Today I thought I would try a full-day Brisbane tour with Viator - a company I have used in many countries and cities to get an overall sense of the location I am visiting. Sometimes I do the "Hop On, Hop Off" buses with the 24-hour ticket, and today, even though this is a full-day tour, I decided to just go with APS.
The bus came by, about 15 minutes late, to pick me up at the Kookaburra Inn. No problem since they build in lots of buffer before loading all participants at the terminal. I met 2 other Americans, mother and daughter, from the St. Louis, Missouri area, while we were waiting to board our bus. Up until we were preparing to board, the 3 of us were quite hopeful that our group would be the entire traveling contingent, but alas, there were 2 French-speaking women who arrived just as we were preparing to board.
Brisbane is the 3rd largest city in Australia (behind Sydney and Melbourne), with a population of approximately 2.2 million. Bernard, our travel guide and driver, begins the tour with some background on the original explorers and discoverers who were responsible for naming Brisbane.
And, our first stop reflects the history of the city and the country as a depository for England's criminals, with The Old Windmill in downtown Brisbane. The Old Windmill is the oldest building in Brisbane and the oldest windmill in Australia. Interestingly, it was built where there was no wind to drive it, so beginning in October 1828 and up until about 1861, the most hardened convicts were given the task of manually grinding the grain from the fields in this windmill and treadmill as punishment for their crimes. They were in leg irons and had to reach above their heads to move the turnstiles that made the blades of the windmill turn. Many died from this physically strenuous task (about the only way they managed to escape this harsh punishment), and the treadmill was in constant need of repair, so in 1861 the windmill was used as a signal station.
From 1866-1894, a cannon would fire off every day at 1 PM, to assist people with keeping accurate time. The noise, as you might imagine, would be irritating after a time, so from 1894-1950s, the copper ball atop the windmill would drop at precisely 1 PM.
In 1934 the windmill was used to broadcast the first television signals to the area. You cannot go inside the windmill today and the cannon is gone, but it is still very interesting to see.
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| The Old Windmill in Brisbane. |
Nearby, we access a 2-way escalator that we've never seen before. Instead of having 2 escalators side by side, going in opposite directions, this one's direction is determined by a person crossing the electronic space at the top or bottom. It stops, then begins to flow either up or down, depending upon where the human breaks the plane. When we came down from photographing the Story Bridge, there was a gal waiting to go up. We got off, the escalator slowed then stopped, the young lady crossed the electronic eye, and up she went. What a money-saving idea!
Next stop - St. John's Anglican Cathedral.
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| St. John's Anglican Cathedral. |
Onto the winding Brisbane River for our River City Cruise along the South Bank - 17 points of interest, including the Victoria Bridge (1968); fish markets; Parliament House (1879); Customs House (1936); Storey Bridge; floating walkway (under construction since 2010); Mowbray Park Baths (1925); New Farm (2011); Tramway Powerhouse (1950); Sugar Refinery (1902); and Newstead House (1950).
We enjoy a specially prepared Devonshire tea while on board - scones with cream, tea and coffee (so delicious and proper) ha ha.
The captain entertains us with stories about the river - the most unbelievable one about the shark that flipped up into the bow of one of the city water taxis. Apparently he slid right down the middle of the taxi - to the astonishment of the commuters on board - and continued on off the stern. Apparently this happened years before video cameras and smart phones were invented to capture the moment, so there's no way to prove or disprove that this really happened.
River scenes: The Storey Bridge (upper left & middle right);
paddle boat restaurant; city skyline (upper right & lower right);
and our River City Cruise boat (lower left).
The Breakfast Creek Hotel was one of the highlights of the day tour. Built by William MacNoughton Galloway in 1889 in the French Renaissance style, the hotel is famous for its premium quality steaks and "beer off the wood" (its beers are stored and aged in wooden casks). Galloway resided in the hotel until his fatal fall from a 2nd story window (no doubt he was under the influence of that "beer off the wood"). It is believed that his spirit continues to haunt the hotel.
The hotel boasts 5 unique bars, including a public, private and rum bar; a historic Tropical Beer Garden; and a famous Spanish Garden Steakhouse.
The hotel boasts 5 unique bars, including a public, private and rum bar; a historic Tropical Beer Garden; and a famous Spanish Garden Steakhouse.
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| Historic Breakfast Creek Hotel (lower left); inside the Public Bar (top left, top middle, lower middle); Private Bar draught taps (upper right); Rum Bar (lower right).
The Wheel of Brisbane with 360 degree panoramic views, located in the heart of Brisbane's cultural, lifestyle and entertainment precinct, was the next stop on our tour.
The view through our window on the Brisbane Wheel.
Note the city's tallest building on the right.
The last 2 stops of our tour were the Lone Pine Sanctuary, noted especially for the koalas - whose numbers are drastically lower than they once were and are now a protected species, and Mount Cootha - highest viewpoint of Brisbane, where you can view almost the entire city, the Brisbane River and some of the outlying suburban areas.
The Koalas dining, playing, fighting.
Tasmanian Devil (upper right); Kookaburra (center); Olive Python (upper right);
Wombats (bottom left and right).
Dingos (upper left); kangaroos at rest & eating; emu (bottom right).
The kangaroo and emu open fields were very interesting. You could get up close and personal but picking your way across the grass was a very challenging matter of trying to avoid stepping on any animal dung. I had to laugh watching everyone scrape the bottom of their shoes on the mat provided after leaving the enclosure. And you've got to admire the little ones who just ran back and forth across the grass - amazingly some barefoot - who couldn't care less about what they were stepping in!
The panoramic view of Brisbane from Mount Cootha.
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