Brisbane – Steps to Anywhere

Thursday, March 29, began with the arrival of a couple of welcome but uninvited guests. A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets landed on our balcony and posed for pictures. This was actually the second time I had seen them but I guess the first pair were camera shy and left before I could record their presence. Today’s pair posed repeatedly before flying off to the west.

Around 10 AM we set out on a TRANSLink bus bound for a transfer point called Varsity Lakes Station. The bus trip took about 15 minutes and we found the Airport Train waiting for us to board. The trip northbound to Altandi Station took another 40 minutes. When we left the train we found Noel waiting for us on the platform. After a 15 minute drive we arrived at Noel’s home where Sarah was waiting for our arrival.

We met Sarah and Noel on the Queen Elizabeth sailing from San Francisco to Sydney, in fact, they were two of our table companions. At least once a day for 22 days we shared a meal and conversation. When we were to disembark the ship in Sydney we exchanged email addresses. They remained on the ship for two more ports, disembarking in Brisbane which is their home. Once we were settled in Sydney and we knew they would be home I sent them the promised email advising them of the timing of our planned visit to Burleigh Heads and the Gold Coast and my Australian phone number.

On Wednesday, March 21, we were sitting in the apartment when my cell phone rang unexpectedly. It was Noel inviting us to visit them in Brisbane. After a couple more phone calls and email exchanges the date for our visit was confirmed as March 29 with an overnight visit.

Sarah had tea and cakes ready for our arrival, a snack far greater than we really needed but a wonderful, tasty surprise. After a bit of conversation, we went to a nearby pub for a lunch special. We are just starting to get accustomed to the Aussie pub system. Table service as we know it in Canada is rare. More commonly orders are placed and paid for at the bar or other kiosk. Orders are subsequently delivered to the table. Some places use numbered tables, some provide a numbered flag to take to a table and others figure it out without table numbers. The amount of food delivered for a $10 lunch was once again more than adequate.

Later in the afternoon Sarah and Noel took us for a drive to see some of the district and we found ourselves surrounded by kangaroos in the wild. It was an area of bushland near two of Queensland’s prisons. The fields outside the prison walls were fenced but were no challenge for the kangaroos. They really didn’t seem bothered by our presence or passing cars and bounded across the roadways pretty much as they pleased.

We were able to see some of the country side which was very lush and green. We had experienced frequent rain while in Australia which is apparently unusual for the early autumn. We returned to their home as the sun was setting.

Noel and Sarah are from Ireland and immigrated to Australia some years ago and have children and grandchildren nearby. They have traveled extensively and particularly in North America where they spent a year touring by motor home. For hours, until bed time, we enjoyed hearing of their travels and talked about places we knew and that they too had visited.

After breakfast Friday morning the four of us took public transportation into Brisbane. It was merely a three block walk to the bus stop. The 22 kilometre ride into Brisbane took about 45 minutes at a cost of $3.17. The bus circulated through the residential area then took and express route on a roadway that paralleled a major highway but was for the exclusive use of TRANSLink busses.

We emerged from this road near the Brisbane River at a bus terminal, our destination. We walked through a lovely park area known as Southbank. We expected it to be packed with people since it was the Good Friday holiday but were surprised to find it just the opposite.

The park extends along the Brisbane River and hosts several facilities. There is a large ferris wheel and an extensive network of wading and swimming pools one of which includes a stretch of sandy beach. Of course there are a bunch of fast food services and souvenir shops throughout.

It’s Me, with Sarah, Gail and Noel over my right shoulder

The park is sandwiched between the river and commercial buildings which include part of a university campus. We continued our walk across the Victoria Bridge into Brisbane’s Central Business District which was nearly deserted.

Gail did find a couple of items of interest in a souvenir shop along along Brisbane’s Queen Street pedestrian mall then we went below ground to the bus terminal. After a return bus trip Sarah prepared another lovely lunch and Noel returned us to the Altandi train station. An hour and a half later we were back at the apartment having completed the 80 kilometre trip at a cost of $8.37.

We had a truly enjoyable couple of days with a couple of very special friends we didn’t even know two months ago. It just points out that strangers are just friends you haven’t yet met.

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After a night of Tasman Sea hospitality the calm of Sydney Harbour was quite welcome. Conditions did not abate as our Captain had predicted. I imagine it was more wishful thinking than scientific prediction. We did have following seas rather than the earlier swells on the forward quarter. At least the stabilizers had a fighting chance.

As expected, all 1900 of us left the ship and by 0900 the crew were busy doing what ever they mean by “sanitization.” I suspect Australian health authorities encouraged the procedure and Princess were not inclined to test them since they do have the authority to quarantine the whole ship in the event of a serious outbreak. I fully support the concept of a healthy shipboard environment but I feel a letter to Princess executive coming on. There are always a number of passengers with chronic health conditions or mobility limitations who should probably have been given better treatment. Dumping these folk off to spend 7 hours at a shopping centre is, to say the least, insensitive. The cruise line gave each of us a $20 credit suggesting it was to offset meal costs while displaced. If they really believe that the shoreside value of 7 hours of on board food service is $20 they really need to go ashore more often.

There was a bright side for us. While visiting the Information kiosk at Darling Harbour we met another couple from the ship, Eva and Arthur. We travelled with them by ferry to Circular Quay and enjoyed their company for a walk through the Rocks and the markets then for a lunch stop. I must confess I was envious. As Australian seniors they were able to purchase a transit day pass for $2.50 whereas we had the privilege of paying $6.00 per trip or about $25.00 for a similar day pass. After lunch Eva and Arthur headed for the Maritime Museum and we for the Queen Victoria Building. While at Circular Quay we saw this bird sitting on a chair back eating the sugar from a package. He was being photographed from every possible angle. I really doubt that he could have been frightened away.

The rain was intermittent as we walked along George Street but we were prepared with umbrella and outer wear. The Queen Victoria Building was very busy so we soon retreated to the streets. We found a shop with an adequate supply of souvenirs. So with that done we walked to the Opera House to take another look. There was much construction at the base of the Opera House stairs and once again no lack of people. I wonder how many photos are actually taken of the Opera House or of tourists with the Opera House as a background.

After departing Sydney we once again felt the Tasman Sea; not as rough as pre Sydney but still 3.5 metre seas. The further north we sailed the better the seas became and we gradually felt temperatures rise. Some blue sky was evident during the day at sea and by the time we sailed into the Brisbane River skies were bright and sunny. By the time the Dawn Princess made fast at Hamilton DSCF3182 ruise terminal in the Brisbane River we could really feel the temperatures rise. The morning weather report warned of the possibility of showers and there was some cloud to the west.

With breakfast concluded we headed for the gangway to disembark. We had been advised that an expected shuttle bus service would not be operating. For those of us visiting without the benefit of “official” tours, taxis or the River Cat ferries would be the choices. We had always planned to use Brisbane’s River Cat service. A dozen or so of these 15 or 20 metre long catamarans traverse the Brisbane river all day and night. Our shipboard cruise director announced, just before we let the ship, that we could purchase a $7.50 day pass, however, my research indicated that day passes were no longer offered. I was correct and the cruise director’s information turned out to be more than three years out of date. Shame, shame!

We enjoyed a leisurely day in Brisbane. We rode the City Cat to it’s eastern terminus at the University of Queensland then back to the city. Since our last visit here in 2007 there have been two floods on the river and the boat docks all appear new having been replaced presumably by insurance money. A walk up about 50 steps brought us from the City Cat terminal to the foot of Brisbane’s Queen Street mall, a pedestrian space covering perhaps a dozen city blocks. Shops were busy as was the mall and as lunch time was upon us we stopped for a bite to eat.

We continued through the streets of Brisbane to the City Botanical Garden. Again we could see evidence that floods had done some damage to low lying areas near the water. The mangroves along the edge of the river seemed less dense than we remembered them and we could see where many of the trees had been cut and removed. From the garden we continued across the river using the Goodwill Pedestrian and cycle bridge to the South Bank Parklands. This is a park and recreation area that has been created along the river and appears to draw locals and visitors in large numbers. It is serviced by the City Cat which we again used to return us to Hamilton and the cruise terminal by mid afternoon.

Having had none of the predicted rain in Brisbane we now have a great, warm, sunny day sailing up the coast. Since we are now sailing inside the Great Barrier Reef we benefit from its protection and the sea is very quiet. Instead of waves and deep swells we see nothing but ripples to the horizon.

We have discovered one musical group on board that plays danceable music in the Wheelhouse Bar so that is where we hang out in the evening when we are not at a show or visiting some other entertainer. On this ship most of the entertainers seem to be drawn from Australia, not unexpectedly. This means we have not seen them before but it also means that at least part of their act targets Australians more than those of us from other parts of the world. The stage shows include some we have seen before but others we have not. There are also some speakers on board who appear to offer interesting subject material. We got some insights on the Great Barrier Reef from today’s speaker, a 38 year veteran of piloting ships through the reef.

There are more photos on line for Sydney and Brisbane. Internet conditions have been surprisingly good compared to those experience in some other regions. As a consequence photo uploads can be made quite quickly and reliably. I have not been doing any culling or editing yet but they should all have captions of some sort.

Our next stop will be Port Douglas on Good Friday. We expect this to be rather quiet since it is a small town and it is a holiday.

Category: Brisbane

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