Brisbane, Ballarat & Button

---

Brisbane, Ballarat and Button

Thursday 18 March

We check into our hotel in Brisbane which is very comfortable (and so much room!!) situated very near to the city centre. We switch the TV on and hear that a cyclone will be hitting the Queensland coast at the weekend - thankfully some way north of Brisbane so we are quite pleased that we did not take Morris further north as we thought we might at one stage. We discover that on a Thursday evening there is a free bar between 6.00 and 6.30 - yes free!! Following the free drinks we head out into the balmy evening and have a look around the central area which is buzzing with life.

Friday 19 March

We are persuaded by the hotel staff that the best way of getting to know Brisbane is by taking a boat trip. We therefore head to the South bank area of the city - a very pleasant walk passing through the main cultural area. Brisbane is Australia’s 3rd largest city, the capital of Queensland and the fastest growing capital city in the country. Whilst there are many impressive high rise buildings the place is full of colonial architecture and lovely subtropical gardens with an outdoor lifestyle culture. The walk along the southbank of the river reveals numerous buildings devoted to the arts, many fine restaurants and even a city beach with a swimming area patrolled by lifeguards! We treat ourselves to a ride on Brisbane’s ‘wheel’ - not a patch on the London Eye of course!

The boat trip is very interesting (and very hot) with a very informative narration pointing out the historical points of interest and also advising us of the key people who influenced the development of the City. Like a number of riverside cities development has given rise to a number of marinas, riverside properties and gardens and is a great attraction to city dwellers.

As Southbank has many eating places we head back to this area again in the evening and find somewhere nice overlooking the river. Jude samples some Morton Bay Bugs (a local delicacy) which seems to be a cross between a crab and a large prawn looking like some aliens from Dr. Who when they arrived on the plate- anyway they tasted good - I had a taste and I wonder Dave whether this counts with our bet!! - regrettably no photo.

Saturday 20 March

To-day we fly back to Melbourne having spent just the one full day in Brisbane. Mike picks us up from the airport and takes us back to his house; however, we have little time to sort ourselves out before we are out again. Mike has bought tickets for me and himself for the Soccer ‘A’ league final at the Ethiad stadium in Melbourne. The ‘A’ League is equivalent (not in standard)! to the English Premiership and the champions are decided in play-offs between the top 4 teams - this match was the final between Melbourne & Sydney - much rivalry but because of distance not too many Sydney fans. I didn’t realise how popular soccer is here but there is quite a strong following with this match attracting over 45,000 spectators and a good atmosphere. The football was not great - penalties followed extra time with Sydney being the victors. The girls had a quieter evening out to dinner in the city.

Sunday 21 March

For our Christmas present, Sara & Mike had bought us tickets for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival held in the Southgate area of Melbourne alongside the river. To-day was the day and Mike & Sara joined us for a great day out which included endless wine tastings (again I hear you say) and dinner at 3 different restaurants - starters at one - main meal at another and deserts at the last one (a progressive supper I believe this is called)- a very pleasant end to the evening

The next few days we spend catching up on a few things - washing etc and looking forward to our next excursion.

Wednesday 24 March

We go off on a trip with Margaret & Paul (Sara’s parents) to Ballarat which is where Gold was first discovered in Australia and is very significant in Australian history. Another brief history lesson here I’m afraid. Gold was first discovered here in 1851 and this heralded the beginning of the world’s biggest gold rush and the foundation of Ballarat’s history which was to change the face of Australia. Within 2 years of the discovery of Gold, over 20,000 miners (diggers) from all parts of the world came seeking their fortune. The authorities (British of course), however, were brutal - they denied miner’s rights to vote and charged high license fees and this eventually lead to outrage with the diggers holding a mass meeting and raising the Southern Cross Flag as their symbol of freedom. 2nd December 1854 troopers attacked a stockade of diggers killing 28 but causing massive public outrage which eventually lead to the birth of democracy in Australia. History lesson over!

The original mining town has been re-created and is a very popular tourist area enabling visitors to ‘pan’ for Gold and visit mine shafts amongst many other interesting activities. The highlight is a spectacular night time outdoor light and sound show called “Blood on the Southern Cross” which re-enacts the events of 1854. Following the show we spend the night there and stay until late afternoon the following day. A very interesting couple of days.

The next few days we spend around Melbourne eagerly awaiting Sunday when Mike and I will be off to watch the Melbourne Grand Prix. They don’t call Melbourne the sporting capital of Australia for nothing you know!!

Sunday 28th March

Watching an Englishman win a major sporting event in Australia is always very satisfying!!

To-day I went to my first Grand Prix and quite an experience it was too. Mike and I arrived at about 1.00pm in warm but cloudy conditions and had a good look around Albert Park. We found a few beer tents and watched some pre-F1 entertainment including Mini and saloon car racing. I was amused to see survival packs on sale which consisted of ear plugs, a plastic mac and sunscreen all for $4 (be prepared for everything). The crowds gathered at various vantage points alongside the track as race time drew closer - unfortunately so did the rain clouds which caused great confusion as to which tyres should be used (luckily I had my wet weather sandals on).

You get a far better view of things on the TV as you can only see one very small part of the race from any viewing point, however, there are large screens everywhere and there is no substitute for the atmosphere with the unbelievable noise that these things make. The race was full of incident with Hamilton and local boy Webber having a few little ‘tussles’ and of course our own Jenson cruising home in first place prompting great celebrations form the large English contingent.

The day had not finished as in the evening there was a concert with our own Simple Minds headlining (remember “Don’t you forget about me”). Whilst once a very popular band in their day I couldn’t recall why I was never a big fan, however, it soon came clear once they started to play! The rain came down and the music was not very inspiring either, with most of the songs sounding the same - they also teased the crowd by playing stuff few of us had heard of until near the very end (yes we did stay that long) when the only 2 songs I know were played. Anyway there were a lot of Aussies there who seemed to appreciate them which was the main thing. Chatting to a couple of Mike’s friends there, we learn that last year the Who played - now that would have been better!! We still had fun and left at about 10.00 reflecting on what a great day it had been.

The following few days we spent around Mike and Sara’s place or checking out a few places of interest in Melbourne

Wednesday 31 March

We negotiate 3 trains and visit Williamstown which is on the opposite side of the bay from Melbourne City. Williamstown was a very important port and many immigrants passed this way in the 19th century. To-day it maintains a lot of it’s historic appeal and is a popular place for marine enthusiasts. There is a very pleasant harbour teaming with boats and many varieties of sea birds. A short walk from the town and harbour area there is a fine beach which, despite the warm weather, was not at all crowded. We sat for a while and watched the world go by!!

Our time away seems to have gone by very quickly as in a few days time we leave Australia for 3 days in Hong Kong following which we will be returning to the rain and sleet of springtime England. We have time for a final BBQ on Friday with Mike and Sara and Sara’s parents before we fly off late on Saturday night.

Happy Easter everybody!!

---

Photos

Brisbane
About to set sail!

Brisbane
View from The Wheel

Melbourne Food & Wine
You guessed it - wine tasting again!

Ballarat
About to go underground!

Ballarat
Jude with her hands on A$125000. worth of gold

Grand Prix Day
Two Simple Minds!

Melbourne Sky Line
From Williamstown

Comments

[dave]

excellent blog
great to see it has all gone so well and really cant wait to see you again real soon :-)