Brisbane River



Storey Bridge

The Ferris Wheel on South Bank

Yesterday we discovered Brisbane by bus and on foot, today we plan to use the river. First, a walk across to the other side of the West End, past all the little shops, cafes and restaurants until we reach more residential property. Some of this is modern, but a lot is the traditional Queenslander houses built on stilts with large verandas. The road eventually brings us to the river and the landing stage of the city cat boat. We’ve discovered that this boat service runs from here stopping at various points in the city right out to Northshore Hamilton near the airport. The boat arrives and everyone gets on, students commuting to Uni, business men, mothers with prams and some other tourists like us. The cost of this tour (return of course) under £6 for us both, amazing. The river runs past the University of Queensland,  private properties with riverside moorings and large boats in front, the famous Storey Bridge (complete with people abseiling from the top), the city, South Bank, West End and finally our choice for a coffee break Bulimba.
“The Jetty” is right on the river front and is a perfect stopping point. The whole area is obviously affluent with a few nice restaurants and small designer shops. We don’t have long here before catching the city cat to continue on to Northshore, via Teneriffe!!! 


The Streets Beach on South Bank

The river is widening now as it approaches the ocean and just ahead we can see the Gateway motorway the last crossing point over the Brisbane River, it towers over the water with fast moving traffic streaming across it. The return journey is just as enjoyable and we decide to get off at South Bank to explore the area by daylight. The landing stage is at the northern end of the parkland and as we meander our way through the gardens we realise what we missed the first night. There are beautiful gardens arranged almost into giant rooms connected by bougainvillea covered walkways. There are numerous cafes / restaurants, a beach with lifeguards, children’s water play area, a herb and vegetable garden and a riverside walk. The Plough Inn provides a welcome respite from the heat with cooling drinks and a wonderful seafood platter to share, from our vantage point on the deck we’re able to people watch, mothers out with children, people on the beach or swimming in the pool next to the river, runners, cyclists and tourists enjoying the park just like us. It’s time for us to retreat back to the apartment to revive ourselves with a swim in the pool.

We're going back to Boundary Road tonight to try the "Little Greek Café" and we're lucky to get a table so the food must be good. The café is on the corner of 2 roads, it has tables inside and stretching up both side walks. The waitress recommends the lamb specials, so we order Lamb Kleftico and Lamb Florinen, they are both meltingly tender and tasty. On the way back we stop for a coffee at Habitat - it's all low lighting, chunky wooden furniture and intimate spaces dividing the restaurant into different areas.