Riding the City Hopper

It was a lovely day in Brisbane, warm and sunny, the first day of Spring we were told, and the river beckoned.  And just a short walk from our hotel, conveniently situated in the CBD.  We passed a golden hued statue glowing in the sunshine, and across the river, the Wheel of Brisbane slowly turned.

Down by the waterside

Brisbane is blessed with a wide river curving through the city, with ferries and pleasure craft all plying the waters, together with people having fun on jet skies.  We waited at North Quay terminal to board for  one of the little red City Hopper Ferries – this is a free service. 

There’s something rather surreal about criss-crossing the river, picking up passengers from stops on either side while surrounded by huge towering hotels and apartment buildings right on the edge of the river.  And we passed under the many bridges, all quite different,  crossing the river.  The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries cars, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane.

The Story Bridge

We were lucky to get a seat upstairs so had great views over the river – here we are, just chugging along.

The Kookaburra Queen paddle Boat was setting off for a lunchtime cruise – and doesn’t it look glamorous!  Perhaps we could do that one day, who knows.  Meanwhile, we’ll just enjoy our free river ride.

The Kookaburra Queen

Back on dry land, we passed a group from the Army performing to raise funds for the charity Legacy.  This worthwhile charity provides services to Australian families suffering after the injury or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defense force service.

Army musicians performing for Legacy

There were plenty of options for dinner close by and we decided on Café Mondial – a Greek restaurant we had passed by earlier in the day and the choices looked interesting.  We decided on the Hot Plate specials, Sea Food for her and Lamb BBQ for him.

And what tasty meals they were.  Two plates each, one with salad and flat bread, plus the sizzling hot plate with the most glorious aromas filling the air.  Robin declared his lamb superb, and I made short work of my seafood.

Except for the baby octopus!.  There was no way I could eat these and put those little wiggly legs in my mouth – ugh. I’m sure they are a delicacy, but I just couldn’t bring myself to try them.

I couldn’t eat the baby octopus

It was Friday evening so the streets were crowded. A group of Hare Krishna's walked by, chanting and ringing bells, then another group of Indian people celebrating something.  Large groups of friends and workmates, plenty of couples out for a night on the town, it was a lovely mild evening and people were out socializing.   There was plenty of time for “people watching” as we ate our meals – or in my case, most of it, except for those octopi.