Walk on the wild side.

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Hello dear all.
Saturday evening here in Brisbane and had a rest day ...read a book and watched a dvd - Lantana - very good Aus movie which won lots of awards. Had a busy couple of days so now and then I have to take a rest from sightseeing!!
I love Brisbane - its such a mix of old and new architecture and the riverside is stunning .. a public transport off peak ticket for only $5 for the day means you can do bus and boats all along the river and you know that for me boat trips are obligatory!! So up river I went this time ...amd as you can see from the photos it is just beautiful...no scruffy places anywhere that I could see.
I had been confused that when you cross the state border into Queensland that you go into another time zone and it took me 2 days to catch up with that as I arrived at ANZAC memorial at about 5 to 12 (so I thought) on Nov 11th - but actually it was 5 to 11 - so I stayed while the ceremony of remembrance took place - bagpipes and a band and wreath laying and a lot of dignitaries and armed forces people as well as lots of locals... very moving.
South Bank of the river has been turned into a playground. park, beaches and walks with loads of cafes and restos, cultural spaces etc ... beats the Thames south bank. I could see how Richard would have absolutley loved it when he was little - all the water for kids to play in. And I had to take a photo of the beach ambulance especially for Ross!!
There is lots more to see here and there are so many National Parks - you just don't know where to start... but actually I had one in mind...Glasshouse Mountains - which my house swapper Geoff had told me about. So as I was up with the larks ( yes I know thats unusual for me!!) - I was out the door very early yesterday with the esky packed ( thats Oz talk for icebox !!) and after beating my way through the traffic in Brsibane as I had to cross the city - I was having a picnic brekki of muesli, yoghurt and fruit at the Mountain lookout. What views - a pity it was a pity cloudy but then that sort of sky always adds a bit of drama.... these are volcanic plugs extruded about 25 million years ago and then the sandstone around them has eroded away so there you have a a flat plain with these massive mnts sticking up...named by Captain Cook as he thought they looked like kilns where they made glass... lesson over.
And next stop was the Australian Zoo of Steve Irwin fame - which happened to be just a few km up the road. What a great zoo... beautifully landscaped, so clean - not smelly - folk going around all day cleaning the glass panels where you look through, dusting the fences with brushes ( yes dusting fences !!!) brushing up pooo in animal enclosures ...all zoos should be like this. And of course there was the Animal show - huge scary crocs being fed , a bloke in the water swimming with a python ( uuughhh) , animal keepers walking round evrywhere with snaked and reptiles - one of them passed me by as I was sitting at the end of a row with a snaked inches from my head !!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes it was a bit scary but actaully they did look beautiful those snakes. They had birds flying free - a crane came in zooming over everyones head and took some food - then the stadium erupted with all sorts of parrots and macaws and what not all flying aorund...how do they do it and get them back ??? I spent hours then walking around in the various enclosures some of them you wander freely with koalas sitting in the trees and kangaroos just lying in the sun... you could stroke them which I did..they didnt mind at all - people just sitting on the grass beside them. So it felt sort of very special to have been so close and stroke a koala and roo. The elephants have a wonderful enclosure like a 5 star hotel and the tigers behind glass were magificent beasts and the keepers went in to move them while I was there and when one didnt want to get up he lay down beside it and was cuddling it - unbelievable- and eventually it got up and walked out with him. So that Zoo is really worth a visit.
Next decision was to drive up the coast and maybe stay the night somehwhere - I made it to Noosa - yes I could see why Suz and Tracie liked it when they were here. Lovely town - lots of nice shops , buzzy and right on a lovely beach. However by the time I got there all the cheap hostels, motels were full ( Friday nt its very popular!!) and I didnt feel like paying over the top - so I went to a nice resto had some fish n chips and deciided to drive back to Bris. A lovely long day.
Again I find that there are so many places I would like to come back to and I am sure this part of Queensland deserves another visit for longer next time.
Well must go - Spooks is on the telly now - its great having all the english tv shows - especiallly since they are usually ones I missed last year.
And - Jill - sorry I didnt smile - I havent quite perfected the technique of taking my own photos and smiling at the same time - as well as trying to make myself look younger and beautiful!!!
Love to everyone.
L xxxxx
Lots of fotos this time - so might have to go to next page!

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Photos

Brisbane
Lovely classical building

Brisbane
Paddle steamers on the river

Brisbane
I love the way the old buildings contrast with the modern.

Brisbane riverbanks
There seem to be walks all along by the riverside for miles and miles.

South Bank
These are man-made beaches

Beach ambulance.
How about that,Ross!

Pools and beaches
Must remember my swimmers another time.

Water feature
Wish I had one.

Comments

[maureen speed]

Mildura
Hi Lynne Before you left England we emailed youthrough Intervac to say that you are welcome to come and stay with us in Mildura - offer still stands. Sounds like you are having a great time in Oz. Hope you continue to enjoy it. Cheers Maureen & Peter

[Alison & Ross]

Wow!!
Pics look even more amazing than usual, if that's possible. Ross loved the beach ambulance and wishes he could work like that, especially as it is sooo cold and pouring with rain right now!!!! Safe travels and sending much love xx

[Julie]

catch up
Just catching up on your "Book" after having computer problems again (have hinted to gary maybe santa can replace it!). Sounds so lovely and has made me get the bug again to travel within Australia so hopefully I will be able to home exchange again in 2011 in the areas you have travelled I will renew my intervac membership this pay week. Initially i wanted to move to brisbane and after reading this it has made me want to even more it is beautiful but we will see. Glad you are having so much fun and yes you are looking so much fitter going up n down all the hills/walks. I have so much admiration for you I trully do.