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.