Brisbane ... our last stop

Brisbane is a large city on the Gold Coast of Australia.  It is built along a peninsula with the ocean one side and the Brisbane River on the other.  The business portion of the town is built on a hill, with a lot of development being towards the waterfront. Unfortunately, these sections of town near the water are subject to flooding,  with the last major flood  in 2011.  This flood was quite devastating, with water levels reaching the top of the McCafe sign at a McDonalds several blocks towards the middle of town.  On a positive note, Brisbane has an active artistic base with galleries, museums, two botanical gardens,8 km of bike paths, lots of walking trails and the equivalent of the London Eye, the Brisbane Wheel, which takes 15 minutes to rotate once around.  On the other hand, it is also the home of the Bee Gees and Steve Irwin, the late “crocodile hunter”

Brisbane from the top of Mt. Coot-ha

 

We both escorted “panoramic” tours of the Brisbane area this warm (27 C) morning.  We got to see a lot of the architecture, rode to the top of Mt. Coot-ha overlooking the city, and walked along the river with its beautiful walkways and temperate forest. We also had chance to see the Brisbane Wheel up close, many historical buildings as well as lots of local vegetation. 

Two river views of Brisbane

The Brisbane Wheel

A kilometre long flower arch over the walkway

One of the original churches

 

Unfortunately, now it is time to pack up since we leave tomorrow and head back to cold and snowy Canada ... at least I’m sure it will be like that by the time we get there.

Oh ... by the way ... we discovered a University in Brisbane named after Owen and William.