G20 Colours Brisbane

The Brisbane Sign, Southbank

Last night was fun, an early dinner at Obsession Chinese Restaurant, at Southbank, followed by Felicity Kendal at QPAC in Noël Coward's 1925 play, Hay Fever! A farcical, very British comedy of eccentricity, upper class snobbery and appalling bad manners! 

Sadly, Obsession, once a favourite haunt has lost much of its character and personal touch with the handover of control from the proprietor Joyce to a new generation. Our friendly wait staff all gone, the genial atmosphere is no more but in fairness the food remains exceptional and the staff helpful, its just that ... welllll ... the enjoyment factor isn't quite the same.

Hay Fever was entertaining, I can't say it was quite up there with Helen Mirren's, The Audience in the West End, London last year but Felicity Kendal looks great and stands out on the stage as a professional.  Her delivery of witty lines had the audience chuckling throughout.

After the theatre, we made our way into the city to see "Colour me Brisbane", a Queensland Government hosted cultural event in honour of the G20, which descends on us in two weeks time. For locals, the arrival of so many heads of state and senior government officials from around the world is likely to bring disruption, road closures and excessive security no doubt fraying a few nerves. On the plus side, we have a bonus public holiday and lots of entertaining events. Below are a few amateur snaps of lights projected onto our city buildings, to see more check out the official Government site here.

I am proud to see Brisbane hosting the G20, a perfect opportunity to showcase our fabulous river city, our sunshine state and our casual and relaxed culture as well as our friendly people. Many around the world will watch in envy those of us who live here!

Living in an apartment with the view of the city, I am looking forward to plenty of activity in the skies as the security services practice their anti-terrorism techniques!

TheTreasury Hotel hosts images of "The Changing Face of Brisbane"

Australian flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

British flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

All in all, a very pleasant evening! And today? Well just blogging on the balcony, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and a BBQ for lunch! Trust me, it doesn't get much better than this!

Brisbane, Story Bridge and River

Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia

Out and About in Brisbane....

Sometimes, we forget that where we live can be worth exploring too!  Here's Brisbane!

Brisbane skyline viewed from Mt Coot-tha Lookout

Southbank, Brisbane, Qld

Bougainvillea-covered Arbour, Southbank, Brisbane

The Wheel of Brisbane

Enjoy Southbank Parklands, on the banks of the Brisbane River, spread over 17 hectares, a corner of paradise directly opposite the city, complete with a man made beach and always sunny!

Wander through the pretty kilometre long bougainvillaea covered arbour or hop on the Wheel of Brisbane for a bird's eye view or or stop by the Nepalese Peace Pagoda for some quiet time.

Be there on the 1st Sunday of every month if you just love soaking up the atmosphere of local craft markets!

Nepalese Peace Pagoda, Southbank, Brisbane

Cockatoos in the trees

Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Southbank, Brisbane

Maybe after a visit to one of our art galleries or the Queensland State Library, you can reserve your seat at one of QPAC's four venues to catch a concert or a Theatre show!  So lucky to have major events here, Disney's Lion King and Wicked to name but too, from ballet to Classic concerts, get in quick, tickets sell out fast!

The Ship Inn, Queensland Pub

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Cuddle a Koala, over 130 to choose from @ Lone Pine

Jump on a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, a great place to meet and cuddle and hand feed some of the locals!  Cute!

Kangaroos bask and laze in the sun

Southbank

Delicious Cuisine at Obsession, Southbank

Paddle up the Brisbane River

Ella's Pink Lady, Jessica Watson's round the world yacht, some say foolish, some say brave, either way, she's famous and her tiny boat now lies in the Queensland Maritime Museum, Brisbane while Jessica appears to have  taken a step back from publicity

Kangaroo Point

Take a ride on our little red tourist ferry, it's free!

Check out our spectacular fig trees along the river walkways

As you stroll along the banks of the Brisbane river, watch or learn to rock climb at Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Rock Climbing @ Kangaroo Point Cliffs

Watch the sun go down from Kangaroo Point

Sunset, Brisbane

Watch the sun go down from Kangaroo Point before ending the day with dinner at the Story Bridge Hotel and if you didn't manage to climb it, then don't miss out a chance to check out our bridge of many colours - The Story Bridge

Sunset, over Brisbane, viewed from Kangaroo Point

Th Brisbane Wheel after dark, Southbank