Sunday, 13 October 2013

Day 8 - Brisbane

Friday, October 11th, 2013


Tina rationalized that I should be assigned the top bunk of our sleeper because I am the younger of us! That settled it - I couldn't argue the fact, even though our age difference can be measured in months. So began a night of shake, rattle, squeak and roll.  She slept like a log and woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, still enamoured with train travel. Me - not so enamoured after my restless night and uncomfortable bed. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful way to see the countryside and my morning coffee erased the memory of the night just passed.

I climbed out of my bunk at Bundaberg - home of Bundaberg rum and sugar with approximately 5 hours left of our train journey. The countryside had become greener as we traveled south and, once we arrived in the Sunshine Coast area, the homes and properties were more prosperous looking. We arrived at Brisbane Roma Street station a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

How wonderful it was to meet up with Lisa Frazer at the station! We packed our bags into her car and spent the rest of the day in Brisbane. We began by heading to City Hall (as recommended by a fellow traveller on the train) and visited the Brisbane Museum, followed by high tea at the Shingle Inn located there also. After filling ourselves with fancy sandwiches, scones and cakes we were ready to work off the calories with a Lisa-guided walking tour beginning at the Queen Street Mall and across one of the many bridges toward and past the Brisbane Wheel and through the 1988 Expo lands that have been developed into a beautiful public space. 

                                                                


                                   
                                      

We crossed back over the Brisbane River via a walking/cycling bridge to the botanic gardens and enjoyed some of that environment before heading back into the busy Friday night city to Lisa's car. Above is a bougainvillea arch and below one of the jacarandas in bloom all over this part of the state.    
                                      
                                         

Here are Ibis on the grounds of the botanical gardens. They are quite numerous and considered to be a nuisance, "bin birds", as Lisa referred to them. 

                                                                     


The last photo is of a bush stone curlew that was trying to encourage its chick to cross the path. Our close proximity made it nervous and it hissed angrily several times warning us to stay away.

Following our city tour, we hopped into Lisa's car and headed 30 minutes southeast to Mount Cotton where Lisa, Dave and their 2 girls, Chelsea and Lehksie share a beautiful and most welcoming home.

Dave was ready for our arrival with a bottle of red wine. Yes!! 

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