Martin Travels: Brisbane

Today was Brisbane Day. We set out in the morning northward along the motorway and within an hour were in the suburbs of Brisbane. Our first stop was at the home Anne's son Jonathan, Angel, Hunter and Alex in Coorparoo. They were all at work and daycare, so we dropped some things off and continued with a drivepast of Anne and Barry's former home on our way to the ferry dock at Mowbray Park. We boarded a 'City Cat' ferry ON THE BRISBANE RIVER, for the purpose of touring the city by water. The water was discoloured brown, carrying more silt than usual and we passed numerous locations ofdamage caused by the January floods, but there were many marine contractors at work, and most locations appeared as if nothing had happened. The ferry service was not fully operational because many of the docks at their stops still need repair. The river winds its way through downtown Brisbane and the ferrries are used by many to commute to and from work. When our tour finished, we had lunch at a waterfront restaurant that had only recently re-opened. The water had been about 8 feet above floor level there in January. We walked along the bustling streets and the Queen Street mall with trees and restaurants between busy storefronts. It makes the Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa look puny. At the end of the Mall is the Jupiter Casino and Hotel, located in the former state treasury. We walked along George street past historic government buildings and actually saw the Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh receiving disaster recovery cheques with TV and press coverage in a courtyard. Then we walked back to the ferry via the Botanic Garden adjacent to the Queensland University of Techology. After another brief ferry ride, we returned to the car, drove to Jonathan and Angel's for a visit with the family and then, weary and hot after another 30 deg plus day, we headed back to Gold Coast for fish and chips on the Windsong balcony watching the moon rise across the broadwater.