Indigenous Art Under the Story Bridge

Most mornings when I walk into work I park in a suburb of Brisbane known as New Farm. This walk involves going under the Story Bridge at its northern end, almost directly under the roadway and high on the cliff side. Rather than dull grey or off white on the walls, aboriginal style artwork has been painted over a simulated brickwork on much of the area directly under the bridge.

I have been unable to determine who or why did this work. I can only assume it may have been part of an community artwork scheme, but then again it may have been a fully commissioned work. It is quite extensive, with a large area which has been sealed off fully painted. Animals represented include snakes, turtles, lizards and fish in vivid colours. There doesn't appear to be any indication of the artist or artists at the actual site.

My take on this is that the Brisbane River is said to have flown for over 400 million years. Indigenous Australians have been here for at least 40,000 years, and were settled in the Brisbane region long before European Settlers left their marks. The artwork represented here appears to be an obvious recognition of the river, its makeup, and of the animals that originally inhabited the area. If you are exploring the city and walk over the Story Bridge, don't forget to have a sneak peak under it at another of Brisbane's hidden delights.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Story Bridge Adventure Climb

The Story Bridge Adventure Climb is a two and a half hour climb to the top of Brisbane's Story Bridge. Climbs can be done most days, with four sessions at dawn, day, night and twilight. At the top you are about 80 metres above the Brisbane River, with a 360 degree panoramic view of the city and surrounding suburbs. Prices range from $110-$130 for adults and $82.50 to $97.50 for kids over 12, depending on the day and time of your climb. Base Headquarters is on the Kangaroo Point side of the bridge at 170 Main Street.

Climbs are limited to groups of 12 and are led by an experienced climb leader who provides commentary about the history and heritage of both the bridge and the city. Climbers trek under and over the bridge’s superstructure and the overall climb is around 1 kilometre. The views include east to Moreton Bay and surrounding islands, north to the Glasshouse Mountains, west to Mount Cootha, and south to the Lamington National Park. You can also trace the flow of the Brisbane river out to the Pacific Ocean.

Have I done the adventure climb? No. Am I afraid of heights? Yes. Its not so much the heights I'm afraid of, but rather the fear of jumping off. In this instance, everyone who climbs is attached to a static line for the entire duration, and they are quite strict on the safety aspects which are to be adhered to. I have friends who have done it who say its sensational, particularly at dawn. This afternoon, it was quite overcast, so at least they wouldn't have had to wear sunscreen. If you're touring to Brisbane, why not give it a go. You can even book on their website online.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The View Down Mary Street

If you stand at the intersection of George and Mary Street, you have a view down Mary Street all the way from one end of the city through to the Story Bridge. This shot was taken near the Executive Building at 100 Queen Street, home of the current Queensland Treasury.

The central streets of Brisbane are named after members of the House of Hanover, part of the British Royalty. Streets named after female members (Adelaide, Alice, Ann, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary) run parallel to Queen Street and Queen Street Mall (named in honour of Queen Victoria) and perpendicular to streets named after male members (Albert, Edward, George, William).

In history past, I could imagine standing at that same point over 100 years ago, and being surrounded on the high side of George Street by the many government buildings which had sprung up with Separation from New South Wales. I imagine that looking down the slope to the river, there would have been no high rise, and no bridge, just the early settlement and river traffic for what was to become the thriving hub of the North.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Flat out like a lizard... Sunning!

I have written about lizards before, but I thought it appropriate to show a couple sunning themselves! Each work day, I walk under the Story Bridge, and in the heat of the day during summer you can literally see up to 20 lizards in the space of about 50 metres. The path runs behind the Medina Hotel. These two were about mid size, and you could almost consider them domesticated as I was able to get quite close without them running off!

These lizards are of the Australian Water Dragon variety, or Physignathus lesueurii. They often will be on rock walls, or in some instances they will block your path on many of the walkways around the city. Including their tails, which comprise about two-thirds of their total length, adult females grow to about 2 feet long while adult males can grow slightly longer than 3 feet. You're far less likely to see them during winter, when they go through their hibernating phase.


During Summer this is one of those constants that I have in life. I know that as I walk under the bridge, I'm going to have to try not to stand on one. The babies, in particular, have a habit of sunning on the warm path, and then darting off as you get near with a scurrying sound as they dart off into the undergrowth. There are definitely days I wish I could scurry off with them!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The Story Bridge

I thought it appropriate to start a WeBlog about how I Love Brisbane with one of its most endearing Icons, the Story Bridge. Most mornings when I walk into work I park in a suburb of Brisbane known as New Farm. As I walk along the Brisbane River, I get the above fantastic view of the Story Bridge, with the city in the background. Opened in 1940, it provides one of the main links between the North and South sides of the city.


I love this walk to work. It takes about 1/2 an hour, and I have all sorts of nerdy habits I partake. There are all these kick ass spiders along the path that spin webs over the trees. We're talking near hand size for some of the big ones, but they just sit up in the trees catching whatever passes by. During the hot summer months there are lizards which come out and laze on the hot path. There is also a constant stream of people going back and forth, and I love to people watch. This isn't the only dominant picture of the Bridge you can get. If you walk further along the river on the city side and look back, the Bridge continues to dominate your view.


But it is the walk back from the city which at the moment provides some of the most spectacular views of the bridge and the city. Each night, you get to watch the sun set behind the city as the lights come up and start twinkling both on the bridge and with the building towers. The river offsets this with great reflections.

I love living in this city. It has so much to offer, and its grown from being the big country town when we first moved here seven years ago. There are beaches both north and south, there's a ring of rainforests to the west, and everywhere there are outdoor activities you can undertake. The weather is fantastic year round, bar a few hot and humid weeks. These are easily countered with a pool and air conditioning! The people are friendly, and now there's pretty much everything you could want. So if you come to Australia, or if you live here already, get yourself to Brisbane!

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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