(As usual with my travelogues, this is backdated to the day.)
Sunday morning in Brisbane. More perfect weather!
We planned a visit to University of Queensland. By the lake is a bench in memory of my dad, so it’s a must for our family holidays.
Last time I was there, the bench was looking a little worn, so we pondered finding some furniture oil. But there’s no hardware shops near South Brisbane that are open on Sunday mornings, so we googled and found that coconut oil (readily available in supermarkets) might be a suitable substitute.
We caught a bus… uhhh a Metro… nah, it’s really a bus (pictured above, recharging its battery at the terminus) to UQ.
The bench looked a little better when we’d finished, and hopefully being a Sunday nobody would sit on it while it dried.
A circuitous wander around the John Oxley River Walk led us eventually to the ferry terminal, where we caught a City Cat ferry back to South Bank.
I must admit to cracking a joke to my sister about the ferry flying the Sovereign Citizen flag. Then I looked around to see a big grey bearded bloke in a black t-shirt glaring over at me…
Leaving the UQ wharf there were only about half a dozen people aboard, and I wondered how they could afford to run a City Cat every 15 minutes with a three person crew. But it quickly became very crowded. By the time we arrived at South Bank it was standing room only. And why not – a boat ride with frequent services plus glorious weather plus 50 cent fares – pretty much irresistible.
From there we headed north via 333 bus to Lutwyche, to visit the family plot in the cemetery there.
Then we walked south to Stafford, around where our Uncle Frank used to live. It’s not far as the crow flies, but included some very hilly streets that had these Melburnians sweating.
We found a place for lunch in Stafford Road. There’s old photos showing the trams rolling along here before they were shut down in the late 60s. The streetscape has changed a bit, but I noticed the old number 74 tram has become the 375 bus, along much the same route – even still extending through the City to Bardon.
After walking past the site of the old family home, we headed back into the CBD, to look at the Sky Deck.
It’s a free viewing platform 24 floors up. There was a queue for the lifts, but it moved pretty fast, and the view is excellent.
It’s even got a section of glass floor on the river side which made me slightly uneasy. I was glad to have stepped off when a kid started jumping up and down on it with gusto.
Amusingly there was also a queue to exit the Sky Deck. This isn’t very well designed – almost like it didn’t occur to them that it’d be so popular that queuing for the lift down would be an issue. The queue extends organically, and comes through some narrow doors (shared by punters entering the deck) and then down some steps – which must be a pain for anybody with accessibility issues.
Anyway, the Sky Deck is worth checking out if you’re in Brisbane.
From there we walked back across the river and had a look in the State Library bookshop, then walked along Fish Lane, one of the only remaining service laneways in the area, which has been turned into a bit of a mini arts and dining precinct. Lots of installations and murals.
A quick stop off for an ice cream, then back to the apartment for a well-earned cup of tea.
My sister was heading out to dinner with a friend, so I went for another walk, got some dinner then came back via the Cultural Centre station again.
And I did my good deed for the day: I was taking a photo on platform 2 (the main outbound platform) when a route 60 bus came past in the through lane. A couple obviously waiting for it looked a bit bewildered. I said to them “some buses depart over there” (on platform 3, down the road a bit).
They said thanks and ran off, and were able to catch it as the bus had to wait for the lights.
I’ve got a blog all about this station, and the buses and busways in general, coming up soon.
It had been a thoroughly enjoyable day, though sadly this winter break was fast coming to an end.
3 replies on “Brisbane: south to north”
Any thoughts on riding the “metro” bus, compared to a conventional bus or tram? I can pretty-well guess what you’ll say, but interested anyway.
That Cultural Centre bus stop can be a nightmare during peak times. I’m a big advocate for PT as I have less than desirable vision, so rely on trains for weekly commute and buses for some weekend activities. During peak, the CC bus stop is crowded with buses every minute or so. As I need to be close to the bus to see the number (within say 20m), if it pulls up behind another bus, I sometimes miss mine. Not so much of a problem as I am only going a couple of stops, but still frustrating as I don’t know which other routes are going to my destination.
The 50c fares are great for getting out and about on the weekends too. You can go from Gympie to the Gold Coast or inland to Gatton, around 250km for 50c.
I’ve also sat on your Dad’s bench at UQ near the lake. I remember you posting about it last time you were up here, so I looked for it. I play a mobile phone games called Ingress (like Pokemon, but better) and there are a couple of locations for the game near your Dad’s bench.
Thanks Tony and Shane! A post dedicated to the buses is coming up – half written, but delayed as so busy at the moment!