High up over the Brisbane River.

Yesterday we went on the Brisbane Wheel which is at South Bank. It is an impressive wheel that is situated beside the Brisbane River and gives those on board in little air conditioned cabins a breathtaking view of Brisbane.

It was not the best day for photographs - a little overcast (or was it dust in the air?), in any case not all photographs were spectacular - just a little hazy.

There is commentary as one travels for the 15 minutes or so.

Cultural Precint

Once upon a time it was a daggy old port area. Wrecked wharfs and old buildings

It was during the 1980's that things started to change and various wonderful new buildings were opened. The Queensland Art Gallery, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and then the Museum.

In recent years the Queensland State Library, and the Gallery of Modern Art were opened - all along the river side opposite the city.

Now this whole cultural precinct is a mecca for locals and tourists alike.

In 1988 part of the area was alive with Expo 88, when, they say, Queensland became of age.

Southbank was developed on the Expo site, and the whole area has undergone transformation. There are parklands, things to see, things to do, a beach, restaurants and cafe's, and lots more. All within walking distance of the city proper and with easy access by public and private transport.

wharf area - but that all changed quite a few years ago.

Read more about the cultural precinct here.

Brisbane City from parklands.

I wandered around the Roma Street Parklands yesterday. Armed with my new Canon camera. I'm still getting used to it - after my Nikon point ant shoot the SLR digital is a little more challenging as I have to lenses to use and I can do more exciting things with the camera.

I like flowers so enjoy taking photos of the spring blooms that are about right now.

The Parklands are easy to get to - especially if you are a train traveller, though buses also can make it easier to access the parklands. There are great gardens, wonderful walks, trees, flowers, playgrounds for children, a lake, and lots of ducks, lizards and other small wildlife.

You really could spend all day there.

There are a number of cafe's too - and it is very close to the CBD.

If you have a car there us plenty of car parking too.

Woody Point

Woody Point, on the Redcliffe peninsular, was once a sleepy seaside village, but now it is modern, with several high rise buildings, a very popular hotel, the Belleview, and a brand new solid jetty jutting out into Moreton Bay.




The land is flat, there are plenty of walking paths and a good place to ride bicycles. It's still a bit villagey, but plenty to see and do if you are not keen to chase the busy shopping places. Wood Point is quite a historic place too. We walked along the new jetty and admired the art works at the entrance to the jetty. There are two pelicans - see photo above.

Redcliffe

It has been many years since I was last in Redcliffe - I used to work near there many years ago and was a frequent visitor, but times change, and for one reason or another we've not been there.

Today we took a drive across the Gateway Bridge which transverses the Brisbane River, and headed north to Redcliffe.

We were surprised to see how much progress has been made on all the roadworks from the Gateway bridge and further along the motor way to Sandgate and the new bridge across to Redcliffe. Once there was an old rickety wooden bridge and around 35 years ago, a new bridge was built, which quickly became very busy and now the third bridge spanning the waterway will be completed, probably next year.

The first old bridge is now a haven for amateur fisher folk and so man were there "wetting a line" today as we passed.

We went via Woody Point with it's new jetty, and new highrise buildings, and along the esplanade to Scarborough.

We stopped and walked along the new jetty - I say new, but it has been there for quite few years. Again there was an old jetty, but replaced, and a rock wall was built to give protection to the big tour boats that come in to the jetty.

There was one there today - a whale watcher, that was moored at the end of the jetty. (see photo above).

Near the jetty were several plaques, celebrating the fact that it was at Redcliffe that the first European settlement of Brisbane was created. It was a year or two later that the settlement was moved closer to the Brisbane river. Click here for more information.

It was interesting to read the plaques and see the ground plan of the original settlement which was adjacent to where the jetty is.

It was quite a cold windy day, but not unpleasant but we did retreat to the warmth of the car without walking along the shopping precints.

City Views and World Expo 88

The city side of the Brisbane River.

Southbank - the site of Expo 88

QPAC

I was in the city (Brisbane) yesterday and of course had my camera. I'm taking a few shots to take to China with me on 21/2/08 - I already have a collection of photos to show people where I come from, but it was a wonderful day so I added some more to the file.

I will get them printed off before I leave, although they will be on the computer.

In 1988 Brisbane was the venue for World Expo 88 - and it was a brilliant event. It is 20 years ago, and it is amazing what has happened to the site since then. Prior to Expo it was an old run down site, with a few hotels but was largely warehouses and old wharves. What a difference it made to Brisbane.

When Expo was on, there were pavilions from countries from around the world, wonderful gardens, and of course the millions of people that visited on a daily basis. I had given my mother (in Adelaide) a three day pass for Christmas, and she arrived here the day before it opened. So we visited Expo on day two - and were hooked. We were regular visitors - sometimes three or four days a week - for the rest of the time.

After Expo the site was redeveloped and is now full of parks, a swimming beach, appartments and hotels. Quite a dramatic difference! It really is a great place to go - there is so much to do. Along the river from Expo site is our "cultural" precinct. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Museum, Art Gallery, State Library, Gallery of Modern Art - all on the riverside opposite the city centre.

Markets - Gympie

Markets are a great attraction for tourists and locals. Everyone wants a bargain, and markets tell a lot about the locals.

The Markets at South Gympie are fascinating. There is everything on display from local produce, clothing, plants, redclaw crayfish, icecream, plants, flowers, and lots more.

One of the fascinating attractions at the market are the camels. For a few dollars you can go for a ride on a camel.