in shorts and T-shirts if it got to that temperature during winter!

E is for Exploring.  Brisbane has a very thorough transit system which includes an elevated train, free river ferries, a free bus that loops the downtown core stopping at the major attractions and an extensive bus network.  The downtown core is very compact, so it is not too strenuous to walk wherever you want to go.

Brisbane also has a "Hop On and Hop Off" Bus Tour of the city and surrounding areas. We enjoyed this way of touring in Perth, West Australia so we took advantage of it in Brisbane. Too bad that the weather turned bad with rain during our time on the tour.

View from the balcony during the day.

View to the left from the balcony during the day

Bridge climbers descending the bridge

Climbers as seen from a distance

Stairs going up the bridge

Some art we passed while on the "free" ferry heading downtown

More art on a pylon on the river

Ferris wheel at the South Shore Parkland

More art on the streets in downtown area

Unique art piece on the streets

My mother's cousin Marie was a prolific artist and

some of her works liven up the walls of her condo.

 

Marie's artistic talents obviously rubbed off on her son, Nick 
who spent several years travelling the world taking photos.  
This one is of an African girl.

A view of the condo from the river. It is the one in the middle

Marie's dog. With the apartment being on the 19th floor it is difficult
to let the dog out when nature calls. Interestingly enough, on the balcony
there are two plots of grass at each end where the dog can find relief.

Nick, Al, Bev and Marie

     Again, we were so lucky to have relatives to assist us with our stay in Australia. Nick and Marie treated us so well. After Brisbane we are on our own. Thanks everyone for showing us the best in Australia.