Blissfully, beautiful Brisbane

Ask anyone what has changed in Brisbane, while Colin has been away for four years in Canada and they will most probably tell you that the buildings seem to have grown a little taller, there's far less rain and much, much more traffic.
 
You might be wondering, why we haven't had a blog entry for Brisbane during the past three months, while Colin & Melissa have been hanging out at Colin's Mums place.  Partly this was because we have been using Brisbane (and the suburb of The Gap) as our 'home base' during trips around South East Queensland and beyond.  So finally, here it is at last:  BrisVegas, the capital of the state of Queensland, that 'little country town' with an annual average temperature of 25 Degrees (that's in Centigrade) and an annual average rainfall of 0 mm (well, over the water supply dam at least).
 
We have ventured into the city of Brisbane plenty of times, but the first time was the most memorable.  Colin's plan was to park in the fabled 'Government Car Park' which was ALWAYS open after hours and go from there - or that at least was the plan.  Unfortunately the car park now requires a code to get into it, one that we didn't have and so we spent the next fifteen minutes trying to find another place to park.
 
We then strolled around QUT (The Queensland University of Technology), where Colin had gone to school. The campus had grown a lot since Colin's last visit, but that was to be expected.  The building sites from years gone by were now completed and the builders had now moved on to other areas in the campus to continue their work.  Their mission, or so it seemed, was to cram as much concrete into the tiny downtown University grounds as possible.
 
Pretty soon we came to the pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River.  Strolling over this bridge, avoiding the cyclists and rollerbladers rushing past, we entered what is known as the 'South Bank Parklands'. This location was originally used as the grounds for Expo '88 and then lay dormant for a number of years, before its grand phoenix like reconstruction into the most beautiful part of Brisbane. It is now a summer wonderland filled with trickling streams, cafe's, BBQ's and a winding spine through its centre laced with bougainvillea.
 
Colin had intended to share the best of Brisbane with Melissa first and so he intended to take her to visit the South Bank Beach Lagoon with its glorious sandy beach setting.  However, to his horror, this man-made beach area was now closed and dismantled for renovations and would not be reopened until the end of the year.
 
Putting the shock of this behind them, they wandered down to the riverside wharf to catch the City Cat, which is a fun, touristy catamaran that would allow them to travel up to the Riverside Markets.
 
The markets are open every Sunday, within the business heart of Brisbane on Eagle St. With the rushing sound of fountains, the bright sunshine and the hustle of the markets, it was as if there was a different kind of business taking place here today, beneath the tall, sleeping skyscrapers.
 
After picking our way through the markets, the two explorers made there way along by the river and entered the city Botanical gardens. These gardens backed onto the QUT grounds and form a very pretty walk and a place to have sandwiches during work time.  For us though, no thought of work entered our heads, as we strolled by one of the lakes avoiding the occasional duck, ibis and giant lizard who call these grounds their home.
 
From the top of the botanical gardens, beside the Government House, it was just a quick ten minute walk before we entered the heart of Brisbane - the Queen St Mall.  In the centre of the mall you will find the traditional meeting place used by locals: "I'll meet ya at Hungry Jacks".  This hamburger joint is better known as Burger King (by non-locals), except that they went through a name change in Queensland for legal reasons. Oh, and by the way, the people that meet there usually eat somewhere else.
 
The top half of the mall is the newer portion where the Myer Centre is located. The Myer Centre is a large shopping mall that is spread up rather than out.  Down at the older end you will find David Jones (DJ's), the Wintergarden, HMV and the now closed original McDonalds (there are now many more).
On another adventure into Brisbane (there have been many) Melissa and Colin explored the West End, which is a cool bohemian suburb just south of the city and includes a street known as Boundary Street where there are plenty of cafe's and restaurants and a fair bit of night life as well.
 
The night life in Brisbane for the two of us, started with a quick meal from the famous West End cafe 'The Three Monkeys' to fortify us, then over the bridge to the city proper.  Situated beside the mall, closer to the river, is the Treasury Casino, which by the way, is where Brisbane gets its nickname of 'BrisVegas' from.  The casino is housed in the old Treasury building, the irony being that the government makes a lot of money through the taxes of this establishment.
 
After helping Brisbane's economy out a little, we headed into the Fortitude Valley to check out Brisbane's live music scene. From here, live shows can be enjoyed at the Arena or the Zoo for a mellower groove and at The Alibi Room.  The dance venues have all pretty much changed, but for those who are interested, there is still 'The Beat', which moves at a rhythm and within an atmosphere entirely of its own.
 
Once we grew tired of listening & dancing, we headed back into the city to the Pancake Manor to chill out. This restaurant is located in a beautifully converted church, where you can purchase any kind of food at any time you like - great Milkshakes and of course plenty of Maple syrup (for us Canadians) on the pancakes!
 
I have mentioned that the fabled Government Car Park was sadly unavailable.  However, one night we had dinner at Augustine's (which is great place to eat by the way) and THEY told us the 'secret password' to unlock the Government Car Park.  Since then, we have enjoyed using it time and again with that SAME password each time - good to see that in Brisbane, some things don't change.
 
Next up: Canadian Surfing, Underwater World, Cold Rock & Sizzlers