Along the river

Mangroves at the QUT ferry pontoon


Southbank. Bougainvillea, weeping figs & palm trees


State Library from the river


Gallery of Modern Art from the river


Poincianas on the building site. (Gallery of Modern Art behind.)


Cranes



Two days earlier. Same site. Pile-driver (yellow) and two cranes.

They tell me Joh was responsible for the Cultural Centre and Southbank. I must think more kindly of him. It is a beautiful place and all Brisbane seems to flock there to barbecue, to picnic, to eat, to swim, to do cultural things and to just enjoy themselves. The people pour off the ferry at the Southbank stop and on again and it doesn't matter what hour of the day or night it is.

The ferry has to slow to a crawl between Regatta and North Quay so as not to disturb the building works on the river. I heard the yellow pile-driver first and then saw it. Amazing that they have built this way since at least the Bronze Age.
See
www.tv.com/time-team/vauxhall-london/episode/450351/summa...

The bridge being built is the Tank Street Bridge
Wikipedia
For the design see
Department of Public Works
I hope it doesn't clutter up the river..

Unable to walk

Lily leaves. Southbank Winter morning

It's been an interesting week. Completely incapable of walking and in pain, things have been pretty miserable.

But the extremely upside of it all has been that I have become so bored with reciting my tale of woe that I am now finally, finally, starting to talk to the people in college. And enjoying it.

I have also learnt that the UQ security service exists not just to protect the denizens of UQ, but picks up the moribund and less than moribund from anywhere on the campus and takes them to anywhere on the campus.

So, on Saturday last, I fancied a swim. The security service indicated a possible delay ("Saturday's our busiest day"), but took me to and from the college to the pool. How about that? Not bad, eh?

South Bank, Bridges and more

The Story Bridge, from the citycat.


Rainforest at South Bank.


Rainforest at South Bank.


Streets Beach, South Bank


Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden 1966/2002. Queensland Art Gallery.

Caught the ferry all the way from UQ to Appollo Road. Thought the story would be about the river. And I suppose it is.

For a Melbournian, the striking thing about the bridges across the Brisbane River is that they are all so new. Before I rushed into print about this, I had thought that the oldest bridge across the river was the Story Bridge(opened 1940), and said to be designed by Bradfield (but not really). A lovely bridge. (More elegant than the Sydney Harbour Bridge.) Anyway, from the furthest bridge downstream (The Gateway, 1986) to the last (almost, the Eleanor Schonell, 2006) on the ferry route, the bridges are: the Story (1940), the Goodwill (2001, pedestrians & cyclists only), the Victoria, third of that name (1969), the William Jolly (1932) and the Merivale Rail Bridge (1978). Not a single 19th century bridge. (There are 5 more bridges which I have yet to see.) See Bridges over the Brisbane River in Wikipedia

I needed a coffee and a break, so I got off at South Bank, to go to the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art. On my way, though, I just had to take photographs of the rainforest and of the beach. It was a hot Sunday, and the beach was well patronised. There it is: a beach in the heart of Brisbane, complete with sand, surf livesavers, lifesaver tower, surf rescue board and everyone from tiny tots, teenagers, mums and dads and grandparents all enjoying themselves. Brilliant conception and superb in its realisation. (And what about the rainforest?)

Onward to Andy Warhol. But what caught my eye was in the Queensland Art Gallery: this lovely garden of polished steel balls moving gently in a current.

The last photo I have included is for my daughter.


Chris Mackinolty, 1976. Queensland Art Gallery.

En route

Kigelia pinnata
Walking to the ferry through the UQ campus


Walking to my building on the QUT campus


Leaving QUT via the Goodwill bridge. Low tide in the mangroves


Through South Bank past an artificial creek to catch the 109 bus back to UQ

Going to work, and coming home.