Playing around on the river

I gave you a bit of an introduction to the Brisbane River when I first arrived in Brisbane, and then today I was back in Brisbane again for a few hours and spent most of that time in and around the river.

The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland and flows through the city of Brisbane before emptying into Moreton Bay.  Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia, 45km from Brisbane, and it is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources.  John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane, in 1823.  The penal colony of Moreton Bay later adopted the same name, Brisbane.  The river travels 344 km from its source at Mount Stanley in the Great Dividing Range.

The CityCat and CityFerry service collects and delivers passengers along the inner-city reaches of the river.  The CityCats go up and down river whereas the CityFerries go across the river from one side to the other.

The majority of the ferry terminals along the river are new but a few are still the original ferry wharfs from the 1920s.  This one was built in 1925.

The Story Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River.  It is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia.  The design for the bridge was based heavily on that of the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal. 

This is the Customs House again - this time looking at it from the river.

I didn't actually take a sightseeing cruise on the river, rather my friend and I rode one of the CityCat ferries out to a Brisbane suburb called Bulimba - and I had a personal commentary done by my friend as we rode along.  We went to Bulimba for lunch, but on the way we went past this very cute, historic church.  St. John the Baptist Anglican Church was constructed in 1888 and has remained an active, practicing parish ever since.

The South Bank Parklands are located along part of the Brisbane River,  directly opposite the CBD, on the transformed site of Brisbane's World Expo 88.
A major feature within the parkland is its man-made beach, which is 2,000 square metres of free-formed concrete surrounded by 4,000 cubic metres of sand.  The sand surrounding the beach is sourced from Moreton Bay and every year the beach is topped up with an additional 70 tonnes to ensure that it is kept in pristine condition.  The beach area comprises a lagoon with enough water to fill five Olympic swimming pools, with sand beaches, palm trees, rocky creeks and subtropical trees and exotic plantings. The beach is patrolled seven days a week by lifeguards.

The Wheel of Brisbane is a 60-metre tall transportable ferris wheel which was erected as part of the 20th anniversary of World Expo 88 and the 150th anniversary of the State of Queensland 1859–2009 celebrations.

The Nepal Peace Pagoda is also located in South Bank.  It is one of the most significant heritage items in Brisbane from the hosting of the Expo.  80 tonnes of indigenous Nepalese timber were sourced from the Terai jungle forest of Nepal, carted across to the capital Kathmandu where 160 Nepalese families worked for two years at crafting its diverse elements.  These were then shipped to Australia in two 40-foot containers and one 20-foot container, where they were assembled at the Expo site by a handful of Australian workers under Nepalese supervision.

Being by the river was a lovely way for the day to end.  Lovely colours at sunset - and then this amazing yacht went along the river.