Day 86 / 2016 - Alstonville to Brisbane

Our main reason for stopping in Alstonville was to ride out the Easter Break but we didn't realise we would also have to ride out a storm as well. Parking in a big shed makes it dark inside the van but the trade off it's cooler not in the blazing sun but you do wonder, we should be outside in the open air. Late last evening a storm came through bucketing down 50 mm of rain in about an hour all of a sudden helped us appreciate being under cover. We watch those that were parked outside ducking and dashing for cover. There was a real chance of hail which fortunately didn't eventuate but there was plenty of lightning and thunder.  

While in Alstonville under cover it seemed like a good excuse to do a bit of maintenance. The TV Antenna was making a lot of noise when wound up and down and difficuilt to rotate. After pulling it apart, I used silicon spray to lubricate all the working gears making it easier to rotate and quiet down the noise.

With the Easter break finished it was time to move on. We stayed until the Tuesday then packed up and headed north once again. There has been a lot of upgrade work done on the Pacific Hwy betwen Balina and Brisbane. Last year the road between Lenox Head turn off and Byron Bay was still the old Hwy. This year the new section of the Hwy was completed and opened to vehicles providing a double lane Hwy between Balina and Brisbane.

We hadn't spent any time in Brisbane so decided to stop there for three weeks. Last year we stopped at the Gold Coast then onto the Sunshine coast missing Brisbane al together. Arriving we booked into Brisbane Gateway Tourist Park just of the M1 Hwy. Last year we were at the Gold Coast tourist Park which is also next to the M1 Hwy. The road noise was quite loud making it difficuilt to sleep. At Brisbane Gateway the surrounding cabins seem to screen out almost all the road noise with it sounding more like the ocean.  As we were staying for three weeks we decided to set up the Annexe this doubles our living space giving us an extra room to live in.

We hadn't been to Mt Tamborine before we were determine to make the effort this trip to check it out. Mt Tamborine is about 55 Km South West of Brisbane and takes about and hour to get there. The road winds its way through the the hills of the Tamborine Mountains. North Tamborine is mostly a tourist town with many attractions and activites. You can do the Gallery walk which involves walking down the main street perusing all the shops as you go. One shop that took Annes eye was the German Cuckoo Clock Shop where there were literally hundreds of Cuckoo Clocks from Germany adornin the walls with them all listed for sale. 

Around the corner was the Dutch Cafe which we heard sold Crokets. That was all Anne needed to hear off she trotted at a brisk pace with me trying to keep up. Arriving there we sat down and ordered a feed of Croket and Chips with a coffee reasonably priced at $15.00 each. The cafe also sold some Dutch souvenirs as well as snacks. We could have bought frozen crokets but we didn't have the freezer space nor a deep fryer so reluctantly passed on the idea. Tamborine caters for all types of tourist you can escape to the national park for some private time with nature. Exercise you spirit of adventure by visting one of the nearby adventure parks or exercise you wallet while going up and down gallery walk.

Back to Brisbane our next activity was a visit to the CBD. Catching the train from Fruitgrove station where we left the car we travelled to central station then walked to Fortitude Valley to catch up with Caroline, Anne's cousin. She works as a fine funiture consultant and we caught up during her lunch break. From there we boarded the ferry die barking at Eagle Bay which is part of Brisbane's vibrant water front. There are restaurants and cafes as well as the departure point for Kookabura Showboat cruises paddle steamer which takes lunch and dinner cruises up and down the Brisbane river.

Outback Spectacular is a themed show based in the Gold Coast and tells the story of the Victorian high country legends. On entry you are given a hat then directed to the pre show bar area where you are entertained by a country and western singer. Here you have a photo opportunity with some of the horses and dogs from the show. From there you are directed to the main arena where you are seated. The show also includes a three course meal which the price includes beer, wine and soft drinks. The show is run through the course of the meal and tells the story of life's highs and lows in the high country for both man and beast. The horse handling skills and special effects were truly impresive we really enjoyed the show and would recommend taking the time to see it.

Another day into Brisbane and this time we visited Mt Coot-tha where the Planterium and botanic gardens are located. The planeterium has a number of static displays including information about our solar system and the human race's ventures into space. There is also a sky show programmed every couple of hours in which the guide walks you through the night sky over Brisbane. The botanic gardens are layed out in themed areas. There is a tropical zone, Fernery, Bonzi display, Japanese garden as well as plants from different countrys around the world. We stoped here for a picnic lunch in a new area of the gardens with undercover tables. From here you can drive to the summit of Mt Coot-tha where you have spectacular views of the city of Brisbane and surrounding mountains. There is a resturaunt and cafe at the top if you want to have something to eat while admiring the view.

Next day catching the train again we stopped at the infamous Boggo Rd Gaol in Dutton Park. We took the 90 minute history tour which takes you through the cells and exercise yards once frequented by some of the most dangerous criminals in Queensland. Our guide explained life experience by the prisoners and some of the funny antics the did to relieve the bordom of prison life. From the Gaol we walked to nearby Queensland Uni to have a pizza and wine lunch at one of the many cafe's located around the campus. We then caught the ferry to Southbank we were we strolled along the boardwalk passed the public lagoons and arts centre. We were going to take a look through the Maritime museum but ran out of time. We walked back to Brisbane central across the river via the Southbank Pedestrian bridge to Central Train Station.

Catching the train into Brisbane was nowhere as convienent as in Sydney. In Sydney we were walking distance to a station and the trains run every 15 minutes. Here the nearest train station was about 5 Km from where we were staying so we had to drive and run about every 30 minutes. Fortunately there is plenty of free parking located at the train station.