Brisbane City - Part 1

At the end of the school holidays, just before Miss R's appendix decided to play up, I was able to have a few wonderful days away.  No husband, no kids, just me doing whatever I wanted, when I wanted.  That included eating when I wanted without having to worry about everyone else.

It was such a rare opportunity to have 3 nights away that I jumped at the chance.  I prefer quiet places to the hustle and bustle of towns and cities but this time I decided that I really wanted to explore Brisbane, our state's capital city.

I've only been there a few times in the past decade or more.  A couple to visit the court house in support of my brother when he was going through his divorce, and once on Master M's 7th birthday when we went to the museum.

I didn't need to drive as the train took me right where I needed to go and I could spend just over an hour crocheting and looking at the changing landscape out the window.  No traffic worries for me, or trying to work out which lane I needed to be in, or paying frightening parking fees for the few days I was there.

I decided to stay at one of the hotels at South Bank for my stay.  I knew that I would spend most of my time in this very popular area with its parklands, pools, cafes, restaurants, museum, art gallery  and entertainment venues.  It's also a short walk across the bridge to the city centre.

After I checked in and did a little happy dance knowing that I had a lovely hotel room all to myself, I headed out and explored South Bank to see what had changed over the years.

South Bank itself is 17 hectares of parklands right on the Brisbane River and is in the heart of the city.  It was developed on the old Expo '88 site and has been one of the best developments the city council has made over the years.

I love the walkway which meanders throughout the middle of the area, covered in beautiful bougainvillea.  There were also red lanterns strung along the whole walkway as well as along the river front but all became clear as to why they were there soon enough.

It was actually Easter Sunday afternoon when I arrived and the place was packed.  There were so many families having picnics and barbeques in the park areas and the cafes, restaurants and pubs were all really busy.

By far one of the most popular areas at South Bank are the pools.  They are free public pools (with life guards) in the heart of the area.  In summer they're really popular and even though it's been cooling down lately, there were still plenty of people enjoying a dip on a long weekend.

Now the naming of South Bank is pretty obvious as it's on the south side of the Brisbane River which winds its way throughout the heart of city.  The river itself is popular and I'll write a post about that another time but the views of the city centre with it's mix of old and new buildings all in a jumble together is quite nice.

Ferries and City Cats make their way up and down river all day and there were also a couple of party boats late on a Sunday afternoon, slowly making their way down river with their music pumping out loudly for all to hear and the passengers obviously having a great time.

I continued wandering along the path by the river, taking in the sights and sounds...

...and searching for somewhere a little quieter.  Luckily they also have a rainforest walk in the middle of the area for you to escape to for a few moments of quiet if needed.

The Nepalese temple which was built for Expo '88, is still very much a feature of South Bank and provides a beautiful, quiet haven in the middle of the parklands.

The carvings in the temple are exquisite and it really is a lovely spot to spend some time.

I didn't go on the Brisbane Eye but decided to leave that for another trip when I bring the kids down.  I'm sure they will love it so I'm making some plans for one of the forthcoming school holidays to visit and explore for a day or two.  The train trip to get to Brisbane will be a highlight in itself for them.

For Part 2 I'll show you the city from the river since I hopped on a City Cat one afternoon and spent a wonderful couple of hours seeing the city from a different perspective.

I didn't spend my whole time out and about and being busy either.  It was a getaway intended for me to recharge the batteries and I was lucky my hotel was right in the heart of the area so I could pop back in to crochet, read or just nap if needed.  Yes I actually did that and couldn't believe that I had a nap one day.  I very rarely nap and it seemed so indulgent and wonderful to snooze on a bed, during the day for an hour without anyone waking me up because they can't find something or they're hungry or they're fighting and I need to referee or...…………….(you get the picture).

I also ate.  A lot.  There are some pretty incredible restaurants in the area and I really did indulge.  You can eat your way around the world just going to the restaurants in one street.

  Oh and the tapas (proper Spanish tapas, not the slider sort) were amazing.  I ate there a couple of times because it was so good and I have no idea when I'll be back again.  I also refuse to get on the scales to see how much weight I put on in those few days.  It was worth it though!

Awesome tapas and sangria, less than 100 metres from my hotel :)

Have a wonderful week everyone.

xx Susan