More about Brisbane
Some semi-random observations about the great city of Brisbane, largely expressed as a compare-and-contrast with Perth. So I'm a hick. Sue me.
Shopping
Brisbane is infested with 7-11 convenience stores. On one city intersection there were two on opposing corners. And yet, I only saw a single Starbucks. 7-11s do not stock a significant range of beige-friendly products, and are particularly shy in the fresh vege department. We eventually found a Woolies supermarket which featured a blisteringly efficient 8-items-or-less fasttrack process for city workers picking up a few essentials. The poor minority souls trapped in the slow lane looked in for a long wait.
Picked up a few pretty things in a nice craft market in the city, but it was too hot to browse for long at the end of a long walk.
The River
Brisbane city has much more river frontage than Perth, by way of the Brisbane River's sinuous path. You can walk for miles along cafe-front boardwalks, parks, facilities, and gardens. The river itself is not quite as pretty as the Swan, being brown and full of storm debris, but they've taken advantage of what they have. I did not find out if the river had jellyfish.
The Mangrove Swamp
You heard me. A stretch of riverfront along the botanic gardens has been preserved and supplied with amusingly rotting wooden walkways. It was high tide on our first visit and so I was disappointed to miss out on the little crabs, but we went back on another day and spent a pleasant--indeed steamy--half-hour or so spotting tiny aggressive wildlife.
The CBD
Is taller, more concentrated, and *much* more lively than Perth. Granted, this is not a particularly great civil challenge. It's hilly and sliced into odd angles, making for some very disturbing intersections. But nice views.
Aircon is a serious business over there, and we were frequently amazed at how far out into the street it would reach.
There's a good range of public art.
I don't know what they do in the privacy of their own offices, but the male business population do not wear ties on the street.
The Wheel
Not exactly the London Eye, but we enjoyed a spontaneous trip around and around (and around - let me out!). We didn't gain any particularly new perspectives, for we'd been enjoying the view from the 37th floor apartment, but the carriages were airconditioned. And it officially counts as A Ride.
The Suburbs
Only saw a couple. They were hilly, green and bit bent around the edges thanks to recent storms. My aunt's semi-rural bush foods property had a squashed cane toad on the driveway. The airport run was the usual mix of light industrial and roadworks.
Traffic
In 2 out of 3 taxi rides, the fuel emergency light was flashing, as was the seatbelt alarm. One driver dealt with the seatbelt alarm by plugging in the belt behind him, which required some interesting contortions. No mean feat whist negotiating peak-hour traffic. I think that was the same guy who drive with a flat tyre.
For 3 out of 3 taxi drives (including one from the city centre to the airport which you think they'd know) the drivers relied heavily on satellite navigation. This was also programmed on the go, adding to the circus of multi-tasking.
The madness of the traffic is a frequent topic of discussion amongst the locals. Apparently the government keep trying new rules to make things better, which results in general confusion.
Traffic lights do not halt traffic completely for pedestrians, so crossing the road is an interactive experience. The lights seem to cycle very quickly, which seems to encourage drivers to take their chances a lot. Unlike Hobart, however, we witnessed no bingles.
We heard a lot of sirens at night.
The Weather
Was precisely as advertised: hot and thundery. We enjoyed a couple of spectacular thunderstorms in the evenings, and saw a lot of rain. The news services are obsessed with the weather, even when it wasn't all *that* serious afaict. There were TV ads advising residents to maintain their emergency supplies, particularly batteries. The power supply seems more than a little iffy.
I had to exercise a little caution in my storm chasing, for our balcony did not always obligingly point us in the direction of the best lightning. I found myself leaning out for a better view...
The Apartment
Was spacious, neutrally but tastefully decorated, well outfitted, and very very secure. There were 12 places to sit, which seemed a little excessive for the two of us.
The beige regime has changed my attitude to self-catering while on holiday, and so I didn't feel quite so cheated to be cooking. I was more than happy to call the place home for a while. Unfortunately it didn't have the promised PC, so I couldn't write up journal entries on the go. Also unfortunately it had digital HDTV, with functioning sound, clear pictures and remotes that did everything. Am now spoiled and having trouble coming to terms with our faltering home setup.
Etc
Perhaps later.
Shopping
Brisbane is infested with 7-11 convenience stores. On one city intersection there were two on opposing corners. And yet, I only saw a single Starbucks. 7-11s do not stock a significant range of beige-friendly products, and are particularly shy in the fresh vege department. We eventually found a Woolies supermarket which featured a blisteringly efficient 8-items-or-less fasttrack process for city workers picking up a few essentials. The poor minority souls trapped in the slow lane looked in for a long wait.
Picked up a few pretty things in a nice craft market in the city, but it was too hot to browse for long at the end of a long walk.
The River
Brisbane city has much more river frontage than Perth, by way of the Brisbane River's sinuous path. You can walk for miles along cafe-front boardwalks, parks, facilities, and gardens. The river itself is not quite as pretty as the Swan, being brown and full of storm debris, but they've taken advantage of what they have. I did not find out if the river had jellyfish.
The Mangrove Swamp
You heard me. A stretch of riverfront along the botanic gardens has been preserved and supplied with amusingly rotting wooden walkways. It was high tide on our first visit and so I was disappointed to miss out on the little crabs, but we went back on another day and spent a pleasant--indeed steamy--half-hour or so spotting tiny aggressive wildlife.
The CBD
Is taller, more concentrated, and *much* more lively than Perth. Granted, this is not a particularly great civil challenge. It's hilly and sliced into odd angles, making for some very disturbing intersections. But nice views.
Aircon is a serious business over there, and we were frequently amazed at how far out into the street it would reach.
There's a good range of public art.
I don't know what they do in the privacy of their own offices, but the male business population do not wear ties on the street.
The Wheel
Not exactly the London Eye, but we enjoyed a spontaneous trip around and around (and around - let me out!). We didn't gain any particularly new perspectives, for we'd been enjoying the view from the 37th floor apartment, but the carriages were airconditioned. And it officially counts as A Ride.
The Suburbs
Only saw a couple. They were hilly, green and bit bent around the edges thanks to recent storms. My aunt's semi-rural bush foods property had a squashed cane toad on the driveway. The airport run was the usual mix of light industrial and roadworks.
Traffic
In 2 out of 3 taxi rides, the fuel emergency light was flashing, as was the seatbelt alarm. One driver dealt with the seatbelt alarm by plugging in the belt behind him, which required some interesting contortions. No mean feat whist negotiating peak-hour traffic. I think that was the same guy who drive with a flat tyre.
For 3 out of 3 taxi drives (including one from the city centre to the airport which you think they'd know) the drivers relied heavily on satellite navigation. This was also programmed on the go, adding to the circus of multi-tasking.
The madness of the traffic is a frequent topic of discussion amongst the locals. Apparently the government keep trying new rules to make things better, which results in general confusion.
Traffic lights do not halt traffic completely for pedestrians, so crossing the road is an interactive experience. The lights seem to cycle very quickly, which seems to encourage drivers to take their chances a lot. Unlike Hobart, however, we witnessed no bingles.
We heard a lot of sirens at night.
The Weather
Was precisely as advertised: hot and thundery. We enjoyed a couple of spectacular thunderstorms in the evenings, and saw a lot of rain. The news services are obsessed with the weather, even when it wasn't all *that* serious afaict. There were TV ads advising residents to maintain their emergency supplies, particularly batteries. The power supply seems more than a little iffy.
I had to exercise a little caution in my storm chasing, for our balcony did not always obligingly point us in the direction of the best lightning. I found myself leaning out for a better view...
The Apartment
Was spacious, neutrally but tastefully decorated, well outfitted, and very very secure. There were 12 places to sit, which seemed a little excessive for the two of us.
The beige regime has changed my attitude to self-catering while on holiday, and so I didn't feel quite so cheated to be cooking. I was more than happy to call the place home for a while. Unfortunately it didn't have the promised PC, so I couldn't write up journal entries on the go. Also unfortunately it had digital HDTV, with functioning sound, clear pictures and remotes that did everything. Am now spoiled and having trouble coming to terms with our faltering home setup.
Etc
Perhaps later.