“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” - Benjamin Disraeli
Greetings from Brisbane! I am here for work for a couple of days and as usual the weather has been lovely for this time of the year. It is always pleasant to visit Brisbane between June and September, as it is relatively warm and fine (compared to Melbourne) and while temperatures in Melbourne hover around the 12-13˚C mark, Brisbane enjoys 22-24˚C. However, with the amount of work I had to get through I did not enjoy the great outdoors much…
The picture is part of Brisbane’s Southbank district. Southbank is adjacent to the City and along the Brisbane River. About 17 hectares of riverside recreational parkland within a 125 hectare precinct that lies across the waters of the Brisbane River from the high rises of the central business district, it is a place for visitors and the people of Brisbane alike to sun themselves, shop, dine and enjoy the arts. The best way to reach Southbank from the City is across the Victoria Bridge. Once across, one can see Melbourne Street which is flanked by the Old Museum and Art Gallery on the right and the Old Performing Arts Centre on the left, behind which one can see the curving shell of the Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Most of Southbank spreads off to one’s left, and is reached by the Clem Jones Promenade. Southbank was built on the World Expo 1988 site, and at that time was filled with pavilions and displays from around the world. The pagoda, a symbol of peace, was a gift from Nepal and one of the few things retained when the area was transformed into Southbank. A few steps past it, turning right, a boardwalk takes one through a shaded rainforest section filled with jungle noises and vegetation. A stream gurgles and the greenery refreshes the soul. Beyond this is an amphitheatre-style piazza that hosts regular performances, and at weekends the whole place becomes a market.
Back towards the riverbank, is a beach patrolled by professional life guards. This borders an artificial lagoon surrounded by palm trees and rocks. It is a wonderful site for City dwellers to enjoy a beach-style environment on their doorstep. Adjacent to it is an arbour (picture above), which is a meandering bougainvillea-covered path running the length of Southbank. A kilometre of blazing magenta, it is made of more than 400 slim, curving pillars linked by cables along which the bougainvillea is trained. In the evening it glows with mood lighting.
Numerous restaurants, cafés and bars make Southbank a mecca for the bon viveur and last night I dined in Kapsali restaurant. This was a friendly, Mediterranean restaurant with quite good food and ambience. The waiters were pleasant and the service fast. I had the grilled Barramundi fillet with lemon butter, creamed potato and wok tossed vegetables.
Enjoy the week!
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