A VERY long weekend … lounging around!

When you live in Australia and your friend in London says she’s having a girls’ weekend in Paris to celebrate a “significant birthday”, you know it’s too far to go for just a weekend.

And so I decided to go for 7 weeks, starting with 5 nights in Paris and accompanied only by our travelling toy, Cassie the Cassowary, who will feature in some photos.

A farewell drink at Brisbane International Airport. We may have had more than one.

Iconic Brisbane … Tick Tock, what a clock

40 years ago, when I last visited, you could walk in any time. Charles, the lift operator, would take you to the top and you could stay as long as you liked. We tried to be there at midday to get maximum impact of the bells. Charles even used to let us out inside the clock faces and to walk around the dusty archives. We felt very special.

Iconic Brisbane: The call of the Hall

I can never resist the opportunity to revisit Brisbane City Hall.

From the rest rooms in Adelaide Street to the magnificent auditorium and up to the rooftop childcare centre (now the Museum of Brisbane) before taking Australia’s oldest manually operated lift to the top of the clock tower, this building is warm and welcoming and full of memories.

Iconic Brisbane: The mill on the hill

Built in 1828 the windmill, on Wickham Terrace, is Queensland’s oldest remaining European-built structure and one of only two remaining convict built structures in Brisbane.

3rd time lucky: Government House, Brisbane

The first time Jacqui and I tried to visit Government House on Brisbane’s Open House weekend it poured. Not just a little shower … torrential, bone-soaking rain.

The 2nd time I had to head home on the day it was open.

So this year I took an extra 2 days leave to coincide with my visit to family and waited for bookings to open. Not all buildings need to be booked, but the two that I most wanted to see – Government House and Tower Mill – did.

Bec’s Adventures in Music: Hidden Lanes Festival

If you’re visiting Brisbane and the surrounding areas you might enjoy some of the music Bec reviews. Or even just visiting some of the locations. The laneways where this festival was held sound like fun.

https://becsadventuresinmusic.wordpress.com/2018/10/22/hidden-lanes-festival/

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary – a Brisbane Icon

I think just about every kid who grew up in Brisbane has “that” koala photo.

I’m not sure which one of us was less impressed.

Murder Village … the funniest place to die

In the spirit of Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie, and Murder She Wrote, Murder Village is the perfect  … and possibly the funniest … place to die.

It’s murder with a twist.

At the beginning of the night not even the cast knows who will be the victim or the murderer. What murder weapon will be used? What vital clue will lead DI Owen Gullet, with interference from the village busy-body Miss Purser, to solve the crime?

Scaling new heights

I grew up in Brisbane. From the moment I heard there was a Story Bridge climb, I wanted to do it. Even more than I wanted to do  the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb. I had the opportunity to do that one last year, but my visits home have been short and full of planned events. So an extended visit awaiting the birth of our first grandchild (still waiting!) gave me a great opportunity. Actually, we thought that afternoon was prime time for the impending birth as both grandmothers and an uncle would be out of contact on the bridge. But alas.

These bridge climbs are ultra safe and well organised and give you a great opportunity to get a different view of the cities.

I would have done this on my own but put the word out to friends and family to see if I could get a group together and take advantage of a good discount. Eleven other people put their hands up, including a few who were terrified of heights. And we all had a great time.

It’s not as iconic as Sydney but was just as good as far as I was concerned. As an added bonus, it wasn’t raining.

When I get the chance again, I’m planning to do the abseil from the bridge. Then, when someone tells me to “take a flying leap off a bridge” I’ll be able to tell them that I’ve already done that.