It may be astounding, but I was dancing on the balcony just a moment ago. Dancing because there was water running in the streets of Brisbane City. Water running in the streets because of a good, hard rain. This is the third night in a row with a decent rain. Tonight, there was also a good bit of lightning. I just saw a bolt hit a radio tower on Mount Coot-tha, which is the highest point in the area and located to the southwest of my flat.
Having grown up in Maine, where water was never a problem, I never imagined I'd be overjoyed to see something formerly so common. And yet there I was, hopping up and down, smiling. Thrilled. Running water!
Is this the end of the drought in Queensland?
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Friday, 11 May 2007
Labour Day
May 7th was Labour Day in Australia. That's "Labor Day" to you Americans. Heh. As a national holiday, it was a three day weekend. The weather was very nice, and I finally took some time to go for a long walk around the city.
Earlier in the weekend, I finally had the time to go shopping for some hiking boots. At the very last moment before I moved, I had to give mine up because one bag was 2 kilos overweight and the boots weighed about 2 kilos. I was sad, since those boots were great and I knew I'd need a pair, but I also rationalized that I could buy a pair down under. It only took me 2 1/2 months to get to it. I found the rough equivalent to REI down here, which is Globe Trekker. Great store, with a wide selection of shoes, camping gear, climbing gear, fishing, and four season clothing. I didn't see any kayaks or bikes, but they had a good selection for being a store in the downtown of a major city. I spent about an hour trying on different pairs and having a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of different brands an models, trying a half size up and a half size down. It was a lot of fun, and time well spent since I expect to be walking hundreds, and hopefully thousands of kilometers in my boots. I settled on a pair of Hi-Tec boots with waterproofing (not officially Gore-Tex), toe jams, Vibram soles, and excellent padding. These should be good for long range hikes. They proved very nice for a walk around town.
Since it was Labour Day, I was lucky enough to have a parade start assembling just a few blocks from my flat. I took the opportunity to walk up the hill through the assembly. It was largely union people, lots of families, and clearly from all over the state. Signage everywhere, quite friendly and well organized, all things considered. Everyone was out for a nice day in the city. The groups were probably half a click long, and were pretty much along the route I was going to go anyway, so I got to the see them from start to end. At the tail end, as I was waiting to cross a street, I was offered some bottled water for $2. Since I had a liter in my pack, I politely declined. It was just the sort of enterprising thing the Aussies are so good at...they sell water everywhere, and, oh, by the way, chilled water costs more. What they haven't yet taken care of is that every train station I've been to has a soft drink machine. Great for chilled beverages on a hot Australian day, but not so great for one's health. I've seen more than a few young people walking around with 1 liter bottles of their favorite soft drink...sad to see, actually. Eating on the street just isn't done, but it seems perfectly acceptable to walk around with a massive soft drink bottle.
Once I passed through the assembled paraders, I had a pleasant walk along Leichardt Street, which turns into College Avenue. I hung a right at the Brisbane Girls Grammar School and found a lovely little place called Victoria Park. Quite a natural next to a school, and clearly used as an adjunct. There was a well-developed Parr Course throughout the park. Sadly, the park overlooks a motorway and some railway siding, so not quite as bucholic as it might have been. Still, it's some of the biggest open space I've seen in Brisbane so far. There's a very nice land bridge that goes over the freeway. I was really impressed, because it is wide and landscaped in such a way that you never see the cars or the rail line.
On the other side is a smaller park and an area of green space I can see from my flat. I was so hoping to go ranging around a big park, but alas, it is all fenced in. Turns out to be a golf course. I think I shall have to mention to my contacts in city hall that large parks for the local residents are something that separates a good city from a great city. Witness Golden Gate Park and Central Park. I know there is all this bush out there beyond the city limits, but for folks like myself who don't have a vehicle and for whom access to wild lands is restricted, it's necessary to have a big swathe of green space within easy walking distance.
I did find the public rugby fields and an area for cricket batting practice. Quite nice to see four rugby fields end to end, but the fence overlooking them with golfers looking down wasn't so nice. I will say that at one end of the field was a very nice pond with a sculpture of a family. The pond was home to some of the local water fowl, which was an unexpected treat.
I took a walk along a very nice path along the freeway and explored a bit of a neighborhood called Kelvin Grove. And spied in the distance a very distinctive church I can also see from my flat. It's all brick, looks very Gothic, and sits astride a hilltop. After a bit of turning this way and that and finding a footbridge first over and then under yet another major street, I made my way to the hilltop. Up close, it's really a rather boring building from the outside. It was locked up tight, and turns out to be a Roman Catholic church, St. Brigid's. The architecture is definitely medieval and I found it quite unpleasant, as there are very few windows, very narrow, and a rather small main door. At human level, the thing I noticed most were cutouts in the bricks that formed crosses, but reminded me more of holes cutout of the brick to shoot arrows from. Perhaps a reasonable place in olden days, but quite unwelcoming in the modern world.
I had a bite to eat and a long drink of water and headed back. On the way, I found the Roma Gardens, which are very nice. There is a beautiful, modern pavilion with lighting and a delightful window overlooking a steep drop-off. It's definitely used for functions and perhaps even plays and bands from time to time...worth coming back to. I also discovered Wickham Park, and a route back into the CBD from that area of town.
Overall, ti was a great walk and I learned more about the city in a few hours. I have some photos which I'll post in my Flickr album. Once I do that, I'll post the URLs and you can see a few of the local sights trough my camera's lens.
Earlier in the weekend, I finally had the time to go shopping for some hiking boots. At the very last moment before I moved, I had to give mine up because one bag was 2 kilos overweight and the boots weighed about 2 kilos. I was sad, since those boots were great and I knew I'd need a pair, but I also rationalized that I could buy a pair down under. It only took me 2 1/2 months to get to it. I found the rough equivalent to REI down here, which is Globe Trekker. Great store, with a wide selection of shoes, camping gear, climbing gear, fishing, and four season clothing. I didn't see any kayaks or bikes, but they had a good selection for being a store in the downtown of a major city. I spent about an hour trying on different pairs and having a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of different brands an models, trying a half size up and a half size down. It was a lot of fun, and time well spent since I expect to be walking hundreds, and hopefully thousands of kilometers in my boots. I settled on a pair of Hi-Tec boots with waterproofing (not officially Gore-Tex), toe jams, Vibram soles, and excellent padding. These should be good for long range hikes. They proved very nice for a walk around town.
Since it was Labour Day, I was lucky enough to have a parade start assembling just a few blocks from my flat. I took the opportunity to walk up the hill through the assembly. It was largely union people, lots of families, and clearly from all over the state. Signage everywhere, quite friendly and well organized, all things considered. Everyone was out for a nice day in the city. The groups were probably half a click long, and were pretty much along the route I was going to go anyway, so I got to the see them from start to end. At the tail end, as I was waiting to cross a street, I was offered some bottled water for $2. Since I had a liter in my pack, I politely declined. It was just the sort of enterprising thing the Aussies are so good at...they sell water everywhere, and, oh, by the way, chilled water costs more. What they haven't yet taken care of is that every train station I've been to has a soft drink machine. Great for chilled beverages on a hot Australian day, but not so great for one's health. I've seen more than a few young people walking around with 1 liter bottles of their favorite soft drink...sad to see, actually. Eating on the street just isn't done, but it seems perfectly acceptable to walk around with a massive soft drink bottle.
Once I passed through the assembled paraders, I had a pleasant walk along Leichardt Street, which turns into College Avenue. I hung a right at the Brisbane Girls Grammar School and found a lovely little place called Victoria Park. Quite a natural next to a school, and clearly used as an adjunct. There was a well-developed Parr Course throughout the park. Sadly, the park overlooks a motorway and some railway siding, so not quite as bucholic as it might have been. Still, it's some of the biggest open space I've seen in Brisbane so far. There's a very nice land bridge that goes over the freeway. I was really impressed, because it is wide and landscaped in such a way that you never see the cars or the rail line.
On the other side is a smaller park and an area of green space I can see from my flat. I was so hoping to go ranging around a big park, but alas, it is all fenced in. Turns out to be a golf course. I think I shall have to mention to my contacts in city hall that large parks for the local residents are something that separates a good city from a great city. Witness Golden Gate Park and Central Park. I know there is all this bush out there beyond the city limits, but for folks like myself who don't have a vehicle and for whom access to wild lands is restricted, it's necessary to have a big swathe of green space within easy walking distance.
I did find the public rugby fields and an area for cricket batting practice. Quite nice to see four rugby fields end to end, but the fence overlooking them with golfers looking down wasn't so nice. I will say that at one end of the field was a very nice pond with a sculpture of a family. The pond was home to some of the local water fowl, which was an unexpected treat.
I took a walk along a very nice path along the freeway and explored a bit of a neighborhood called Kelvin Grove. And spied in the distance a very distinctive church I can also see from my flat. It's all brick, looks very Gothic, and sits astride a hilltop. After a bit of turning this way and that and finding a footbridge first over and then under yet another major street, I made my way to the hilltop. Up close, it's really a rather boring building from the outside. It was locked up tight, and turns out to be a Roman Catholic church, St. Brigid's. The architecture is definitely medieval and I found it quite unpleasant, as there are very few windows, very narrow, and a rather small main door. At human level, the thing I noticed most were cutouts in the bricks that formed crosses, but reminded me more of holes cutout of the brick to shoot arrows from. Perhaps a reasonable place in olden days, but quite unwelcoming in the modern world.
I had a bite to eat and a long drink of water and headed back. On the way, I found the Roma Gardens, which are very nice. There is a beautiful, modern pavilion with lighting and a delightful window overlooking a steep drop-off. It's definitely used for functions and perhaps even plays and bands from time to time...worth coming back to. I also discovered Wickham Park, and a route back into the CBD from that area of town.
Overall, ti was a great walk and I learned more about the city in a few hours. I have some photos which I'll post in my Flickr album. Once I do that, I'll post the URLs and you can see a few of the local sights trough my camera's lens.
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