BRISBANE and THE G 20 - LIVING IN A GHOST TOWN !

( Beware photo laden post ahead !) 

 

Below is a photo of peak hour traffic on any normal week night in Brisbane.

Our lovely modern city is in the background with the road coming over the Victoria Bridge from the absolute centre of the city to the large busway taking workers home for dinner.

 

 

... and this is what it looks like today (Friday ).



 

Deserted !

This is what happens when you send mixed signals to the people of your city.

 

You cancel all buses entering and leaving the city area.

 

 

All vehicles entering the Central Business District (CBD ) must go through security checks

 

 

like these.

 

 

  This is the main train station in the centre of town at what should be peak hour in the morning !

 

Everywhere you go there are barriers to keep you out

 

 

 



High security is everywhere !

 



 

  

and this is the result - A Ghost Town !

 

 

The inner city streets normally busy seven days a week

 

 

are completely deserted but the businesses are all open for trading.

 

The parklands where citizens in their thousands flock to enjoy the blue skies and sunny days

are eerily quiet.

 

What's going on, you ask?

 In a word, the G20 has come to town.

There are no buses into the city.

The CityCat river  ferries have an exclusion zone right in the centre of the city.

Most car parks are closed and those that are open have huge security, searching cars for explosive devices.

All offices in the city are closed - it's a Public Holiday in Brisbane as workers can't get into the city for their jobs

but the shops and restaurants are open as the weekends are their peak trading times.

 ( paying their workers double time because they are working on a Public Holiday )

 

Important people are arriving

 

 

and obviously bringing lots of luggage with them !

So far the protestors have been colourful and good humoured.

 



 

But the citizens of Brisbane have stayed away in droves.

The hype about all this security has turned them all off going into the city to enjoy the special touches that have been added to make our city look good to the rest of the world.  

 

The bridges are all lit up at night and so are many of the buildings around the city. 

 

The city itself  is looking lovely with the flowering trees putting on a great show.

 

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and some of the street art is truly exceptional

 

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but with a long weekend ahead of us and the thermometer heading for 40 C for the next three days

 

this

 

 

  

is where you'll find most Brisbanites !

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

* photos taken by Tony.  All others from the internet.

HATS ! - YES IT'S MELBOURNE CUP TIME !

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This is the style of hat that is most often associated with Aussies.

 

You need shade here

and if you are in the Outback the moving corks help with the flies !

 

But today is the day when a different sort of hat appears on the heads of large numbers of the female population.

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Today, women who never wear hats

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deck themselves out in weird and wonderful hats.

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Yes, it's Melbourne Cup Day !

 

Some actually go to the Melbourne Cup race

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or celebrations and race days held at other race courses around the country.

 

 

The racecourse is famous for its roses

 

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and will be at its blooming best today ready to be enjoyed by the huge crowds who flock from all over the world for this great day.

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* images from the Internet

  

 

But for many suburban housewives it's a great occasion to do lunch.

 

So that's what we did today Chez Helsie !

 

 

 

 Now it's time to pack those hats away till next year.

 

Cheers.

 

Edit: 

 A double tragedy has overshadowed the race.

Two horses from this race died after the race. One from heart failure and one as a result of a foolish spectator waving a flag that spooked the horse, causing it to crash into a barrier and smash its leg.

Awful !