With a pickup for a full-day tour of Brisbane scheduled for 9 am we were in no hurry after our usual 5am wakeup. I did a little blogging and a post and we went up to breakfast about 7am, starting the day for the staff there. There was disco music on their system, entirely appropriate for the chrome and flashy decor.
No buffet, but a full menu and I had outstanding crab and pepper scrambled eggs. Dana had an exceptionally flakey croissant. Down in the lobby I couldn’t resist a pan of the intensely contemporary lobby.
We were picked up by the engaging and lively Tony at 9am, in a black Mercedes SUV limo…
and driven to a fine viewpoint that featured Brissie’s super skyline.
A word about “Brissie”. It’s a nickname for the city, obviously, but I believe the intent is to pronounce it “Brizzy” in keeping with the pronunciation of the full name. Interesting web debate about the spelling, with the consensus being that to spell it “Brissy” makes it be pronounced like “prissy”, clearly not the intent.
The city center is located along the banks of the Brisbane River…
where a lot of city planning and redevelopment has taken place, to marvelous effect.
Our next visit was to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where we had taken Adam as a boy.
It has been substantially developed since then, of course. Actually, nearly 100 years old, having been established in 1927. Its mission is to rehabilitate injured animals.
Luckily we happened to be there soon after some koala babies had been weaned from their mothers, and with their curiosity and energy they put on quite a lively show. Tony, who comes here a lot with clients, said she’d never seen them so active.
Unlike the others we’ve seen, they gobbled the gum tree leaves…
they scooted along the floor…
and restlessly explored their assorted trees, even leaping from branch to branch.
“Cute” would not be overused to describe them. Speaking of cute, Tony honored my request see a resident platypus, not easy because it is housed in a darkened tank.
There was a large open field with wallabies lying about and feed for them was available. Tony got us each a bag, and we tried to feed them, but it was not easy.
There were thirty or forty human adults and children doing the same thing and probably had been since the opening in the morning.
They could be coaxed to eat, however, almost as if they were thinking, “ok, if you insist, but just for the photo.”
Still it was a nice feeling to feed them – they’re so docile, gentle, and undemanding – and we managed to nearly empty our bags by going to the ones who were sitting up.
There was a safe haven in one corner of the field for those who needed a break from the demands of tourists, and this little guy clearly needed some time there.
Other highlights were a saltie (usual surprising girth) who managed a one foot salute to us…
a restless Tasmanian Devil…
so named for their stocky build, strong jaws, and disturbing screech during eating and fighting, and a Coastal TaiPan…
whose inland cousin is considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the world for its venom (most powerful of all land snakes, one bite can kill 100 humans).
After the sanctuary Tony drove us around the city, pointing out highlights, especially the redevelopment of old, disused areas, the bold architectural designs, the plethora of tree and plant infusions, the preservation of old buildings and neighborhoods. and the many governmental offices, medical facilities, and educational institutions.
We broke for a nice lunch at Tony’s favorite place, a restaurant in a plant nursery ala Cornell Farms, and then went to a mountain viewpoint that really showed off the city in the early afternoon sunlight.
We then drove back to the city center, parked near our hotel, and walked to the completely refurbished riverfront, pretty much entirely now devoted to beautification and recreation.
Tony said the city’s personality and character changed dramatically after a 1988 World Expo, and that it has had civic-minded energy, focus, and achievement ever since. They are now gearing up for hosting the 2032 Olympics.
We hit a bit of a wall, said thanks and farewells to Tony, and retreated to the hotel for the rest of the day. I managed to complete an on-line checkin, and after finishing this post we retired early, trying to slip back into PDX time.
Dana and Roger Travels 