It was early afternoon and the Wheel of Brisbane loomed above us, YakYak has been wanting to go on the Wheel for ages but Whipper has been putting it off until the first visitors came, Rosie and The Operator have the honours! In order to stall YakYaks insistence for a ride Whipper and PinkyFluff whispered in her ear that no one can go for a ride on the wheel cause The Operator has the key…no one can get on till he arrived in town with the key to unlock it! Perfectly logical….to a three year old.
Soo…if The Operator had the key, why do we need a ticket…YakYak was trying to work that one out as she clutched her ticket and we got in the cue.
The Man came to show us into our family sized pod…The Operator strides up and holds out a key fob…’Just one moment while I unlock the door’ he announces, YakYaks right on his heels watching every move….right on cue The Man pushes a button and the pod door swishes open, face saved and The Operator is the hero of the day….whatever.
It was so smooth and quiet in the pod as we climbed over the city, each pod is fully air-conditioned and within seconds we were at its full height of 60 metres. There are 42 cabins which can carry a total of 300 people and it has over 60,000 lights which light up like a fairy story at night.
We got a beauty view of the Brisbane River….did I mention that this is one of the longest rivers in Aussie flowing 346km and it is crossed by 16 major bridges…..and, this is something that Whipper didn’t tell me….it is home to a very large population of bull sharks, so swimming is not advised! I see why they have Streets Beach now! This shark apparently can grow up to 3 metres in length! True.
Gentle music was being piped into our pod and then a commentary started on the History of Brisbane and following the leaflet we received with our tickets we were able to pick out and learn about the major land marks we could see from the wheel. Rosie felt she really got her monies worth after at least 10 revolutions. Was well worth the wait YakYak…she thought so too.
And to cap it all off….you have GOT to pose before the blue screen for the cheesy holiday souvenir.
Rosie loves these!!!!!!!!!!!! And at night time…
…..and….being beamed up by aliens for probing purposes….
Whipper could see Rosie was flagging a little and from the Southbank we caught a bus to Roma Station. Everyone in Brisbane is relaxed, laid back and friendly…strangers say Hello and comment on how beautiful YakYak and ChubbyCheeks are, they help out if need be or move seats to accommodate the big family group we were. So different from home where we are a nation of judgers and ‘under the breath tutters’. We were wondering why that is…Whipper reckoned it was the weather…who can be mean when there is not a breath of wind and the sun is shining….hhmmmm.
In Brisbane in order to keep traffic and congestion out of the city centre the buses pass under the city centre via underground tunnels….in the main shopping squares and precincts they have stairs going underground like a subway that lead to your bus stop….it seems like a vast network in the gloom, then we popped up at Roma Street Station and walked across the road to the Roma Parklands.
PinkyFluff had done her research and knew the wee Rotary train was running today. Its the cutest wee Thomas The Tank engine….oh no, hold on…I have just been informed by YakYak, that it is not Thomas….it is Percy. Sorry YakYak. It drives around a loop in the parklands and has a wee narration running, it is a gold coin donation and it is staffed by retired volunteers.
We got here just in time for the last trip. ChubbyCheeks was getting a little restless and PinkyFluff stayed behind with her so she could refuel and have a crawl around. Toot Toot, off we went. Rosie was looking for a little YakYak time together…but she only had eyes for The Operator….so much so she imperiously told me to move seats so she could sit by him….Whipper shook his head from the backseat, Rosie wiped a tear and The Operator looked smug as YakYak cuddled next to and beamed up at him.
The Parklands cover 16 acres and are lush and intensively planted. They are also well established and everything has a perfect place. The little train took us over bridges, past lakes and playgrounds and past a group having the most gorgeous smelling late BBQ lunch on the public BBQs. My photos however turned out a little blurry…Rosie is not sure her shaky hand is from rejection or the Fat Controller was driving abit to fast over the bumpy ground. One thing that did make Rosies hand shake and her mouth drop open was the sight of a hugh spider web suspended between two trees….and in that web was the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life….very sharply it brings back the fact you are in the Austalia, Creepy Capital of the World…..
We walked back home over the spiralling Kurilpa Bridge, The Operator was taking turns pushing YakYak with PinkyFluff, it was a long day and the kids were perfect but, like Rosie, were getting a little tired.
We cut through the grounds of the Library and this is the 5 metre high sculpture in the garden.
‘A life-sized bronze elephant, which on closer inspection is revealed to be a bookend, is flipped on its head. Its eyes gaze directly into those of a kuril, the native water rat that gives Kurilpa Point its name,” “As the artist explains, ‘The Kuril is the real elephant in the room and the real animator of the spectacle we see before us. It is the Kuril who is the caretaker and who is responsible for upending this elephant with all its cultural and intellectual weight.’ Okay…..
Ps – the artist was a Kiwi and the sculpture cost over a million bucks….oh, YakYak you are not allowed to play on the million dollar sculpture darling….
According to the CCTV footage The Famz entered the building known as Home at 16.32pm. Rosie flopped on the couch, aahhhh. Once released from the confines of the pushchair ChubbyCheeks was crawling everywhere….little fingers reaching for Rosies notebook….notebook moved…..ChubbyCheeks scoots to the other side of the table fingers probing for Rosies pen. Rosie is distracted, Chubby Cheeks makes a break and crawls to the opposite corner of the room and starts gumming said pen. YakYak has a second wind and is dancing and singing to a musical table top where by her pressing buttons repetitious carnival music is bellowing out of it…..OMG…..just two minutes of silence begs Rosie. Welcome to my life says PinkyFluff as she gets the kids tea on with a wry smile. Rosie laughs, what great kids and a wonderful family….wonder if Kitty is missing me.
Day Three – Be Prepared to meet The Ballerina and The Buffoon…..we are journeying into the Queensland Sugar Cane Heartland……Bundaberg.
