Australia 2017

AUSTRALIA - DAY THIRTY ONE - Road to Brisbane

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We took a bus shuttle from Gold Coast to Brisbane, it's about an hour by road. Got to our hotel at about 11 am, dropped our bags and went for a walk through the city. Brisbane is the 3rd largest city in Australia with a population of 2 million. It is the capital of the State of Queensland. We have now been to 5 of the 6 states in Australia.

Before Brisbane was settled by Europeans in 1824 (as a penal colony) it was the most populated area of Australia with over 100,000 Aboriginal inhabitants. These people had lived in the area for around 50,000 years. By 1900, years of terrifying warfare and enslavement had greatly reduced the Aboriginal population.

It's unusual that the main highway (what we would call an Interstate) runs through the center of the city built out over the river.

We walked around the city for a while.

We are close to Victoria Street Mall which is a huge shopping area:

We stopped off for lunch at a local pub. Burger and fries in the tourist area $19.00.

The same lunch at a local, off the beaten track place - $10.00

We walked down to the botanical gardens for a nice view of the city. Originally the gardens were planted by convicts in 1825 with food crops to feed the prison colony.

Brisbane is an inland river city, approximately 30 miles from the ocean.

Finally we could check in to the hotel, here is the view from the window - not quite as grand as Gold Coast.

Then it was time for a walk to visit a park nearby which was amazing for something right in the heart of the city.

Many different pathways, ponds and waterfalls

This guy is a Water Dragon and they are everywhere. They measure about 18 inches long.

Perfectly manicured gardens. I am not normally a garden person but this was stunning!

They even created a rain forest! And entrance to this park is FREE.

AUSTRALIA - DAY THIRTY TWO - Brisbane

Today we had a different agenda, it was time to get caught up with South African friends now living in Brisbane whom I have not seen for 25 years! It was GREAT seeing them again. They have been living in Australia for 10 years.

Nantes and Susan Roberts - Susan and I worked together at Budget Rent a Car in Durban for several years.

We took the City Hopper Ferry along the river to the Story Bridge. This ferry service is provided FREE of charge by the city. Nice!

We had lunch at a historical hotel right underneath the bridge.

And then went for a walk along the bridge. It is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia and was finished in 1939.

There are walkways on both sides of the river so you can stroll along the waterfront easily.

This part of the city is very modern with loads of bars and restaurants on the waterfront.

We then hopped back on the ferry and did the full round trip for some great city views.

Lots of boats, marinas and moorings.

Here are Kangaroo Point Cliffs right in the middle of the city. You can rappel down it (a.k.a. Abseil)

WATCH THIS SPACE....Wendy has already bought her ticket to do this tomorrow! No thank you. Just call me "Mr. Scared of Heights!!!"

And finally...

A liquor store chain in Australia is called BWS which stands for Beer, Wine, Spirits. We visited this chain often!

What they don't know is the real meaning of BWS is the "Bruce & Wendy Shop"

And this place is just around the corner of our hotel. Guess we should have had a higher budget - we're in the middle of the red light district!

I resemble this remark!!!!!