Back to Brisbane

We returned to Brisbane for three final days of vacation. Because my work is what it is, I had several more meetings that had been added on to my itinerary, people who were recommended by others I was meeting with earlier, or who had learned I was in town. Since we're museum people, it really wasn't a bad thing. But it did mean structuring our time a little more than we had originally planned.

We were staying along South Bank, which is across the river from downtown. It's very accessible via several walking bridges, or by the CityCat, the catamaran boat ferry. South Bank was heavily developed several years ago for a world exposition, and it is now a huge destination center. There are beaches and swimming areas, tons of places to eat, both fast food (complete with scavenging ibis) and fine dining, some shops, and the large museum complex where I was based. It's lovely and dynamic, and quite a bit of fun.


These trellised walkways go all along the South Bank area. It's a beautiful walk.


Brisbane has some skyscrapers, but not overly many. What makes them really interesting is their differences from each other. The buildings are quite distinctive visually, and make the skyline that much more eye-catching.


This is the CityCat. I actually rode this a fair amount, as I could take it right from South Bank over to the University. Our first morning in Brisbane, that was our destination. I had a meeting with folks from one of the schools, about my upcoming program, and then we were going to meet Thu-Huong for lunch, one of my Vietnam course classmates. Unfortunately, we never connected, and Greg and I took the ferry back to another part of town that Olivia recommended we explore, New Farm.

Part of the redevelopment is this incredible ferris wheel, which is touted as one of the world's wonders. I really did have every intention of riding it, but thought I'd wait for Greg, and then we never did fit it in. Ah well, I guess it's on my "next time" list.






We walked along the water and across the water several times, visiting sites, doing some holiday shopping, just wandering and enjoying the beautiful weather. And once, we did even remember to take out the camera for a few minutes!




Several of my meetings were back at the museums. Greg had a bit of time to see some of them while I was chatting, but there were pretty short, giving us plenty of time to do our wandering.


I really loved this sculpture of dragonfly wings down in the museum and performing arts complex area. This region has the Queensland Art Museum, Queensland Gallery of Fine Art, State Library of Queensland, and Queensland Museum, and the new convention center, the Performing Arts Center, and several theaters. Our last evening, my last meeting was at the Gallery of Modern Art, attending an exhibition opening.


The Queensland Museum, and the whale mall next to it! Yes, I sat there for some time while I was in Brisbane by myself, just listening to the tapes of whale calls.



Some of the lovely grounds between the museum spaces. They are filled with green space, walkways, fountains, and cafes.


My home-away-from-home! The State Library of Queensland. I really love this institution. And don't they have some cool grass?



This photo is for my friends in Fredericksburg VA, who affectionately refer to their town as Fred-Vegas. This sign is outside the Gallery of Modern Art, and was part of an exhibition at one time. Now it proudly touts the pleasures of Briz-Vegas.