The plan for today is a fairly early start to get to Brisbane around 10am. We don't need to leave until 9 even though it's a 2h drive. This is because of the time difference between Queensland and New South Wales, which is an hour apart at the moment. Does mess with your head a bit though.
Breakfast was eaten overlooking the pool, with views of Wallabies (very cute), Magpie Lark, Friar bird, a very pretty looking Brahmin cow and two unidentified birds (one being some kind of egret).
Magpie Lark
Friar Bird in silhouette only I'm afraid.
It seems a pity she doesn't have a name!
Egret - but what sort?
Unknown bird on a wire (a new Leonard Cohen song?)
We drive past the Gold Coast, which is now an almost continous built up area between the NSW border and Brisbane as lots of people want to live by the beach, and it's an easy commute for those who work in the city.
After a coffee when we arrive we stroll along the river into the town. There are a variety of road and pedestrian bridges that cross the river at various intervals, with views across to the central business district (CBD).
The Jacaranda trees here are in full bloom and are a purple delight.
They look far more stunning in real life than in the picture.
A delicious lunch sitting alongside the prom in front of the cultural centre, before further perambulations (there must be another word for walking that we haven't used yet!).
Here we see a Sacred Ibis in its natural environment (well for this part of the town anyway).
Some sculptures along the riverside include an elephant standing on it's head.
I can do that.
There are also Water Dragons basking in the sunlight. Eric decides to join them.
Eric tries his hand at basking but he doesn't seem to be able to get his ears out at quite the same angle as the Water Dragon's frill.
At this point on the river not far past our lunch spot is the start of a winding 'Bougainvillea Walk' - this is approx half a mile of arbour where fancy metal arch shapes and wires support several rows of the flowers along the whole length of the structure. The result is a stunning walkway.
Eric smells the Bougainvillea (unfortunately it has no smell!).
The weather is very warm, so much so that you need to try to stay in the shade. The South Bank promenade is a very pleasant walk and has a variety of water features, including a beach and two pools. With Brisbane being both a tourist resort and a University town we imagine this will be very busy at certain times of the year.
Across a cycle and pedestrian bridge with the Maritime Museum underneath, we arrive at the Botanic Gardens, which are still alongside the river.
Three butterflies are spotted but only one provides us with a photo opportunity.
It's body looks similar to the Monarch butterflies, with a spotty thorax, but with blue rather than orange in the wing patterns.
Pass through the town centre, where all the drain covers are sealed with bar-coded tape - the G20 Summit is being held here soon. In front of one of the older buildings on the way back to the river we see what at first appears to be the sight of some crotchet bombing event. Turns out it is a children's art project.
Queen Vic never looked so good.
There are ferries that ply their way back and fore across the river, one of them is even free within a certain zone, but we fail to work out the route or the timetable and decide to walk back across a bridge
to the cultural centre.
The ferry terminal, but no ferry - a very handy bridge though.
Looking at what might be on in the theatre we spy a familiar face on a poster.
Someone we know might wish they were here!
It is now finishing work time and the paths are filled with cyclists dashing past, seemingly on their way home, joggers keeping fit and the bars filling up with people for social get togethers after a hard day in the office.
Walking back towards the venue for our evening meal (a Greek restaurant in the burbs) a Willy Wagtail and a bird that looks rather like a vulture or turkey with a tail flattened in the lateral position provide some visual entertainment.
Willy Wagtail.
The laterally flattened tail of what we are reliably informed by our friends is a Brush Turkey. Not a member of the turkey family at all really, but it does look a bit like one.
Returning to Doon Doon we are taken past some more of the Brisbane sights and an ideal spot for a night time photo of the city.
After all this walking and good food we think we should sleep well tonight.