Hitting the Ground Running
I landed in Brisbane this morning and have been running ever since.
Ashley picked me up from the airport and we headed into the city to the house in New Farm. I cleaned up, had a cup of tea, and Brant, Ashley and I headed out to meet up with a friend for the day.
We headed a few blocks up the street toward the Story Bridge, which spans the Brisbane River from New Farm to Kangaroo Point. I had been around the city two years ago and remembered it all pretty well.
In celebration of the bridge's 75th anniversary, the road had been closed to traffic and tickets were given away to walk across the bridge. The weather was obliging, almost hot, as we gathered with more than 10,000 others waiting to walk up the ramp to the bridge. To say the bridge was crowded would be an understatement -- the staggered ticket time idea fell apart somewhere along the way -- and it took us 45 minutes to get 1/3 of the way across, before deciding to turn around and get off the bridge.
Instead of being stuck in the chaos, we decided it would be worthwhile to grab lunch; we walked along the river toward the city and stopped at a steakhouse with a great patio overlooking the River and Bridge. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch before striking off into the city, wandering by the Cathedral, the Hilton Hotel (designed by Australian architect Harry Seidler, but modeled after the atrium hotels of Atlanta architect John Portman), and stopped for a coffee at Brew on a back laneway.
With an afternoon to kill, we all caught a bus to New Farm Park, snagging a table at the Powerhouse (an old power house on the river turned arts center) with a view over the river, where we relaxed and enjoyed a chat and bottle of bubbly.
After wandering the Powerhouse grounds for a bit, we caught a ferry further down the River to Tenneriffe where we stopped into the Newstead Brewing Company and tasted a wide array of their crafts and snacked a bit. I was really, really impressed with their beers.
Being in the micro-brewery district of the city, we then stopped by Green Beacon before heading over to dinner at a restaurant called Reef, looking out at the old gas works. For dinner we ordered a wide array of seafood, including local fare called Moreton Bay Bugs. Somewhere between a lobster and a crawfish in size, they were quite delicious but unlike anything I had ever seen before. We also enjoyed oysters, calamari, and other fried things.
Finally, it was late, and Michelle caught a ride home and Ashley, Brant, and I made the quick walk back across the peninsula (while the River meanders, the distance via land was very short) to their house for a good night's rest.
Ashley picked me up from the airport and we headed into the city to the house in New Farm. I cleaned up, had a cup of tea, and Brant, Ashley and I headed out to meet up with a friend for the day.
We headed a few blocks up the street toward the Story Bridge, which spans the Brisbane River from New Farm to Kangaroo Point. I had been around the city two years ago and remembered it all pretty well.
In celebration of the bridge's 75th anniversary, the road had been closed to traffic and tickets were given away to walk across the bridge. The weather was obliging, almost hot, as we gathered with more than 10,000 others waiting to walk up the ramp to the bridge. To say the bridge was crowded would be an understatement -- the staggered ticket time idea fell apart somewhere along the way -- and it took us 45 minutes to get 1/3 of the way across, before deciding to turn around and get off the bridge.
 |
| The crowd getting onto the Bridge. |
With an afternoon to kill, we all caught a bus to New Farm Park, snagging a table at the Powerhouse (an old power house on the river turned arts center) with a view over the river, where we relaxed and enjoyed a chat and bottle of bubbly.
After wandering the Powerhouse grounds for a bit, we caught a ferry further down the River to Tenneriffe where we stopped into the Newstead Brewing Company and tasted a wide array of their crafts and snacked a bit. I was really, really impressed with their beers.
 |
| Hanging out at Newstead Brewing Company. |
Being in the micro-brewery district of the city, we then stopped by Green Beacon before heading over to dinner at a restaurant called Reef, looking out at the old gas works. For dinner we ordered a wide array of seafood, including local fare called Moreton Bay Bugs. Somewhere between a lobster and a crawfish in size, they were quite delicious but unlike anything I had ever seen before. We also enjoyed oysters, calamari, and other fried things.
Finally, it was late, and Michelle caught a ride home and Ashley, Brant, and I made the quick walk back across the peninsula (while the River meanders, the distance via land was very short) to their house for a good night's rest.
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