Brisbane - 4 Feb

We arose at 5am which is a respectable start at acclimatization.  After some internet research, we decided to rent bikes from Gardens Cycle Hire and check out the 200kms or so of bike trails in Brisbane with our ultimate goal of visiting the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  Cass would be so proud of us for sticking to the protein shake breakfast, rather than caving in to the temptation all around us. 

Residents have been complaining about their non-summer dominated by clouds and rain.  So lucky for us we woke up to sunshine and 30 degrees.  What’s even better is how this will stretch across the weekend. 

We began our cycyling excursion through the Central Botanical Garden, Queensland University of Technology.  It took some time before we got used to travelling on the left side of the bike path.  This city is very bike friendly.  Later we asked the bike rental owner why this was so and he said it was the forward visioning of a Lord Mayor who just said “make it so” and accessed funding support to do it.  Now there’s many signs everywhere of how bike routes are being expanded throughout the city.  So Rob Ford, if you are reading my blog, give ‘em a call here down under for some advice.  Tim, you would be mighty impressed!

There is a significant bike trail alongside the Brisbane River and under the Riverside Expressway with ample space for bikes, roller blades, and runners/walkers.  Rules are very simple and all live in harmony on the trails.  The City Cat commuter ferry whips along at breaknet speeds along the river and adds an interesting dimension to the efficient and effective public transit system.  Before long, we had travelled along the river bike path well beyond the limits of the city map we carried.  So we asked some more friendly Brisbanians how to get to the Koala Sanctuary and Mount Coot-tha.  Seems we were just a few kilometers away. 

We detoured slightly into a city park where we got some shots of a Sulphur-Crested Cocatoo.  Then we continued along to the info desk of Brisbane Botanical Gardens and got further instructions on how to get to the Koala Sanctuary, but were encouraged to find our way to Mount Coot-tha’s summit which was just a bit further along.  Sure, but the road was so steep and we were on coaster bikes, so we abandoned the bikes and tried walking up.  Without a map we were not sure how long it would take, so we abandoned this side trip in favour of spending our time at the Koala Sanctuary.  The ride down was extremely fast for Greg, while I totally wore out the break pads on my bike.  Memories of hiking Kilimanjaro with a fractured wrist after falling off my bike kept running through my mind.  Later we discovered that we had been one bend away from the summit.

We travelled on a bike path which followed the multi-lane highway for awhile before we came across the street we were meant to follow, Fig Tree Pocket Road.  This bike path was for bikes only, no pedestrians.  One interesting to note was the wild mango trees and fallen mangos everywhere.  After another ascent to the sanctuary, our legs were ready for a break from the pounding they were getting on the bike.

What an amazing sanctuary!  Koala enclosures have a waist-high base but are open on the top, so visitors get an amazing opportunity to enjoy them up close.  Kangaroo/ostrich enclosure was surrounded by fencing, but open so visitors could enter, feed them, and interact up close.  Hand-washing stations are available to clean up after handling them.  Other creatures kept in fully-enclosed stations included; Tasmanian devils, dingos, platypus, birds of prey, turtles, and crocodiles.  Running around freely were lizards of all shapes and sizes.  I got to hold a frisky Koala named Matt and he seemed to take an interest in me too.

Ronda and Matt

Kangaroo and Greg

Tazmanian Devil

Dingos

Crocodile

Our trip back went very smoothly, albeit time consuming.  It’s amazing how much faster the trip seems when you know the way!  We enjoyed a bit more of the City Botanical Garden’s bamboo forest, wedding spot, and lily pond before returning our bikes.

We stopped on the Queen Street Mall at Milano’s café for a risotto/mushroom cakes and drinks before heading back to the hotel.  Two fellows beside us were there with a gorgeously plump baby who received much admiration from us.  Aidan, we miss you buddy!

Although we intended to go out later, we both succumbed to the vigorous activity of the day and stayed in for dinner and did not quite make it to 10pm tonight.