Around the World (Again) Brisbane

21st November- Brisbane and the end of the first part of the journey

First a little bit about the capital city of Queensland
Originally the homelands of the Jagera and Turrbal Aboriginal clans, these hunted and fished along the river, this had a plentiful supply of shellfish (Mortenbay bugs, Yabbies, Oysters, Clams etc) and fish was also plentiful in both the river and the creeks and islets of the Morton Bay area.

In 1799 Matthew Flinders had been sent out to explore the lands between  Port Jackson and  Hervy bay, he surveyed the Morton Bay area including Bribie Island (Pumicestone Channel), but failed to find the Brisbane River, though he did set down in Redcliffe now a Northern Suburb of Brisbane.

The first permanent settlement was formed when the Governor of NSW, a certain Thomas Brisbane was partitioned by the free settlers of the colony to get rid of the more unruly elements amongst the convicts. In 1823 he sent the Surveyor General, John Oxley in the cutter “Mermaid” to find a place for a new penal settlement. He surveyed quite a few places and actually went up what was later to be called the Brisbane River as far as what today is Ipswich.

Prior to this he discovered some shipwrecked sailors that had been living amongst the Aborigines for 7 months, these had originally been sent out South of Sydney to find Timber, but a severe storm had sent them North and they were shipwrecked on Morton Island.

In the following year 1824 a penal colony was set up at what is Redcliffe Point under Lt Millar, Oxley in the meantime had been busy and had found a more suitable place for a settlement and in 1825 the settlement was moved to what is now Financial and Commercial District of today’s Brisbane, it was in those days called “Meen-Jin” by its Turball occupants. The settlement continued to be called Morton Bay penal colony and had a fearsome reputation, being termed a penal settlement within a penal colony. By the end of 1825 the settlement was said to number 45 male and 2 female convicts.

The first name given to the Colony was Edinglassie (Edinburgh-Glasgow) by Chief justice Forbes, but this was soon changed to Brisbane in honour of Thomas Brisbane (I don’t know if I would relish the thought of having a Prison named after me).

In 1828 a route was found to the fertile Darling Downs and 10 years later in 1838 commercial pressure dictated that the area be opened up to free settlement and the first settlers arrived of their own free will.

This influx caused a lot of problems between the Aboriginals and white settlers and much bloodshed resulted. The settlers did not accept that the Aborigines owned the land and often resorted to guns to prove their point.

In 1859 the first municipal elections took place and a Mayor elected, a month later the self-governing colony of Queensland under the protection of Great Britain was proclaimed, thus separation from NSW was complete.  

So back to our travels:

Next day it was time to head back down the Bruce Highway to Brisbane, Linda to catch the flight to Bangkok and me to get set up to watch the Ashes. Linda had found a reasonable motel in one of the Brisbane suburbs, it was not far off the route to the airport and as we had decided to give the car back a day early (when she was at the airport I might as well divest myself of the car, Brisbane isn’t all that big and there is a very good transport system, both rail and bus.

We found the Motel, got unloaded and went into town on the train, it was only 4 stops, arriving at 13:37 on the dot (the clock on the ANZAC square said so). Brisbane is a blend of styles, of super modern while still retained a lot of their older colonial buildings.

We walked to Roma Street to where most of Brisbane’s Backpacker hostels are conglomerated. I got myself booked into the YHA for 7 nights, but unfortunately they didn’t have any free places for the Thursday and Friday, but two backpackers down was Cloud 9, there they had room at the Inn. So everything was booked for the next 9 nights.

 

We walked down the length of Roma and George Street to the Botanical Gardens, stopping on the way at a street market, selling home grown and homemade produce very nice indeed. There was even a stall selling Cornish Pasties, when pointed out it was illegal, the reply was “in case you hadn’t realised matey, we are in Australia and I do not give a toss about EU rulings, these are Cornish Pasties just like back in the old country, so stuff their rulings” I suppose he had a point.

There was also a stall selling honey from musical bees, “Flight of the Bumble Bee may be”?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then walked the rest of the length of George Street to the entrance to the Botanical gardens and just past the gate were a set of ponds with bird life and guess what? We spotted a few Lizards amongst the luscious vegetation (Linda doesn’t like them either) and wandering the paths, completely ignoring us visitors to their domain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked a good deal of the pathways (but by no means all) across the grassy lawns with their modern sculptures, bobbing ducks on their ponds and moorhen type of birds, just wandering hither and nether as if they owned the place.

 

 

 

 

 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

We walked along the river side, passing boats and yachts from near and far, bobbing at their moorings, 

until we came to another set of gates, these lead us past the old Naval office and up one of the oldest parts of town still remaining, one of the larger on is now a steak house called Muh Muh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked to the central station and got the train back, Linda was knackered and fell into a deep sleep, I woke her with” will I pop next door and get us a Chinese take away”, that woke her up. So our last evening meal together on Australian soil was a Chinese take away and though not the best, it wasn’t all that bad for the price.

This is the only photo that I took of the motel and it is of one of the trees in bloom!

Thu 22nd

Next morning it was repacking (I had decided I did not need 2 pairs of jeans and a thick jacket and a few other bits and pieces), then we went next door to small café and had bacon and eggs for breakfast, then it was off to the airport, give the car up at Herz, get Linda to the check in, said our fond farewells and see you in 3 months.