Back to Oz

Before jumping on the flight to Brisbane, we visited Brad at Valve again and were treated to Thursday's Family Lunch. 

Magnus loved the pinball machine - it's just a matter of time until he's playing instead of just watching

A Cuban restaurant catered a delicious lunch

Roger bought Magnus this Aussie rugby shirt when he was born.  It was neat seeing Magnus wearing it just 16 months later.

We arrived in Brisbane and had four days there which helped get over jet lag and some flu bug I got hit with while traveling.  We stayed in the Southbank region which is a fun, trendy area that runs along the Brisbane River.

A man-made beach area complete with sand, along the river is usually packed on the weekends.

A community garden that enables people to sample produce, and ask questions of volunteers.

We rode the free city hop on/hop off ferry and enjoyed seeing the city from the river

Beautiful walkways by the river with bougainvillea's forming stunning tunnels

Once I was feeling better, I walked to the city center while Roger was working.  There is a vibrant outdoor mall that reminded me of Rundle Mall in Adelaide.

City Hall and the Clock Tower

I visited the Brisbane Museum in the City Hall building, and took a tour of the Clock Tower that was built in the 1930s.

Foyer at the City Hall

One of the four clock faces crafted from white opal housed on sheet copper

 Up until the 1960s, the clock tower was the highest building in Brisbane, standing 92 meters tall.

View of King George Square from the Clock Tower

Original elevator hardware from 1930 is still in use.

 



Before leaving me in the morning, Roger told me I shouldn't skip lunch like I usually do, because I still don't like eating alone in restaurants. I was finally getting my appetite back, and was looking forward to lunch, so on the way back to the hotel, I decided to stop and have lunch along the river at an outdoor food court. On previous walks, we had seen several Ibis birds strutting around and remembered seeing them near a beach when Heather Moe visited us in Adelaide.

 

I chose a table, put my bagged sandwich down as I opened my bottled water....and then one of the Ibis jumped up on the table and grabbed the bag!  Within seconds, he was joined by his friends, and they ended up with my lunch.



Greedy opportunists!!

We flew to our old stomping grounds in Adelaide for two days while Roger checked on the final shipping of equipment to the job site.  I got to have a lovely lunch with my two girlfriends, Wendy and Carolyn, that I met when we lived here, and it was grand to catch up.

Our next stop will be the tiny hamlet of Balranald - our home for the next couple of months.  Not sure what to expect, but after the last 7+ years of diverse accommodation, I'm pretty sure it's going to be better than some of the crazy places we've ended up in, and will hope for the best. 

As our good friend, Dwayne Majcher is fond of saying, "Aim low and avoid disappointment."  He might be on to something.