 | Brisbane Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 120 |  |
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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.
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| | | | Two hour trip #4 The Gold Coast | Tip Rating: | | | | |
As a child, I spent many happy holidays on what now is known as the Gold Coast (specifically, we usually went to Kirra Beach, at the Coast’s southern end). The photo with this tip shows the main beach at Coolangatta, to the southern end of the Gold Coast – the water in the background is across the border in the State of New South Wales. Since those distant days when people were few, beaches uncrowded, buildings not over two storey, and life relaxed, the Gold Coast has undergone considerable changes. I think the idea is conveyed by mentioning the freeway linking it to Brisbane, which at one point is ten-lanes wide (five each way)!!! The Gold Coast now is high-rise, crowded, growing fast (there are jokes that it’s the ambition of every Victorian to move there) and distinctly different from what it once was. I gather it still is very popular with the young, who enjoy the extensive nightlife, endless theme parks, and “international” flavour. Maybe those are your interests and tastes also, in which case I’d suggest you visit another VTer’s Gold Coast page for more details. Main photo: Coolangatta (south Gold Coast) 1967 (more recent photos are unlikely ever to appear)
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| | | | Two hour trip #2 Glasshouse Mtns and Beyond | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Still heading north from Brisbane, but behind the Sunshine Coast, you will find the Glasshouse Mountains, given that name by Captain James Cook, the first explorer to chart this coast in 1770. These are the central cores of long-gone ancient volcanoes, from memory a type of rock called trachyte (I’m sure my geologically inclined VT friends will correct me if that’s wrong), which tends to shine in bright sunshine – leading the good Captain to the thought that they resembled glasshouses. I guess, on a long voyage, you need all the mental stimulation you can find! . The area now has extensive pine plantations and also is one of Australia’s main pineapple growing areas. There are roads through the mountain area and they are popular with mountain climbers, but several are unsuitable for the inexperienced. Further on from the Glasshouses, is the hinterland to the Sunshine Coast. Here are hills with rainforest and little villages which now are popular stops for their craft outlets and restaurants. The little township of Maleny is typical, with dairy cattle grazing on hillsides overlooking the main street. It is easy to fill a day just following the road through this area and stopping in at some of the more interesting shops and eateries. Main photo: Glasshouse Mountains Second photo: Maleny, with dairy cows nearby.
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| | | | Two hour trip #1 Surf beaches, Sunshine Coast | Tip Rating: | | | | |
In under two hours easy driving, you can reach the surf beaches of the Sunshine Coast, the name for the coastal area north of Brisbane (it’s not listed in VT, but in Australia is generally considered a city, even though it consists of several municipal areas). If we exclude the surf beach at Bribie Island (the closest surf beach to Brisbane but not generally considered to be part of the Sunshine Coast) the first beach we reach is Caloundra. I’ll allow a little bias to creep in here, and let on that this is my preference – nice surf areas, pleasant town centre, plus safe still water beaches in the Pumicestone Passage behind the northern tip of Bribie Island. At the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, Noosa is probably the best-known of the region’s beaches. It also is the place to be seen if you count yourself among the rich and famous, who tend to frequent it. Needless to say, the prices can also match that image – but it’s a very pleasant beach. Between Noosa and Caloundra you will find a string of other very pleasant beaches, with varying stages of development. Some time soon, I’ll prepare a full VT page on this area which, thankfully, has managed to keep "development" in some sort of balance with the area's natural charms. Main photo: Noosa beach Second photo: Caloundra, looking toward the Glasshouse Mountains.
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| | | | Full Day return trip – Moreton Bay Islands | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
Moreton Bay is fronted by three large sand islands, from the north they are Bribie (accessible by bridge), Moreton (least developed) and North Stradbroke. All three have National Parks, taking in large sandhills (some of the world’s highest) and freshwater lakes on Moreton and North Stradbroke Islands. Within Moreton bay, particularly at the southern end, there are many smaller islands, some developed with housing, others remaining covered with trees and mangroves. Ferries link many of the islands to the mainland, the most popular being to North Stradbroke Island (‘Straddie’ to the locals), where there are some excellent beaches on both the bay side and also on the surf side. If you enjoy unspoiled beaches, I recommend you make a visit to Point Lookout, on the north-eastern corner. From Point Lookout, the main beach curls southward in an unbroken expanse of sand to the distant Gold Coast. For a VT page on Straddie by a local, you might care to visit here. Main photo: Straddie’s main ocean beach Second photo: Bathing Gorge, Point Lookout.
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| | | | One hour trip #1 – Mt Cootha/Mt Gravatt | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Should you head west from Brisbane to the ranges, you will find yourself at Mt Cootha, in less than half an hour. This has been a popular destination for Brisbaneites (as the locals are known) for a great many years. There are numerous detailed and accurate tips on VT concerning it already, so I see little point in rehashing the details here. I thought you may, however, be interested in the 1964 photo taken from there – and showing none of the highrise skyscrapers which now dominate the skyline. For a slightly different viewpoint, to the southeast of the city, you might care to venture up Mt Gravatt. It is reached from a turnoff at the Mt Gravatt Central shopping area, after coming from Brisbane by Logan Road. Unfortunately it is some distance from the city centre, as is Mt Cootha, so the city views are in the distance. From both Mt Gravatt and Mt Cootha, on a clear day, you can see Moreton Island and its huge sandhills to the distance in the east.
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I initially thought there might be some underlying meaning behind the brand name XXXX. But after having a tour in the XXXX brewery in Milton, the spokeperson clarified that, there was nothing behind it. The beer making process was not very interesting, but I did manage to hold on to two things. 1. Beer was used as a type of distilled water during the nineteenth century when much of the major European cities' water sources were polluted. 2. The four main ingredients to make beer are barley, hops, yeast and water. Sugar is extracted from the barley, hops are added for bitterness, then yeast goes to work and converts much of the sugars into alcohol. While these are the building blocks, many breweries and home brewers add extras to make subtle, or not-so-subtle, changes to their beers. Address: Black Street, Corner of Paten Street, Milton, Brisbane City 4064 Queensland, Australia Leave a Comment
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on January 19, 2007
Brisbane
on May 30, 2003
on November 9, 2004
