Mt. Nebo, and South Bank Of The Brisbane River

Left: Geodesic dome at Mt. Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, Brisbane.


On Saturday, we took the mountain crest road south, through Mt. Nebo, where Bellbirds were making a huge dinging racket. We stopped at Jolly's Lookout and saw kookaburras and scenic vistas, then continued south. Something about the Shiraz the night before, and the winding mountain roads mixed, and soon I urgently asked Andrew to stop at the side of the road, for a personal upchuck moment. Wobbly, but nevertheless feeling better, we continued on to Camp Mountain, Brisbane Forest Park HQ, and Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens.

Left: The City, Brisbane, as seen from Mt. Coot-tha


Afterwards, we went to the South Bank of the Brisbane River, and ate fish and chips at one of the touristy cafes there. We walked around, looked at the new public beach area there, shopped at the various concessions stalls, and explored the river's edge.

Afterwards, we drove above the riverside cliffs, to Kangaroo Point, and tried to enter the fairly new (2003) Mormon Church there. A man dressed in immaculate white waved us off, so we briefly entered a public meeting hall before returning to Mt. Glorious.

In the evening, I drove Andrew's vehicle to the nearest train station to Mt. Glorious, at Ferny Grove, and caught the train into the city. Then, at Bowen Hills, I caught the Shorncliffe train to Boondall, the closest station to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (BEC), in the suburbs near the airport, where Kylie Minogue would perform that night.

Everyone in the crowded train car was in festive mood. One set of teenagers asked another to take their photo - "we're from the country," they explained. At one point, one of the teenagers asked everyone to hold up their hands if they were going to the Kylie concert. Even though it was clear from the nightclub style of dress everyone sported that 80 - 90% were concertgoers, only three held up their hands, which just made everyone laugh. Then, at Boondall, hundreds exited from the train, joining thousands more at BEC.

BEC appeared to be about the size of ARCO Arena in Sacramento, and the place was jammed.