Sunday July 28th to Thursday, August 1st, 2024 - Brisbane - Oh, My! It's All Grown Up!

Social Media Sign, Cultural Centre, Brisbane

It was a great act of patience on my part to catch this photo of the 'Brisbane' sign with no people in it. It's at the Cultural Centre on the South Bank of the Brisbane River and there were many folks poised at a distance, ready to get their turn at posing for their perfect 'Instagram/social media' shot. It was such a wide sign that the gathering was at least 30 feet back, with lots of  non-verbal permissions going on to determine who was next. I was really impressed at the politeness and patience people allowed so that  individuals and groups could have their solo turns.

Experts at Posing!

Within seconds of the previous photo, a school group had invaded the sign, after waiting their turn. They did a great job of posing all along the letters!

Victoria Bridge, Brisbane

I did not come to Brisbane as a tourist. I was fortunate that a friend from Middle School, Rosemary Porter and her husband Graham, hosted me for a transition break before moving on to the next phase of my trip. This allowed me to prepare a package of winter clothes to send home, prepare my ballot to send in for the August 20th Primary in Florida, work on photos and blog and do all the crazy rearranging that is needed in hope of avoiding excess baggage fees from the airlines I was using to get to Indonesia. (Sometimes theses airlines weigh cabin baggage - with all my heavy cameras and lenses, that's terrifying!)

However, it just seemed wrong to leave without at least sticking my nose into some new part of Brisbane, so I started off by heading for the Cultural Centre on the South Bank of the Brisbane River. I discovered this was not the South Bank I had seen a decade ago!

 

Toward Brisbane City From South Bank

In fact, I wondered if I had landed in Hong Kong or Shanghai by mistake. These new high rises dominated the river bank. In fact, I could call my afternoon's adventure as "How many ways can you view these interesting buildings'? 

Feng Shui in Brisbane?

After seeing feng shui used in building design in Hong Kong, it is hard for me to believe that it was not used in this design. As the Brisbane River twists and turns like a snake, it would be seen as having dragon-like energies. The hole in this building would give space for those dragons to fly through. It was build by a joint venture of different enterprises including one from Hong Kong, so I'm confident in my guess.

The Star Building From the Side

One can also see that it has space behind it for negative energies to fly past. It contains a casino

12 hotels, entertainment venues and apartments, and will open August 29th, 2024. As you see there is still lots of construction going on to improve the River Walk nearby, as well as creating a pedestrian bridge to the South Bank. Their website says the development will create enough space inside the curve to accommodate 12 football fields, which will be available for public use. It is worth taking a look at their website to see what they're doing.

  https://www.star.com.au/brisbane/ 

It looks like a project that will draw future travelers here as a consequential, world class destination. While I might look in on my next visit, I suspect it will be out of my budget for anything more than a 'squiz'.

The Commissariat Store Museum, William Street

The poor old historic buildings are still squeezed into this mess. I'm glad they're being preserved. This one, originally a commissariat store on the banks of the river, was built by convicts in 1829 and now serves as a museum. The construction in front is for the River Walk, which is being 'improved' on the north side.

The Sun Sets on The Old Brisbane, William Street

At sun set, the lovely color of the sandstone used on the old buildings caught the sun beautifully. But how sad it was to see that the vista is now blocked by freeways and the skyline that was once theirs is now completely dominated by modern high rise buildings.

New Pedestrian Bridge from The Star to South Bank

By contrast, the South Bank has been established as a public space for some time. In fact, the South Bank was originally a meeting place for the traditional owners, the Turrbal and Yuggera people. In the early 1940's the European's chose the space as the central focus for the city and by the 1850's it was the business center of Brisbane.

'Athletes Arbour' Walk in South Bank Parklands

In contrast to the very modern, glass and steel North Bank, the southern side of the river has now been turned into a park for the people. It's demise as a business center was prompted by floods in 1893, and when commerce moved to the higher north bank, it became the site for vaudeville theater, derelict boarding houses and a variety of industries. Thus it remained until the 1970's, when major cultural centers were built here, and then it became the site for the 1988 World Expo. Following that event, city leaders wanted to develop the space for commerce, but a public campaign lobbied for it to become a public space for the people of Brisbane. 

South end of South Bank Parklands

The people have embraced the space. There were paths for walkers, runners, cyclists, scooters, swimmers and people who just want to rest on the grass in the mid-winter sun. There was an inscription on the side of the steps near here that said 'Travellers came over land and over sea to cross the river. Came the work-a-day bush twang of the stock whip and the yoke. Then silence fell until the carnival came, and when the tents came down the people had their park'.

The Dog Agreed With the People's Choice, Too!

I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through - in addition to the big sign you saw at the beginning, there was a screen streaming the Olympics live, playgrounds for children, statuary and restaurants.

The Ibis Also Agreed With the People!

This cheeky ibis was not only perched near the tables in one of the restaurants, but actually hopped onto the table. The white stains on the awning above suggest this is not the first time he's tried to grab a free bite.

His Cousin Chose a Picnic Bench Instead

No doubt there are other birds that enjoy this area, but the only ones I saw were the ibis.

The Epicurious Garden, South Bank Parkway

My favorite spot was this epicurious garden, about half way down the parkway. It was food garden and the netting over many of the beds suggests that there were birds around who also liked it.

Human Consumption Allowed

While the netting is to keep the birds off, the volunteers who manage this garden do so in hope of allowing people to have a taste of their produce. You can see, however, that it's not just on the basis of 'come and grab it' ....... I guess they must pick it and leave it out for people to taste.

Pomegranate Flower

Having never seen a pomegranate before, I got quite excited to see a little pomegranate tree. I spend some time crawling all around the little tree/bush in a pot trying to catch a decent angle on these vivid lovelies. I'm sure anyone watching must have thought me quite crazy! There I was bending and twisting to stick my lens into the little nothing of a spindly tree - but oh, how beautiful the flowers are.

Goodwill Pedestrian Bridge, Brisbane

The day was getting long and I was due to meet cousins for dinner, so I figured I'd better head back. Instead of returning on the south bank, I took this pedestrian bridge across to the north side to make it back to the train station. I liked the angular design of the cover providing shade overhead - it evoked the days of sailing ships in my mind. It was VERY busy. Fortunately walking and riding were clearly delineated. With electric bikes and scooters, people get up some speed on these paths. It made great sense for people to commute this way.

Hotels and Businesses Behind the South Side Parkway

Once on the others side, I could see the older developments behind the green space I'd been enjoying. 

Art Work on Brisbane City River Loop

The entire river walk is quite extensive. I only covered the section between Victoria Bridge and The Goodwill Bridge, a round trip of only 1.5 miles. It seemed a lot longer, as I was doing a little bit of circling around as I explored photo opportunities. The complete City Walk is closer to 4 miles and there are other much longer sections, ripe for exploration on future trips. On this section there were art installations with explanations - often referring to traditions of indigenous peoples, as did this eagle.

No Lanes To Separate Walkers and Riders

The path got a little more hazardous - narrow, with no separation between walkers and riders. Fortunately it was also not as crowded, so it worked out OK.

Flags Lining Victoria Bridge

The sun was setting - I was in the wrong position to see it go down over the mountains to the west, so I looked back at the glow on the city. The flags on Victoria Bridge were advertising some type of science event - perhaps at the nearby museum. They caught the yellow glow of the sun beautifully, along with the many buses on this transit bridge.

Looking Back From the Art Gallery

You know I had to look back at the grand buildings I'd been so entranced with early in my walk. Their website said they will offer the best view of sunset when they open, so perhaps that will also be a future destination.

Night View From South Bank

I had a wonderful evening with my cousins, spent the next day finalizing all the tasks and returned to a restaurant on the South Bank, called Popolos, where we had a wonderful meal.

Friends Rosemary & Graham in the Athlete's Arbour

The metal curlicues along the top of the walk way took me back to that distinct feeling I had in the beginning, that Brisbane is becoming an Asian city. The Australia I grew up in had very few Asians and it was a fear of the founders and those that followed, that we would be overrun by the crowded and poor folk to our north. The Australia I now visit is very different from the one I grew up in, which was largely populated with different ethnic groups from Europe. Now Australia is a very vibrant place with many more people coming from the Middle East and Asia. 

Statue of Confucius, Kaohsuing Place, South Bank Parklands

This lovely statue of Confucius was a gift from the people of Kaohsuing, Taiwan, a sister city to Brisbane. Kaohsuing is also located along a 'majestic' river, and it's people enjoy open recreational parklands like these. It was gifted to Brisbane in 1997.

I leave you in the hope that the wisdom sought by Confucius centuries ago may guide my homeland as it continues to grow and endeavors to integrate the wisdoms of its ancient forebears with the hope and energy of its newcomers, no matter where they came from.