OUT OF THE CITY STUFF...
by Shar
There are some amazing places to visit just outside of Brisbane on the 2 islands which protect the Moreton Bay which is Brisbane's waterway. Stradbroke Island is easy to get to from the city heart via train ($2.80) which connects by bus (free) to the ferry/flyer ($8 each way) to take you over to the island aka "Straddie" where you'll find empty beaches, beautiful headlands, possible Whale spotting, and inland Blue Lake and Brown Lake to go for a fresh water swim. North of Stradbrok Island is Moreton Island. Here you can stay at Tangalooma Resort (or camp where the barge/ferry lets you off) where you can feed the dolphins by hand and snorkel over ship wrecks. Or climb the sand dunes to get over to the surf beaches (don't swim over there as there are no lifeguards and without many humans around there may be sharks feeding on fish along the gutters in the shores). Here's a link to the Resort Details: http://www.tangalooma.com Being alone on a deserted beach on sunset as you feel the wind start to chill your skin until you get goosebumps. You're alone, though feel so connected to the world.....
my fav feeling
Green Tree Frogs
by balhannah
I hope that you like Frogs when you visit Queensland as there is a good chance that you will run into one of these placid fellows. A place that you are likely to find them is in Public Toilets, either in the bowl, under the lip, or just sitting on the seat staring into the bowl. Don't kill them, just put them aside, and get on with your business. The one in the photo I found in a Public Toilet on the seat.
Darrell Lea Chocolates
by thedouglas
Aussies love chocolates almost as much as beer and vegemite! This chocolate is uniquely Australian, and has always been privately owned by the Lea family.
Darrell Lea started his confectionary business in 1926, from Perth, where he made Bulgarian Rock (which they still make) and sold it from a pushcart. He later moved to Sydney, and started a fruit and vegetable business. When this failed to succeed, he started making and selling Bulgarian Rock and then Peanut Brittle from the back of his shop. Very soon, the fruit and vegies gave way to the chocolate and confectionary shop.
The first dedicated Darrell Lea chocolate and confectionary shop was opened in 1928 in Sydney. The business grew rapidly, and usually the stock was sold out by early afternoon, when they went back home to start cooking for the next day.
In 1966, Maurice Lea opened 2 stores in Brisbane, and personally delivered fresh goodies to the stores until his retirement at the age of 90! The business remains family owned, and many still work in the expanded company.
There are 75 Lea outlets, and roughly 475 others, run by independent operators. They now make 500 regular products, and an additional 60 are available for special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter. The range of goodies is beautiful, and all Aussies have their favourites.
A specialty of the range is the ever expanding array of soft Liquorice! Who would have thought apple or blackberry liquorice would be just beautiful! Once you've eaten Darrell Lea liquorice, you will reject any other.
How long was YOUR flight?
by tiabunna
If you’re an overseas visitor to Australia or, for that matter, an Australian who has travelled overseas, you doubtless will never forget the seemingly endless hours spent cramped in the jet while you travelled across the oceans. Chances are you’ll be flying out of Brisbane so might I suggest that, when you return to the airport, you stop to see the “Southern Cross” in its own little concrete hangar – I promise it will help put your trip into perspective.
In May 1928, the Australian pilots Kingsford-Smith and Ulm, with two American crew members Lyon and Warner, set out in the Fokker FVII aircraft Southern Cross on the first ever flight across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. Their route was from California via Hawaii, Suva and Fiji, and the trip took 83.5 flying hours. The aircraft was not soundproofed, so the three radial engines would have been deafening – while the interior was considerably more basic than modern aircraft, and the whole trip was at low level where it was subject to the weather. A crowd of 25,000 were waiting at Brisbane Airport to see the conclusion of the epic trip.
Later, the same pilots took the Southern Cross on the first ever flight across the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand and on a direct flight from Melbourne to Perth in Western Australia. In 1929 they flew in what then was a record time of 12 days 18 hours from Australia to England, following that with a direct flight from Ireland to Newfoundland in 31.5 hours.
See, I told you this would help put a different perspective on your trip!
Kingsford Smith subsequently disappeared, in another aircraft, on a further record attempt in 1935. His aircraft the “Southern Cross” is on display in Brisbane because this was where the famous trans-Pacific flight finished
You’ll find the Southern Cross display at Brisbane Airport, near a roundabout just off the side of the access road to the terminals. There is plenty of parking and the display is free.
Take time to travel up to the...
by Petite
Take time to travel up to the Sunshine Coast, about 2 hours drive or to the bay areas. Stradbroke Island is a must see. Take a barge from Cleveland. Dolphins, turtles and sometimes whales, can be seen in the waters surrounding the island.
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A Christmas detour
Millenium window in the Cathedral
Anzac Shrine of Remembrance
japanese garden
