Around the World (Again) The Little Red Boat

Brisbane 25th November- The river trip.

Today I had decided to take a river trip on the free river hopper, this starts at the bottom of Queens street and bouncing back and forth across the river reaches the far side of Kangaroo Point at a place called dry-dock marina.
I walked down to Queens street and had an Iced coffee in a place called the coffee club, due to this stop off, as I went to the point that the ferry leaves (beside the Victoria Bridge) I was able to see the rear end and the frothing wake. 

 

Ah well it was a nice day so I sat on the benches, watched the river traffic coming and going (there is no real river traffic in Brisbane, not like Sydney, this all terminates well away from the city). The swallows were having a great time swooping and soaring catching flying morsels and dipping their beaks in the water. One even sat on the hot tin roof to have its photo taken!

 

At last the next one came complete with a skipper-ess, I do hope this will go well.

 

 

 


I was first on board and straight up onto the top deck and front seat.






While waiting for the ferry to get underway I spied a red breasted swallow, sitting on the ferries position light.  

This method of transport shows a city from a whole different perspective, you see all of the water frontage and the rising office blocks and new government institutions behind. The first port of call is on the opposite bank and called the Arbour View, it is at part of the South Bank Park and is ideal if you wish to visit the Griffith University complex, or just chill out at the Ship Inn.

The next stop is on the same side and is beside the Maritime Museum (I will visit at a later date), here you can see a bit of Queensland Naval past (not all that long so it isn’t all that big).

 

 

This takes you under the Captain Cook Bridge along a reach of the river with bobbing yachts at their moorings, some inshore vessels but some very nice larger chappies. Then comes a longish stretch of passage, between the Botanic gardens on the Port side and Kangaroo Point with its rugged cliffs (good rock climbing here) on the starboard.

 

 

Then it is into the White Park suburb of Kangaroo point, before bouncing across the river to Eagle Street Pier. It then crosses again to Captain Burke Park, this gives a wonderful view of the oldest part of the city including the old customs house .

The passage is then under the steel lattice work Story Bridge, impressive but not a patch on the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Tyne Bridge for that matter.

Here the ferry rounds the head of kangaroo point and it then goes alongside at the Dockside, so called as this was the old dockyards and one of the dry docks has been turned into a marina with very tasteful apartments and boat tie up facilities, bet they cost a pretty A$ or two!

 

 
The final port of call is the Sydney Street wharf, didn’t see much of interest but In suppose there must be something there or the ferry wouldn’t stop.

The little red ferry now retraces its wake and goes back the same way, I decided that I wanted to see some of Brisbane’s older buildings so got off at Eagle St Pier. The area here has been redeveloped into the business and financial quarter, but in between there are still some very nice buildings of the colonial period. Behind Eagle street is a square with a massive Fig tree with air roots that you can walk under.

This is at the bottom of creek street and before the city grew, this was the place that settlement and farmlands nearby drew their water, the water came from the springs in what is now Roma St Parklands (you will learn a bit more about those tomorrow). I then walked up Creek Street  until it met Adelaide Street, made a 90° left wheel  and took a rest at ANZAC Square.

I then headed across the river via the Victoria Bridge and went to the Art Gallery and Library again (seems a daily occurrence, but it is all so easy).

I then went to do a bit of shopping, I fancied doing a chilli, nice and easy and of course tasty.

I had found that Coles sold Kangaroo meat and more to the point it sold Kangaroo mince. I am no stranger to Kangaroo and in fact quite like it (very lean and low in Cholesterol so good for diabetics). So I bought the rest of the ingredients to make a good chilli and off to the Hostel I did pop.

So it was a Siesta first then a good old chilli on the 5^th floor of the YHA overlooking the Brisbane River, DOES life get any better than this?