The final full day in Brisbane. With so much already accomplished, it was a bit quieter today, but satisfactory nonetheless.
I started out the day by crossing the Brisbane River via Story Bridge, a cantilever bridge built in 1950 that is something of a landmark to the city. Story Bridge connects Fortitude Valley with an urban village I had yet to explore, Kangaroo Point. Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula that juts out into the river. There isn't a ton to be had there, but what is interesting about it is the presence of a large outcropping known as Kangaroo Cliffs. It doesn't take much to get up there, just a few steps, but once up there you can get a nice view of the CBD on the other side of the river. There is also a cafe and some benches where one can sit an enjoy the breeze. Apparently the cliffs can be used by rock climbing enthusiasts, and I noticed some designated areas (plastic hand-holds placed into the rocks) after I took the stairway down.
Just below the cliffs and along the river there is a tiny little nature reserve. Quite a peculiar find in such an urban setting. There I got into something of a staring contest with a large lizard, who didn't seemed perturbed by my presence. He won, as I eventually got bored about 30 seconds in and moved on. From there I took the river-walk (yeah, pretty much every part of the city has one of those) and since the weather was warm and sunny, why not? I eventually made my way into the eastern part of Brisbane, in a village known as Woolloongabba. That's right. Woolloongabba. You don't see names like that in upstate New York. Anyway, Woollongabba is home to Brisbane's large cricket ground, known as "The Gabba". Beyond that, the area has become a haven to antique sellers, and boasts some nice cafes as well. Upon entering the district I came across an oddly-colored (pink? maybe salmon...hard to tell) Russian Orthodox church, right in the shadow of The Gabba. Moving on from there, I reached a pedestrian-only street with several shops, and grabbed a steak sandwich at a little shop located across from a violin-maker (you could see the wooden shells of violins-in-the-making in the window. Pretty neat). The food was good, and I became acquainted with one of the waiters, an older guy (60s? Maybe even 70s) named Alan, who chatted me up when he came to clear my plate. I have found nearly all the locals I have interacted with here in Brisbane (and Australia in general, actually) to be delightful folks, and Alan was no different.
A combination of bus and train saw me back to the room for a breather. I set out once more, this time for the CBD. It was there, along Adelaide Street (parallel to Queen, just a block over) where I caught the 471 bus to my actual destination, Mount Coot-tha. Mount Coot-tha, located on the northern end of Brisbane (same side of the river as Fortitude Valley), is the city's highest point, and is supposed to offer awesome views of the city. The ride took a while, with a few stops made in between, and eventually it was just me and the driver heading for the Mount Coot-tha viewing point, the final stop on the route. Luckily I asked the driver when the buses would stop running, because this prompted her to get out and show me on the sign near the stop. Turns out the bus I just disembarked was literally the last one to make the trip. Had she not gotten off and realized this, I would have been stranded. It appeared that my luck had finally abandoned me. However, she was nice enough to give me just a couple minutes to jog up and snap a couple photos. The view is pretty sweet, but, also unlucky, it had become overcast, but at least I got to see it. I quickly dashed back to waiting driver to make the return trip.
As I hopped off at Queen Street, I was contemplating taking a river boat tour, which Alan had recommended. However, by the then the weather took a turn for the worst, and began to rain. The river tour would have taken two hours, and I figured I had already had a decent fill of the city sites. So I took cover under an awning on Queen Street and got lost in my thoughts for a brief while, and then eventually caught a train back to the valley.
And that was the final day in Brissy. At first glance, the city doesn't seem to have much to offer the visitor, but, with a little research and creativity, you can have an enjoyable time (as I did) and discover some neat, fun things that might otherwise be overlooked. What I must say is that my timing was a bit off (arrived on Sunday) meaning I missed the weekend festivities (the bus driver, when I told her where I was staying, commented how it could get really loud on the weekends. I was thinking, damn, I missed it). Also, with all the restaurants, cafes, and live music venues, Brissy is really best visited with at least one travel companion. The same can be said for all places. Though I, the urban warrior, have grown accustomed to going solo, I really felt the need for a wing-man (or woman, perhaps that would be even better) during my stay. That still doesn't take away from the nice stay that I had.
Back to Sydney tomorrow for two more nights, then the long trip home. Come back tomorrow.
Photos: walking across story bridge; Your Correspondent, from atop the Kangaroo Cliffs; lizard near Kangaroo Point nature reserve. Bastard wouldn't stop looking at me; poor choice of coloring on a Russian Orthodox church; the view from atop Mount Coot-tha. Your Correspondent, stepping in for a quick photo before the bus leaves.
I started out the day by crossing the Brisbane River via Story Bridge, a cantilever bridge built in 1950 that is something of a landmark to the city. Story Bridge connects Fortitude Valley with an urban village I had yet to explore, Kangaroo Point. Kangaroo Point is located on a peninsula that juts out into the river. There isn't a ton to be had there, but what is interesting about it is the presence of a large outcropping known as Kangaroo Cliffs. It doesn't take much to get up there, just a few steps, but once up there you can get a nice view of the CBD on the other side of the river. There is also a cafe and some benches where one can sit an enjoy the breeze. Apparently the cliffs can be used by rock climbing enthusiasts, and I noticed some designated areas (plastic hand-holds placed into the rocks) after I took the stairway down.
Just below the cliffs and along the river there is a tiny little nature reserve. Quite a peculiar find in such an urban setting. There I got into something of a staring contest with a large lizard, who didn't seemed perturbed by my presence. He won, as I eventually got bored about 30 seconds in and moved on. From there I took the river-walk (yeah, pretty much every part of the city has one of those) and since the weather was warm and sunny, why not? I eventually made my way into the eastern part of Brisbane, in a village known as Woolloongabba. That's right. Woolloongabba. You don't see names like that in upstate New York. Anyway, Woollongabba is home to Brisbane's large cricket ground, known as "The Gabba". Beyond that, the area has become a haven to antique sellers, and boasts some nice cafes as well. Upon entering the district I came across an oddly-colored (pink? maybe salmon...hard to tell) Russian Orthodox church, right in the shadow of The Gabba. Moving on from there, I reached a pedestrian-only street with several shops, and grabbed a steak sandwich at a little shop located across from a violin-maker (you could see the wooden shells of violins-in-the-making in the window. Pretty neat). The food was good, and I became acquainted with one of the waiters, an older guy (60s? Maybe even 70s) named Alan, who chatted me up when he came to clear my plate. I have found nearly all the locals I have interacted with here in Brisbane (and Australia in general, actually) to be delightful folks, and Alan was no different.
A combination of bus and train saw me back to the room for a breather. I set out once more, this time for the CBD. It was there, along Adelaide Street (parallel to Queen, just a block over) where I caught the 471 bus to my actual destination, Mount Coot-tha. Mount Coot-tha, located on the northern end of Brisbane (same side of the river as Fortitude Valley), is the city's highest point, and is supposed to offer awesome views of the city. The ride took a while, with a few stops made in between, and eventually it was just me and the driver heading for the Mount Coot-tha viewing point, the final stop on the route. Luckily I asked the driver when the buses would stop running, because this prompted her to get out and show me on the sign near the stop. Turns out the bus I just disembarked was literally the last one to make the trip. Had she not gotten off and realized this, I would have been stranded. It appeared that my luck had finally abandoned me. However, she was nice enough to give me just a couple minutes to jog up and snap a couple photos. The view is pretty sweet, but, also unlucky, it had become overcast, but at least I got to see it. I quickly dashed back to waiting driver to make the return trip.
As I hopped off at Queen Street, I was contemplating taking a river boat tour, which Alan had recommended. However, by the then the weather took a turn for the worst, and began to rain. The river tour would have taken two hours, and I figured I had already had a decent fill of the city sites. So I took cover under an awning on Queen Street and got lost in my thoughts for a brief while, and then eventually caught a train back to the valley.
And that was the final day in Brissy. At first glance, the city doesn't seem to have much to offer the visitor, but, with a little research and creativity, you can have an enjoyable time (as I did) and discover some neat, fun things that might otherwise be overlooked. What I must say is that my timing was a bit off (arrived on Sunday) meaning I missed the weekend festivities (the bus driver, when I told her where I was staying, commented how it could get really loud on the weekends. I was thinking, damn, I missed it). Also, with all the restaurants, cafes, and live music venues, Brissy is really best visited with at least one travel companion. The same can be said for all places. Though I, the urban warrior, have grown accustomed to going solo, I really felt the need for a wing-man (or woman, perhaps that would be even better) during my stay. That still doesn't take away from the nice stay that I had.
Back to Sydney tomorrow for two more nights, then the long trip home. Come back tomorrow.
Photos: walking across story bridge; Your Correspondent, from atop the Kangaroo Cliffs; lizard near Kangaroo Point nature reserve. Bastard wouldn't stop looking at me; poor choice of coloring on a Russian Orthodox church; the view from atop Mount Coot-tha. Your Correspondent, stepping in for a quick photo before the bus leaves.
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