A Trip up the Brisbane River

To take a line right out of Wikipedia, "The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia." I think there are over twenty bridges that cross the Brisbane River, fifteen which are described as "main" bridges.  You can barely pick out people walking on the top of the Story Bridge. Costs about  a $100.00 do this and you probably don't have a fear of heights!

Another City Cat with Brisbane skyline immediately behind it

I'm not fussy about how these photos are displayed…might look at changing this template down the road;)

 A couple of evenings ago, I caught a 4:30 bus downtown with the intention of taking an evening ride up the Brisbane River on the City Cat. All the photos above were taken from the boat….I stood in the bow the entire time enjoying the warm breeze.  The Brisbane River snakes its' way though the city emptying into Moreton Bay. The City Cat is a wonderful mode of transportation, criss crossing between the over twenty piers from the north and south sides of the river. You can get off at any stop just like the Hop and Go busses, explore the shops, restaurants and markets then catch another back to your point of departure. I was able to use my bus pass which was a bonus.

South Bank is one of the more trendy/popular points of interest with man made beaches, swimming pools, cafes, coffee shops and restaurants. It also includes the Queensland Museum, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art and the State Library. I took a Hopper to South Bank a few days ago which is a smaller water craft and it's free;-) It doesn't travel as far up the river however as the City Cat.
 It was one of the hottest day since I've been here and I was too overcome with heat to enjoy that particular visit.

When I started out, I was a little concerned about having to get a bus back in the dark but I need not have worried. There were lots of people milling about, everything was well lit, vibrant and I felt very safe. Police on foot/bicycle patrol were also evident.

In the almost two weeks since I've been here, the hottest day was just over 38 degrees and the coolest it's ever gotten is one evening where the temperature dropped to 19 degrees! South Australia/Victoria has just come through a record breaking heat wave and about to experience another one with temps forecasted to be over 40 degrees for the next week! Fires will be of major concern. I have a friend who lives about a three hour drive south of Melbourne and he says this time of the year he's always on fire alert as he never knows when he may have to evacuate his home. It is part and parcel of living in rural Australia.

This and That

-Voting in Australia is compulsory…you can be fined if you are an enrolled voter and don't vote. Fines start at around $25 dollars I think.

-January 26th was Australia Day. It is the largest national holiday here and commemorates the landing of the First Fleet…eleven ships from Britain arriving in the late 1700s to set up the first penal colony in Australia (Sydney Cove, New South Wales). They fleet initially tried to set up in Botany Bay ( first time I heard of Botany Bay was in Masterless Men songs) but found it unsuitable. The meaning and name "Australia Day" has evolved over the years but one of the ways it is marked in contemporary times is with an Australian of the Year acknowledgement. I observed this year's winner accepting his award while watching one of those huge jumbo type screens in King Georges Square, downtown Brisbane. His name is Adam Goodes and he is an aboriginal football (soccer) player and star in the premier AFL.
He came to receive the award for his work in fighting against racism in this country. A pivotal moment for him to become more of an advocate in this work was when a young girl in the football stands called him "ape" as he went to retrieve a ball on the field. For more reading on the topic, try this link:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-25/adam-goodes-named-australian-of-the-year-for-2014/5219118

-Exorcism can be done over Skype now. Just thought you'd like to know….it was on the news one evening here showing a priest waving his bible and cross in front of a computer monitor while on the other side was a possessed fella yelling and screaming in demonic voices. He didn't hold a candle to Linda Blair's possession however from The Exorcist of long ago;-)

-On a serious and sad note, a 12 year old aboriginal boy was swimming in a billabong in the Northern Territory and was grabbed by a crocodile….so tragic!  It is the wet season there when saltwater crocodiles are on the move. Another boy was bitten but made it to safety. Heather told me this story was on the news at home as well.

Bring it On!

Thought I'd write a few thoughts as I prepared for my trip Down Under. Took this photo with my phone as I left St.John's on a 7:00a.m. flight about ten days ago. Had to dig my phone out of a bag causing me to miss getting Signal Hill and Cabot Tower in the sunrise! My flight route took me through Toronto, Tokyo, Bangkok and finally Brisbane.

Felt some anxiety leading up to this trip as compared to others….I was going so far away, for a long period of time preparing my house for someone else to live in and "in servicing" Judy on care of Schooner and house particulars. I hardly had time to think about Australia! It seems the trip was upon me before I felt I was ready! When people said, "You must be getting excited!", I had too much to take care of to think about my destination;-)

The other thing is, I would be living with Judy's husband and daughter (whom I've never met) until Tony's job finished up! Certainly, there was lots going on in my head leading up to this trip. 

In the past, I've always had Heather to look after Schooner so I really could just drop everything and go. In the early days, I'd write lists a mile long of specifics but haven't had to bother with that in the last couple of years. Most of you know how nutty I am about the dog;-) Heather says now, "What Mom, no list? You finally trust that I can do this;-)" Bless her heart!

Judy's name will come up in future posts I'm sure….suffice to say for now, she is a warm, beautiful, extremely capable person, as personable as you can imagine and organized to a fault! I could take a few lessons though I always manage in my own way to get it done;-)

Once I was in my seat on the plane, I was finally able to relax….until I was passed a newspaper and started reading about the Bangkok protests. I had heard about the protests before I left but now I had time to read about the particulars….like streets were being barred off  and that the Thai Airlines union supported the protestors. Of course, what did that mean for me as I would be on a Thai Airlines flight!!!! Would there be protests at the airport? Would I be stuck in Bangkok? All kinds of notions going through my head. After the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport experiencing a major fire this past summer and having to spend two extra nights in Nairobi, I figured anything could happen. Thai Airlines was wonderful…btw….friendly and attentive attendants;-)

Flights turned out uneventful of course, made all the connections and was met by a smiling Erin with flowers and her Dad, Tony, at the Brisbane airport. We've been getting along fabulously…I've been treated like royalty since I've arrived!

Just getting back to flying and airports for a moment….you know what's always an education of sorts for me when I travel…..the washrooms. Yup…..talk about real life problem solving tasks! How does this one flush? Is there something overhead? On the floor? Behind? Is there a motion sensor?  Do I pull this, step on that, push this? What does this button do? Sacred heart!! In saying that, the Narita International Airport in Tokyo has the best toilet ever…very sophisticated providing many advanced features! It would be worth one's while to Google "Japanese toitlets"…just saying';-)

Lots more to come on sights and sounds of Brisbane and maybe some reflections on some of the amazing travel and adventures I've been so fortunate to experience since I've retired. For now, here's a snap of a parrot I took a couple of days ago outside a small gift/snack shop at a local park. The parrots were as plentiful as pigeons and I had no problem having one land on my hand. Here's a snap of one of those handsome birds;-)

Possum Rescue!

Sitting in a porch swing on a large veranda overlooking forested hills and a tropical garden, I can't help but think "no worries" was a fitting handle for my URL. It's supposedly the most popular phrase here down under, used most commonly it seems in place of  "no problem" or "you're welcome". Lots to blog about as I've been here a week today but I'll talk of one little adventure that occurred a couple of nights ago. Sitting on the veranda after supper, a bush possum wandered up. A couple of them live above the garage door here and are considered nuisances by many. 

This particular one wasn't at all shy sniffing around our feet and looking a bit agitated. We could hear another possum close by and then some thumping below. We thought it was a territorial thing going on. When noises continued, we looked about for the other possum. Tony mused aloud if there was a baby possum between the floorboard and the ceiling of the veranda. (Tony's wife Judy is staying in my house and he'll be joining her in the next little while;-) We got a flashlight and sure enough, could see a little one between the slats who came right to the light. I thought, omg, we're going to have to cut away some board to get it out! Tony being much more sensible, got a piece of thin board like material and put if down the slat where we had seen the baby. The idea was to keep doing this to force it to the end of the veranda where there was a hole and the place where it had gotten in. The baby could only go back as there was a beam along the side. 

Long story a little bit shorter….the baby was forced to the end where Tony donned a pair of work gloves, climbed a ladder and retrieved baby. He then placed it on the railing where a happy, nuzzling reunion occurred between mother and baby. Baby climbed onto mother's back and mother strolled off into the trees. They both dropped by again last night but just to reach another tree;-) I've had ample opportunity to photograph them but have been too caught up in just observing them;-) 

I had intentions of getting a blog going last winter in Scotland but didn't get it off the ground…..maybe this time;-)

This is a photo of the backyard and beyond taken from the veranda of the house where I am staying. It is in a suburb of Brisbane called "The Gap."