Travel Biography - Week 87

 A Review So Far -

Since the day I arrived in Singapore, there were several offshore islands worth visiting as I made the journey south to Brisbane. Even if the State of Singapore is an island just off the Malaysian Peninsula, I had to cross a strait to reach Sentosa. First at Singapore, then along the Queensland coast of Australia, these were the islands I visited:

Singapore > Sentosa Island.

Port Douglas > Low Isles Coral Cay (or Key in America.)

Cairns > Green Island Coral Cay.

Townsville > Magnetic Island (Continental.)

Arlie Beach > Whitsunday Islands (Continental.)

Hervey Bay > K'gari or Fraser Island (Sandbank.)

Only at Magnetic Island, I remain dry. While visiting the other islands, I had time to swim or snorkel. But having arrived at Brisbane, this was not only a "dry" stop, but this, and the venues still to come would be both dry and confined to the mainland. The change of weather after crossing into New South Wales would also play a role in keeping me out of the water.

Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

However, the weather remained warm and dry throughout my stay in Brisbane, as it has throughout the entire journey along the Queensland coast. The city centre is lodged within one of the bends of the River Brisbane, and while I was preparing to write this week's blog, I did some memory reviving on the Internet. Like in Singapore, Brisbane's skyline went through some changes within the last 26 years since I have been there. Hence, all photos posted here were taken in 1997 when the skyline was quite different to what it is today with its spanking new skyscrapers. However, these changes include the loss of the Mangrove Boardwalk on the southern tip of the Botanic Gardens, the highlight (to me) of visiting Brisbane.

Following the flooding of the river after breaking its banks in January 2011, preceded by heavy rain, the boardwalk became too expensive to maintain, thus, Council funding became unavailable in the months to follow, and in 2013, the structure was demolished. This goes to show how fortunate I was to have taken the narrow window of opportunity to admire the mangroves as they lined the northern bank of the river.

Winter Coolness at the Mangrove Boardwalk.

Black Mangrove taken from the boardwalk.

Pneumatophora is seen from the boardwalk.

Mangrove trees at high tide.

This has got me thinking. Apparently, before the city was built, any Aborigines living in that area were most likely protected from extensive flooding by having mangrove trees lining both banks of the river, perhaps stretching to the coast, and then extending out from the coastline itself. If that were true, then such mangrove forests would most likely have formed a barrier to keep flooding at bay. Furthermore, the environment would have been ideal for wildlife to flourish, including a nursery provided for the protection of young fish and other marine animals from predators.

The boardwalk winded its way just above the riverbank, and I saw that this species of mangrove was different from the trees I saw close up at Arlie Beach. This species is known as the Black Mangrove, and it thrives in shallower water than the Red Mangrove, characteristic of those at Arlie Beach and further north along the coast. One distinct feature that makes the Black Mangrove tree different from the two other species (Red and White) is the carpet of upturned roots surrounding the tree. They are fully exposed to the air when the tide is out. During high tide, these roots are submerged or partially submerged, depending on the extent of the water level.

These upright root stems are known as pneumatophores, and they keep the tree alive by "breathing" when the tide is out. As a forest, the pneumatophores form a spiky carpet covering the beach, interspersed with tree trunks. This was one useful piece of information I learned while I strolled along the boardwalk in 1997 and not just from the Internet.

Of all the venues in Brisbane, the mangrove boardwalk was one attraction I visited more than once. It was an attempt to capture on camera the forest during high tide. With this, I had only limited success, but as for the air temperature, I began to feel the first chill of the southern winter, as my second visit to the Gardens necessitated a woolly top.

The mangrove boardwalk wasn't the only section of the Gardens I visited. The area had footpaths that passed through both trees planted intentionally and a copse of the original forest that covered the area before the city was ever built. The park featured a pond with water lilies covering the surface, and out-of-season flowerbeds surrounded by well-manicured lawns.

The South Bank Parklands.

The city YHA hostel on Roma Street was a short walk away from the start of Victoria Bridge, one of several that cross the River Brisbane. Immediately to the left of the bridge was the start of the South Bank Parklands. Rather than acres of lawn, like that of London's Hyde Park, the area had facilities that might have struck a chord in me with Disneyland but without Disney's verve. One facility I was most impressed with was the Rainforest Walk, a boardwalk passing through tropical vegetation complete with a creek flowing over a small waterfall. True enough, the rainforest was artificial, that is, a small wooded area planted by man rather than the natural rainforests of Magnetic Island, Whitsunday Island and K'gari. There was also a boating lake, an artificial sandy beach sloping into an attractive lagoon, a butterfly house, and a piazza - a performing arts centre. A traffic-free central avenue passed through the park, giving access to all the facilities. There was no fun fair in my day but the view across the river gave a clear vista of the city skyline.

Brisbane skyline from Southbank Parklands, 1997.

Main Avenue, Southbank Parklands.

Tropical Boardwalk, Southbank Parklands

I spent the day at the Parklands in quietness and contemplation. Like at the Botanical Gardens, the Parklands provided a respite from the busy city traffic and urban life. Yet, I never foresaw the development that was yet to take place in the city centre. By looking at photos taken recently and posted on the Internet, if I were to visit Brisbane today, 26 years after my initial visit, I would hardly recognise much.

I loved being at the Parklands at night. One evening, after dark, I was strolling along and I arrived at the lagoon. During the day, the pond was busy with families swimming. At night, the surface of the water was still and undisturbed, allowing me to take photos of nighttime reflections.

Back at the hostel, everything continued as normal. Being a YHA-affiliated hostel, there were no wild parties like the one held at Hervey Bay. Everything was more sedate as I went about the kitchen to prepare dinner. One evening, I watched a group of backpackers in the TV room constantly flicking channels. They were searching for a possible non-commercial channel, like our BBC, they could watch without the programme constantly interrupted by frequent commercial breaks. Among the group were two Chinese students who had also prepared and eaten their meals about the same time I did.

We became casual acquaintances but neither of us made any effort to pursue any friendship. Rather, we allowed each to mind our own business and carried on. Little did anyone know that later in our journeys, long after Brisbane, we would meet again and our perception of friendship would grow stronger.

The two Chinese students left Brisbane a day or so before I did. As for me, other than the Southbank Parklands which involves crossing the river to get there, most of my time was confined to the city. Queen Street with the Myers department store was an attraction in itself. Even the Botanical Gardens with their mangrove boardwalk were confined within the city centre. But after four days, I knew that it was time to move on.

Tropics at the Parklands.

Lagoon at Parklands.

Night Reflections, Parklands.

At the YHA Brisbane, I used the Book-a-Bed-Ahead scheme for the first time, and I chose Byron Bay as my next stop. For me, the Book-a-Bed-Ahead scheme was a brilliant idea, eliminating the need to bed-hunt after arriving at a new destination, although I always perceived bed-hunting as part of the adventure, adding that extra thrill in independent travel. But this new idea, unique to YHA-affiliated hostels, does restrict versatility. A classic example of this was when I was on a journey from Arlie Beach to Brisbane. During that journey, I asked the bus driver if I could switch my destination from Brisbane to Hervey Bay to visit K'gari. That was easy, knowing that I'd be free to find a bed after arrival. Not so easy if a bed in Brisbane is already booked. Swings and roundabouts...

On to Byron Bay, NSW.

The Greyhound Bus took roughly three hours to make the 164 km or 102 miles daytime journey from Brisbane to Byron Bay. Having left Brisbane in the early evening, it was already nightfall by the time we arrived at Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast. We were still in Queensland, but the weather had changed rather dramatically. It was raining heavily. However, as we approached Surfer's Paradise, the town looked anything but a paradise. Tall buildings lining the coastline gave the impression of an Australian version of Manhatten. All that, along with the torrential rainfall, made me feel glad that I didn't choose to alight here, let alone book a bed. The very name of the city tells of such a contrast to sunny Port Douglas and its role as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, Surfers Paradise bus station was not a service stop, but one to drop off and collect passengers. In all, the bus remained in the bay for about thirty minutes before eventually pulling out to continue its journey south.

At long last, the bus pulled into Byron Bay bus station for a service stop, but it was here I alighted to find the YHA-affiliated hostel, which wasn't far. Fortunately, it had stopped raining, and I made it to the hostel fully dry. The Book-a-Bed-Ahead scheme seems to be working well. As soon as I spoke my name, I was assigned a bed with no further ado.

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Next Week: The heavens opened after hiring a bicycle.