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So Traveller 09 is now rain maker 09. I arrive in Melbourne and within 24 hours it rains (really rains) for the first time in weeks a complete contrast to Black Saturday 5 weeks earlier and the soaring temperatures of 46 degrees. I then arrive to pouring rain in Sydney and this is again repeated in Brisbane for the whole of the Easter weekend. The dams in South East Queensland are now at 50/ 60% capacity, the official level to end the worst drought in a 100 years and severe water restrictions are slowly being lifted. All just a coincide?? Well let’s examine the facts. When I arrived in Botswana on my last world tour the main dam was at an all time low of 7% capacity and by the time I left the dam was at an unheard of 94%. This coupled with the fact that in the last two summers, England has had the highest rainfall and worst summers on record, while I was living there. Global warming, climate change or just me? You decide? Okay I don’t really think I’ve got rain goddess like status and powers but I’m over the bad weather, after all that’s one of the reasons I left London!! And thankfully in the last few days Brisbane, Brissie or Brisvegas have not disappointed
Brisbane
Brisbane is growing, it is the third largest city in Australia, with a population of 2 million.
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| Brisbane CBD |
it has grown enormously in the last 5 years and is still growing, new suburbs are being planned, developed and built, new road and transport structures are in the midst of construction and new bars/ clubs are being opened on an almost daily basis. The city centre nestles comfortably within a bend of the meandering Brisbane river, which flows out at Moreton Bay (famous for it’s Bugs.. a variety of lobster) where the eastern most suburbs are situation and sprawls across the Brisbane river floodplain towards the Great Dividing Range to the west. My brother and wife currently rent in a lovely northern suburb called Windsor near the hospital, the Royal and Women’s Hospital, where they both work.
Windsor is situation on a hill that affords good views of the CBD if your Queenslander is situated in the correct position. Queenslanders are the original wooden houses built in this area, they are slightly raised on stilts, to increase the air flow, made of local timber, with large upper decks which now house the ubiquitous large gas Barbie and resident possum in the roof. I’m currently sitting on their deck as dusk gathers and the local bird life flies home to roost. The local pigeons are rainbow lorikeets, so called because every colour of the rainbow is allegedly found in their feathers and sulphur crested Cockatoos.
The Nightlife
Brisbane is slowly getting on the map for international acts, tours etc. when they venture down under. Recently Coldplay played a concert here and there is a burgeoning arts, culture and music scene. On the Easter Saturday, we went to see Chicago, currently touring Australia and starring Kim from Kath and Kim and Craig Mclachlan (from Neighbours fame). The dancers were suitably scantily clad and the singing was fantastic, We then caught the CityCat, the high speed catamaran that cruises up and down the Brisbane River taking tourists, locals, commuters on a laid back journey to various stops throughout the city, back to New Farm and our car and Hamish and Jacks then dropped me off to meet up with Bels in the Valley…
OMG.. Words really can not describe what I experienced that night. Think Ibiza Uncovered and multiple it. There were hoards of teenage drunks roaming around in the rain, queuing to get into clubs that had a 2 – 2 ½ hour wait time and if you were a bloke wearing trainers and a t shirt, it was a pointless exercise as you weren’t allowed in anyway. During the day Fortitude Valley is home to various winos that hang outside the adult shops and strip joints but on a weekend night, becomes the domain of the drunk, foul Brisbanites trying to find a party or alternatively a fight. We saw someone being thrown out of one of the worst dives. Questions arouse as to what possibly could he have done that was so terrible as to be thrown out of that hovel? However I have been assured that there is another end to the Valley with more sophisticated wine bars and an older set of patrons. Despite the atmosphere and environment it was fab having one last night hanging out with Bels. The highlight of the night was getting her friend into the latest ‘hip’ club, Cloud Lands, wearing women’s shoes instead of his trainers.
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| Getting boys into clubs |
The bouncer couldn’t stop laughing and waved us in. Unfortunately this hip club was pretty mediocre and ostentatiously decorated, but the locals were all bedazzled and gushing about “How fantastic it was to have a place like this in Brisbane.” And “It is really putting Brissie on the map!” I just nodded and smiled.
The West End
A week later I was out and about in another part of town, The West End with Nicole, over in Brissie for a wedding. The West End is a bit grungy but trendy, it has a bit of an edge and you are just as likely to be talking to a drug addict as to a suited and booted professional. I met up with her and her friends in a pub the Lock n Load for a few drinks outside, sheltered under a huge umbrella from the evening thunder storm. We decided to head out for a Vietnamese and say goodbye to some of the party. Whilst outside we watched bemused as a long haired man/ woman in red fishnet stockings, that matched the colour of their hair, trainers and a black and white mini dress, tried to tune their guitar. A girl completely off her head, with tract marks came over to us to ask for a light and Nicole and Sarah both thought it would be a good idea to give their cameras to her to take a photo of us all. We all smiled whilst having visions of her bolting with said cameras and us chasing her down the street, but of course she didn’t so we didn’t.
The favoured Vietnamese situated over the Happy Herb shop was full, so we took ourselves and bottles of Sav Blanc to the less salubrious Chinese/ Vietnamese restaurant which Jeff and Tamsin both continually tried to assure us was really okay if you knew what you were ordering. The orange vinyl table cloth stitched so it fitted the table perfectly, the cheesy pictures of running horses with flowing manes and the mass array of cutlery didn’t bode well, but turned out fine. We were joined by Remy and after finishing our budget meal we headed back to the Lock n Load to judge the live band.
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| Kangaroo Point |
After a couple of bottles of wine, we moved on to the Rumpus room or otherwise named Crack Alley (by me). Deciding it wasn’t happening we piled into Remy’s car, which was a little cramped with 5 of us and headed out to Kangeroo Point.
Byron Bay
The next day, Hamish, Jacks and I headed down the coast to the beautiful beaches of Byron. I was first up, determined that my hang over wasn’t going to make us late. We headed down south into New South Wales and arrived in Byron a couple of hours later. The beaches stretch on for miles and miles, I was instantly impressed. We found a spot, reapplied the suncream and settled in to watch the surfers, others sun worshippers and general going ons. Getting restless I headed for an hour walk and realising I wasn’t going to run out of beach anytime soon, turned back and caught up with Hamish and Jacks in time for lunch.
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| Byron Bay |
We wandered around the town, which still retains a hippy feel to it but is interspersed with yuppie culture, expensive clothes shops and art galleries, nestle amongst t-shirt and craft stores. But pretty much anything goes and no one raises an eyebrow. The afternoon we went up to the lighthouse on the most easterly point of Australia. As the sun started setting, Hamish and I hit the surf for a quick dip, my first in the ocean on this trip, I could hardly believe it. The rain started to fall as we piled back into the car and drove back to Brisbane. It was a good, no a fantastic day and I was even more chilled and happy.
In and Around Brisbane
On Easter Monday, Hamish and I headed into the Springbrook National Park. A misleading sign talking of road closure and detours didn’t alert us to the fact our route was blocked by a recent landslide and rock fall. So we headed back on ourselves and drove the hour extra detour. Hamish was keen for me to see “The best of all lookout.” Seriously it’s named that… We parked up and traipsed the 300 metres to view Byron etc only to see white mist. Visibility was about 10 metres you couldn’t even see the dense vegetation the slope below. The lookout was quickly renamed the Most Awesome lookout ever. Undeterred by the mist and the now quite persistent rain we scoffed sandwiches and headed off on a 4 km track that took in two waterfalls, one which you could walk under. The rain added a sense of magical surrealism as we felt we were walking further away from civilisation to a land of water and running streams and rivers. We were warned about leeches and on returning to the car did a leech check, changed out of our drenched clothes and wrapped up in towels for the long drive back to Brissie.
I’ve really got to shake this rain curse.
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Copyright © 2009 Hester Pollock
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