Brisbane River Walk

South Bank Walking Photo: David Lazar

I love Brisbane’s riverside pathways. They’re especially pleasant for a stroll during Brisbane’s balmy summer evenings.

Kangaroo Point Public Art

If you’re new to Brisbane, try the riverside path between South Bank and Kangaroo Point. The track is flat and lit at night and there’s lots of interesting public art to look at on the way. You’re likely to see rock climbers scaling the cliffs at Kangaroo Point, even in the evening, when the cliffs are lit by giant flood lights.

Kangaroo Point Cliff Rock Climbers

It’s a great return trip for walking off a meal you’ve enjoyed at one of the many restaurants and cafes at South Bank.

San Antonio in Texas also has a vibrant and well-used River Walk which dates back to the late 1930s.  It’s interesting to read the history of the area, especially the recurrent flood problems that mirror Brisbane’s own flood history.

Brisbane Walks in the Courier Mail

A journalist from the Courier Mail, Michael Lund, contacted me to talk about the best places to walk in Brisbane. Michael was particularly interested in the many interesting things we often walk past without really seeing (because we’re too busy or too familiar with the area).

He featured two walks – a history walk and a public art walk - from my guidebook Brisbane’s Best Bush, Bay & City Walks in the “Life” section of the newspaper.  You can look at excerpts from the article on the Courier Mail website.

Courier Mail Best Suburban and City Walks

Here are a couple of my photos that were used in the paper version of the newspaper.  Do you recognise the places?

Queen’s Visit to Brisbane

The banks of the Brisbane River were lined with people hoping to catch a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II as she cruised down the river on a luxury yacht on Monday 24 October 2011.

We watched from the banks of the river, opposite historic Newstead House. Take note of Newstead House as a great viewing spot for the next time royals cruise down the river. The flotilla went close to the river bank and people on the historic house’s lawn would have had a close-up view of the royals.

The Queensland State Archives has a special virtual exhibition of British royal visits to Queensland where you can view hi-res images and videos online.  If you’re a fan of vintage dresses, it’s definitely worth a visit.

In the photo below, you can see the Queen in pastel green on the top deck standing with Anna Bligh in red to her right, and then Prince Philip in a dark suit. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Queen Elizabeth on Brisbane River

Silk Worm Lifecycle

It’s around this time of year that many school Prep classes are learning about the silk worm life cycle. Parents and teachers have been out searching for mulberry leaves to feed the growing larvae before they spin their yellow cocoons.

Over the weekend, we got to bring home a few shoe boxes of silk worms in various stages of their life cycle from eggs to caterpillars then cocoons and finally moths who lay another generation of eggs.

We’ve been unravelling the empty cocoons and winding them onto pieces of cardboard.  It’s amazing how long the silk thread is from just one cocoon and it gives you an appreciation of how much effort goes into creating a silk scarf.

Here are a few pictures of our weekend guests.

Silk Worm eggs on cocoon

Silk Worm

Silk Worm cocoon

Silk Worm moth

Brisbane Open House

Brisbane Open House

We really enjoyed Brisbane Open House on Saturday 1 October.  If you’re not familiar with this event, it’s when the doors of many Brisbane city buildings, usually closed to the public, are flung open for the day. So you get to see spectacular views from high level conference rooms, backstage areas, secured sites usually out-of-bounds to the public and the inner sanctums of buildings.

The event only began in Brisbane last year but was instantly popular. In fact, in 2010, some of the venues were caught off guard by the number of people visiting. I was chatting with one of the volunteers at the Masonic Memorial Temple who said last year they had 2,000 visitors in four hours. He said this year they had 45 volunteers on hand to direct people and answer questions (and yes, we found they were very well organised).

It was easy to get about because the program had a free pass to ride on the CityGlider buses. You could spot everyone participating because of the distinctive orange programs, plus the camera gear they were carrying.  (There was a photography competition associated with the event.)

I used the online map from the Brisbane Open House website to plan our route. There were four adults and two children in our group, so we chose five buildings (30 were open) to visit with the hope that the kids wouldn’t get too tired.

Brisbane Square external detail

Our first stop was Brisbane Square and the Brisbane Traffic Control Centre which was opened to the public for the first time ever. It was very interesting to see how all of the cameras are monitored and learn what happens when there’s an emergency on the roads or in a bus or train station. I reckon every time I walk near a street camera from now on, I’ll wave, just in case the camera is being monitored at that moment. My take-away piece of advice is: If you ever consider parking in a clearway on a Brisbane road – don’t. It’s so disruptive to peak hour traffic that they tow cars away very quickly and there’s a big fine.

Brisbane Open House - Brisbane Square Level 16 view

In the same building on level 16, we visited the conference room.  I can’t imagine being able to concentrate if I was in a meeting there because the views are spectacular (photo above).

Queen Victoria Statue outside Treasury Heritage Hotel

We tried to visit the nearby Treasury Heritage Hotel, but the tours were booked out. City Hall had a long queue which we decided to skip. Quite a few of the buildings had booked out tours, so for next year, we’ll get there early.

Brisbane Open House - Masonic Memorial Temple

We popped into the Masonic Memorial Temple on Ann Street which has a beautiful Grand Hall (photo above). The volunteers were happy to answer questions and even allowed my son to sit in the Grand Master’s big chair for a photo.

Brisbane Open House - QPAC Concert Hall

Another highlight was a QPAC’s concert hall where we got to hear the impressively loud pipe organ being played. In the foyer outside, we listened to a rehearsal. There were also back stage tours during the day.

I’m sure the event will be even bigger next year. You can sign up for the newsletter on the Brisbane Open House website or follow on Twitter @brisopenhouse.

Brisbane Open House 2011

Brisbane City Hall

If you’re interested in architecture, you won’t want to miss Brisbane Open House Day on Saturday 1 October 2011.

This special event, which coincides with World Architecture Day, is when the doors of many Brisbane buildings, usually closed to the public, are flung open for the day.

Take your camera along to Brisbane Open House, because your photo of one of the buildings could win you $1,000 in the photographic competition.

Take photos: Saturday 1 October 2011

Submission deadline: Monday 18 October 5pm

Categories:

• Exterior
• Interior
• Detail
• People /crowds

Prize: Winner receives $1,000

Transport: Show your program map to CityGlider bus drivers to receive free travel on the day

Website: http://www.brisbaneopenhouse.com.au/photo-competition

Some of the places you can visit during Brisbane Open House include historic buildings such as the Commissariat Store, Customs House and Old Government House. Some of Brisbane’s beautiful churches are on the list, including Saint John’s Cathedral which has a spectacular stone vaulted ceiling. There are also architectural practices opening their doors and modern buildings including Santos Place which offers spectacular views from its Sky Terrace.

Terms & Conditions: here

For more photo competitions, visit: www.PhotoCompetitions.com.au

Book Clubs

If you’re a member of a book club and you’re trying to choose your next book, Brisbane City Council libraries have a publication called Top 40 Book Club Reads.  It features 12 non-fiction and 28 fiction books, many of which are recent releases, but there are also some classics.

At the back of the publication, you’ll find tips on how to run a book club. You can download a PDF copy here.