Frank's Christian Thoughts: Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza

Saturday, 12 July 2025

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 30.

Arrival in Brisbane as it was in 1997.

So far, since setting foot in Australia in 1997, each of the first five Queensland stops from Port Douglas to Hervey Bay has been a gateway to an offshore island or a group of islands. Hence;

Port Douglas > Low Isles Coral Cay.

Cairns > Green Island Coral Cay.

Townsville > Magnetic Island.

Arlie Beach > Whitsundays Archipelago.

Hervey Bay > K'gari (Fraser Island).

I indeed visited Green Island directly from Cairns before I sailed north to Port Douglas for the Low Isles. But the above list shows the geographical locations of each site set in order along the coast of Queensland. Also, except for the Border Island of the Whitsundays, the sky above was almost cloudless throughout.

After staying at Hervey Bay for three days, I moved on to Brisbane, the largest city in Queensland and the State's capital. This is the first Australian stopping point where I stayed on the mainland. This was partially due to my lack of knowledge of the locality, a disadvantage for a lone backpacker. An escorted group or one well-knowledged would have been aware of Moreton Island, a forested sandbank very much like K'gari, which would have been a 75-minute ferry ride across Moreton Bay from Brisbane. Once arrived, I could have enjoyed snorkelling over some shipwrecks.

Or would I?

Photos of the shipwrecks show that some of them were above the surface, especially during low tide, and the ugly piles of rusted metal out at sea would have been an eyesore, at least to me, anyway. Yet, tourists, mainly in groups, flock there to snorkel among the marine life that flourishes around the wrecks. How would I have felt? I really can't say, as at the time I was unaware of the island's existence. Swings and roundabouts, perhaps.

Brisbane is also close to the border with New South Wales. After crossing the border, I began to experience unsettled weather, especially at Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour.

Yet, Brisbane had a variety of weather while I was there. After all, I visited during the Australian winter, although at this part of the world, winter didn't mean snow or frost. Rather, it was less warm and with some rain.

I stayed in the vicinity of the city centre, mainly around Queen Street, where all the major stores were lined up. The largest department store, Myers, had several floors, each specialising in its own type of merchandise. However, in 1997, the upper floor, known as Tops, had a miniature funfair, including a family roller coaster, along with a games room where snooker or pool tables were available. One of the aspects of Australian culture that the UK could learn from was that the "day's family shopping" need not have meant a couple of bored kids moaning as they trailed behind stressed-out parents. Rather, whilst Mum (or Dad) browsed through the store to buy what they needed, if the kids were young, there was the roller coaster, a small Ferris wheel, and one or two other amusements. For older teenagers, there was the game of pool or snooker, perhaps table football as well.

Before writing this blog, I conducted a thorough check on Brisbane, as it is currently available on the Internet. I wasn't too surprised how the city skyline had changed since 1997, especially as seen from across the Brisbane River. There are now more towering skyscrapers than in 1997, and like in Downtown Los Angeles between 1978 and 1995, the skyline has changed almost beyond recognition. Although the South Bank Parkland is also more developed now than it was in 1997, some of the features on it, such as the artificial beach, remained unchanged.

Present-Day Brisbane (2025). Stock photo.

Brisbane Botanical Gardens was another venue which caught my attention. One bit of good news is that the rosette flower garden, out of season during my time there, is still there to this day. Many of the palm trees were planted by man when the gardens were designed, but there were copses of the original forest before the park was designated.

However, there was one feature in Brisbane that not only caught my attention, but was the most visited area throughout my stay in the city. That was the Botanical Gardens Mangrove Walk, a boardwalk which passed through a mangrove enbankment on the Brisbane River. Sadly, today the boardwalk no longer exists. In 2011, a major flood destroyed the boardwalk along with some of the mangroves, and the authorities decided that the funds were insufficient to rebuild this delightful walkway.

The mangroves lining the Brisbane River gave me a good lesson on tropical life. Here in Brisbane, the trees were of a different species to those around Arlie Beach and northwards. Also, this particular species has roots poking out of the ground and exposed when the tide is out. A sign on display explained that these root stalks allow the mangrove to "breathe" when exposed to the air. Furthermore, the presence of these mangrove trees provides a habitat for small crabs, easily seen from where I was standing, and also proves that the river, even as far inland as the city centre, is salty, benefiting from the marine tides.

This goes to show that the closer to the Tropics the location is, the more varied the wildlife, both flora and fauna. Brisbane lies some 632 km, or just over 390 miles, by road from Rockhampton, an inland city midway between Arlie Beach and Brisbane. This is significant, as the Tropic of Capricorn passes through Rockhampton. South of Rockhampton, the Southern Hemisphere begins proper, with the winter weather becoming more manifest, so I noticed, the further south I travelled. Yet, such vegetation as mangroves continues to flourish well south of the Tropics, as I noticed, as far as Coffs Harbour, a coastal town, 1,016 km, or 630 miles by road from the Tropic of Capricorn.

My accommodation in Brisbane was at the YHA Australia backpackers' hostel on Roma Street, across the road from Roma Street bus and rail stations.`

Click here for the link to the Biography Index, where you can click on Weeks 82-87 part of will cover Brisbane.

Photos of Brisbane.

A first glimpse of Brisbane.