OLYMPIC GAMES 2032 - BRISBANE

Yes, It's BRISBANE !

The decision was announced last night.

Crowds of people had gathered at Southbank Parklands by the Brisbane river to await the decision.

and cheers and fireworks erupted when the decision was announced.

Lots of money will be spent to provide the facilities needed for the Olympics.

Let's hope that we can showcase our beautiful city to the world.

Cheers,

 

SATURDAY EVENING IN BRISBANE TOWN

During the day it's HOT in Brisbane in late November

but

 if you are lucky, 

in the afternoon a breeze comes up and turns the evening into a balmy summer night.

Just right for a stroll through the gardens in the city centre,

along the manicured banks of our winding river.

These gardens were once our Botanic Gardens and so are planted with a host of lovely old trees 

and wide stretches of lawns - the only green lawns to be seen anywhere in Brisbane at the moment. 

There are also some scattered patches of colourful garden beds

The whole garden covers several hectares.

 It's not semi-wild like Central Park or Hyde Park

or nearly as big

but it's a lovely manicured oasis in the centre of the city never-the-less.

The best thing about it is that when you exit through the big, wrought iron gates you are right in the city 

and it's easy to find a lovely quiet spot for dinner with your fella.

Cheers.

TOP MARKS

For some time Tony has been interested in photography but recently this interest has grown and, with the purchase of a new mirror-less camera and his participation in a photography course at a TAFE College, his photos are really going up a notch or two.

He has been experimenting with low light photography so his outings have been largely just on dusk.

Recently he drove down to Cleveland Point late in the afternoon to take some sunset photos.

When he arrived he found that he was not the only one with this idea !!

The resulting photos are lovely. 

You can see why the spot is so popular with photographers.

I really love the colours in this one

On another expedition he set off for Southbank in the heart of Brisbane

travelling into the city on our beloved CityCat ferry.

 Southbank Parkland occupies the former  site of World Expo 88 which was held in Brisbane in 1988.

It is a delightful area and greatly loved by the citizens of Brisbane who make great use of its cafes, picnic areas, free BBQs and playgrounds.

One of the major attractions is the free public "beach" - a huge free swimming area with a sandy bottom and beach 

Just the place to cool off on a hot Summer night.

Finally I'll finish with this photo taken just on nightfall while we were recently in Hervey Bay

He is showing considerable talent don't you think ?

Cheers.

SUNDAY DRIVE

The hot weather we have been having makes me just want to stay inside in the cool of the air-conditioning but today we decided to get out and take a drive ( in the cool air-conditioned car !!) to see the sunflowers.

They are growing in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane and about 2 hours later we came upon this field.

As you can see it is very dry and the poor flowers on the edge of the field were showing the lack of water.

You can see how withered the leaves are and the background is pure country Australia - grey-green and brown.

 However as you move further into the crop it gets better and soon there is a sea of happy yellow facing the sun.

 Such a pretty crop.

We were a little early as this was the only field properly in flower.

The rest will probably burst forth in the next two weeks.

On the way home we passed this pretty house in Gatton.

It is built in the typical Queensland style,

set high off the ground to guard against floods but mainly to catch any breezes that may be around.

Wide verandahs and a central hallway leading past a bedroom on each side at the front  to a "lounge" room (living room ) and dining room with kitchen and bathroom in the enclosed part of the back

 verandah.

A very practical design for our climate. You will find many of them in any Queensland country town.

You may remember I posted about "Old Queenslanders"   here  way back in 2010. 

It has been one of my most visited posts over the years.

We were home by 4:30 and it is finally cooler than the 32 degrees it has been all day so I'm off for a cool Aperol Spritz which is our drink of choice in the heat.

Cheers.

BUTTERFLY INVASION

Currently Brisbane is being invaded by butterflies.

When I look out on my back yard there are clouds of them flitting above the grevillias....

but when I try to take photos of them  !!!!

Finally I just zoomed, pointed and clicked and managed to capture a few.

Apparently this is an event which happens every six to 10 years.

Millions of Caper White Butterflies migrate from west of the Great Dividing Range to breed.

The increased number of butterflies across Brisbane could be attributed to good rainfall out west.

Here is a closer view from the local newspaper.

We can expect them to be around for the next month or so.

Cheers.

BLOOMING BEAUTIFUL

Spring has been a pretty dull affair here in our suburb of Brisbane.

No decent rain for ages means lawns everywhere are brown unless devoted watering has taken place.

But as we move into November pops of purple appear all over Brisbane as the lovely Jacarandas burst into flower.

On Sunday the weather was great for an outing along the river to see some of these lovely trees around the city.

As usual we used the City Cat ferries to view the trees along the river.

There were plenty to see lining the river all the way into the city.

I'm so glad parks planners had the foresight to plant these lovely trees in all the parks.

The really good specimens have dropped all their leaves in the preceding weeks and are completely covered with flowers.

We moved from the ferry to walk along the riverside walkway under the trees?

We weren't the only ones out enjoying the day.

What a delightful place. When I win the lottery I might buy one of these units !

We found a lovely spot along our walk for lunch.

Breezes from the river kept the temperature pleasant and we could have sat there for quite a while but there were more trees to see on the other side of the river so we moved on...... 

And there were plenty there too.

People were out everywhere enjoying the weather.

Some doing some very odd activities !

Then it was time for a final coffee before setting out for home.

Another lovely day in our lovely city.

Cheers !