Thursday, September 23, 2010
I’m officially off on my first Australian Road trip….other than the one that got me here. I decided that before I start working I should check out the East Coast. So I packed my back pack, booked a ticket and made my way to Queensland……on what can only be described as a ridiculously early flight. It seems that you can fly domestically within Australia as part of an international fight so you have to follow international flight rules. At least that is what they tell me. I am learning very quickly however that airports here are way more relaxed about check-in times…..and they give you tons and tons….and then a few more warnings that the check-in is closing and then the gate is closing. Seriously if you miss a flight in this country there is something seriously wrong with you.
I never noticed these little buses anywhere I've been before but I certainly notice them now. They are everywhere. This is how I got from the airport to my hotel.
My small little space for the next few days. Not much to look at but it was clean and air conditioned and well, how much time do you actually spend in a room anyways? In a perfect location as well.
Brisbane City Hall. Naturally I was drawn to the high clock tower, hoping I could climb it. Unfortunately the building is under renovations and closed to the public. It turns out the building has been slowly sinking since it was built in 1930.
The George Street Mansions. Built around 1889 for residential use. Significant to Brisbane's architectural history because very few terrace style houses were ever built in the city. These buildings are a rare few that remain. Early residents of the Mansions include Dr. Lillian Cooper who was Queensland first female doctor/surgeon. Today they are owned by the Queensland government and used as office space.
That's Queen Victoria...........a favourite of Queensland and well most of us who are part of The Commonwealth. I found her a lot throughout Brisbane.
Parliament House.....looking old and beautiful.....the way a Parliament House should.
Parliament House in Brisbane is a little different than the one in Darwin. First off it is a lot older. It was built in 2 stages starting in 1864. The first stage took 3 years after which time construction was halted because they ran out of money and building supplies. At the time, most things were shipped from Britain and it was not cheap or easy to acquire. The building was first occupied in 1868 and it was finally completed in 1889. It was then totally refurbished in 1979 because it lacked any modern services (power, plumbing….you know the important stuff) and it was being eaten by termites. The building was out of commission for 3.5 years while this was done. Now the building is a mix of original and look a like parts.
This is the Legislative Council Chamber, also known as "The Upper House". The Upper House was abolished in Queensland in 1922 because the politicians fought too much (imagine that). Queensland now has the only single House State Parliament in Australia. In the picture you can see one of the two Waterford crystal chandeliers that decorate the room, now used for events and meetings and that kind of thing.
Unlike the Northern Territory, Queensland is a state but of course it wasn’t always that way. Queensland use to be part of New South Wales but Queenslanders complained that they better understood the needs of the area and that they could better govern themselves. So on June 6th, 1859, Queen Victoria signed the order that made Queensland (an appropriate name I think) it’s own colony and then eventually a state.
One of the building's stain glass windows dedicated to Queen Victoria. It was commissioned by the first Speaker of The House. She gets her own window because it was Queen Victoria who signed the papers that made Queensland a colony and eventually a state and of course Queensland is named in her honour.
This is the Legislative Assembly Chamber, home to the elected legislative assembly (obviously). A side note, you may have noticed that the carpet in the Upper House is red. The carpet here in the Lower House is green. You will see the same thing in the original Westminster Parliaments and in the British House of Commons. The original reason for this selection has been lost over the years and like many things, I love the tradition of it all.
This is The Mace. It wasn't adopted in The Queensland Parliament until 1978. It weighs 7.7kg (about 17 lbs) and is made of silver and gold and is decorated with 32 Queensland gems (9 opals, 2 garnets, 6 amethysts, 15 sapphires). The Mace is the traditional symbol of the authority of the Parliament. The Sergeant-at-arms carries it into the Chamber followed by the Speaker of The House. It is placed on a table when the Speaker is sitting. When The Mace is present The Speaker has complete and total power in The House.
Me with the Grand Staircase at the main entrance of Parliament House.
From there I found Old Government House. Government House is where the Governor lives. (Remember Australian states have governors where as NT has an Administrator). Old Government House also use to be the centre of high society in Brisbane hosting all kinds of socialites and Royalty over the years.
Old Government House. Never saw the "New" Government House but I'm sure I would have liked this one better.
Looking down into the living room from the second floor.
This is a William Robinson picture called The sea with morning sun from Springbrook. I took this picture and then was informed that I'm not actually allowed to take photos by the security guard (even though everything else in the place said I could).
By then I was tired and it was time to head back to my hotel to plan the rest of my visit to Brisbane. There would be a lot more things to see.
Friday, September 24th, 2010
The green lanes are the bike lanes (the grey one is a walking lane.....no bikes allowed). It follows the road but you don't actually have to be any where near all those cars. And trust me, the way Australians drive....you don't want to be. No such thing as a pedestrian in this country.
Friday I decided I needed to get a good overview of the city so I got aboard the local city tour bus to see what I could learn and what I could see. It was about a 2 hour loop with a few important stops.
The bus.
I lost track of what direction we were travelling very quickly but I did learn a few things along the way. Like Brisbane is considered Australia’s sunniest Capital…..except this week because I have already seen a lot of clouds and rain. Also there are 12 bridges that cross the Brisbane River bringing people too and from Brisbane. Also if you ever visit Queensland, you will see a lot of what they call a traditional "Queenslander". This is a house not a person. Typically a Queenslander is built off the ground (kind of like on stilts that can be of various heights), they all have one or more verandahs (often with one closed in section), and they are usually built of timber with a tin roof. I realize I never actually took a picture of one but I assure you they are all over the place.
Hanging out on Spring Hill. This is just down the street from my hotel.
The first place I got off the bus was at Mt. Coot-tha. This is a nature reserve just outside the city. It was the traditional home of the Turrbal Aboriginal people who use to collect honey in the area. At one time in was nicknamed One Tree Hill because the area was once cleared of all bush except for one large eucalyptus tree. I don’t think I would have made my way up there any other way. It certainly was not within walking distance of my hotel (pretty much everything else in the city was though). It offered great views of the city. Unfortunately it was a little grey and overcast and I couldn’t see that far but that didn’t stop me from taking some pictures and enjoying the view.
At the lookout with the city of Brisbane in the background.
That ferry you can see on the water is the City Cat. Part of the city's public transit system The Cat is a quick way for people to get back and forth and up and down the river.
We then headed back into the city to take in a few more of the sights. One thing I am really liking about Australia are the public BBQs. It seems like every park has a set of grill tops that anyone can use. So just bring your groceries and your friends and you can head out for a picnic. Kangaroo Point in Brisbane is no different and from there you also get a nice view of the river. No there are no kangaroos there although I imagine there were at one point in time.
Hanging out at the Kangaroo Point scenic look-out. The bus driver stopped and gave us a few moments to take a look and get some pictures. It was a beautiful spot.
The Treasury Building. Now it is actually home to a casino so I guess in a way.......still a treasury.
The Brisbane Arcade. This was Brisbane's first 2 storey shopping mall. Great historical landmark if you ask me.
I saw this on the roof of one of the buildings I walked past. It seemed a little out of place surrounded by bus and train stations but made me smile when I saw it.
I finished out the loop back where I had started, at the old Windmill. It is one of only 2 convict built buildings that still remain in Brisbane. If you weren’t sure, like many Australia settlements, Brisbane was originally settled as penal colony (I'll talk about it more later). The Windmill sits atop Spring Hill just down the street from my hotel and was the major water source for the city at one time. Now it just sits there and looks pretty.
No, I couldn't go inside. I'm sure you all know by now that if I could have I would have climbed to the top to take a picture.
Once I left the tour I still had plenty of time in the day to do a few other things so naturally I headed over to the museum block. Brisbane has quite a few museums all that are free to enter (my favourite kind of museum) so I went to check it out.
Not sure the name or artist all I know is that I took this picture and then was promptly told by a security guard I wasn't allowed to take pictures in here. So far I have found that Australian museums do not do a very good job a labelling when and where you can take pictures. I actually found it really irritating.
This is Clement Meadmore's Cord Chair. Always interesting to see a collection of chairs hanging on the wall.
I never could find the name of this one. I am sure it was on a plaque on the wall somewhere but I never saw it. But I still found it very neat so took a picture.
Looking through a few different rooms in the gallery. Most of the artists you will see here are Australian.
There was lots of local art of all different varieties but really what I wanted to check out was the Valentino exhibit. This was a retrospective of some of Valentino’s best contributions to fashion. Valentino is of course a designer who has dressed the likes of Julia Roberts, Elizabth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and many others. His clothing has always been known for it's elegance and beauty. It was amazing to look back at all the dresses from over the past 50 years......what I liked, what I didn’t like and in particular what fashion trends seem to have survived the test of time. Of course it is the one thing I did have to pay to get into and I couldn’t take any pictures but what a great way to spend even a small part of my day.
Although there are still Valentino collections released every season, THE Valentino is now retired. He oversees the collections but has very little to do with the designs any more. After 50 years I guess he deserves some time off.
I happened to be in Brisbane at the end of their arts Festival (just like the Darwin festival but slightly different) and I happened to catch a glimpse for an advertisement of one of the bands that were playing Friday night…H’Sao. No, I hadn’t heard of them either but they are an African funk band from Montreal. They sounded really interesting so I thought I would check them out. Really glad I did. They were quite excellent. I was a little surprised that some of the people around me were surprised that they didn’t sing in English. They hardly spoke any English but the music spoke for itself and you certainly didn’t need to know the words to feel it. Check out their website if you have a chance.
And with that a very long and full day in Brisbane ended. Tomorrow will come early and I am looking forward to it.
Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment