Toll Free

This shot was taken from the same spot on Gipps Street as yesterday's photo looking a bit to the right. The McWhirters building in the background is another beautiful building that once housed a department store. At the moment, at street level, it's a mish-mash of different little independent shops and cafes that contrast somewhat with the grandness of the architecture.
In the foreground is a billboard advertising Brisbane's newest tunnel which runs under the Brisbane river connecting Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba. Toll free till Monday and then $4.28 one way for a car and $6.42 for a light commercial vehicle. It's a pretty small tunnel but with those prices, you'd probably have the space to fit a chopper down there.

Waltons

Looking behind the old Waltons department store in the Valley.

Chinatown in The Valley

Brisbane's Chinatown is located in Fortitude Valley, known locally as "The Valley". It's a busy place full of people and cars, day and night with a bustling atmosphere.

It's been a Chinese area for a while. In the census of 1901, 105 Chinese people lived in the Valley and the local post office employed a Chinese interpreter. There is a Buddhist temple down the road in Breakfast Creek that's been there since 1884. Check it out at the brilliant Your Brisbane Past And Present blog.

I think the majority of the Chinese population have moved out to Sunnybank, a suburb in the south of the city, but the character of this old area of Brisbane with the buildings higgledy-piggledy remains distinctly Chinese.

Earth Hour 2010

The top picture was taken on Thursday night at 8.30pm and the bottom one during Earth Hour last night. There are definitely some lights that were switched off in this shot. Mostly business and public lighting. The riverside apartments on the right look like none of them was aware it was happening. Out of shot, the gigantic searchlight on top of the Sky Needle continued to swing around South Brisbane and the giant floodlights lighting the first Brisbane Lions game of the season continued to burn brightly. Better luck next year!

What Moths Are Wearing This Season In Brisbane

This gorgeous moth was spotted by my friend Sandra in her house in Grange. I'd like a cape like that.

Don't forget to switch off for Earth Hour tonight!

Laneway Gremlin

Looking mischievous in Fish Lane, South Brisbane. This looks very much like the work of Shida!

Traffic Stopping Art (number 42)

This signal box, by Tracey Cranitch depicts Lady Bowen, wife of Queensland's first governor, Sir George Ferguson Bowen. She was very well respected for her work in charities and healthcare in the mid 19th century and was the very first Greek person in the colony of Queensland (of which there are now thousands). This box was part of the Q150 allocation, a group of signal boxes earmarked to celebrate of Queensland's 150th anniversary as an independent state from New South Wales.

See this box in it's old clothes here.

Approaching North Quay

The CityCat runs up and down the Brisbane River and forms an integral part of Brisbane's public transport. It is the way to travel. Especially at the front on a warm, dry day with the wind in your hair.

Fish Lane Prophecy

This photo was taken in Fish Lane, South Brisbane yesterday. I'm not sure of the meaning but I am assuming it's got something to do with global energy giant Peabody who run 10 coal mines in Queensland. Any ideas?

Sunday Morning in the Mall

He looked to me like his mind was somewhere else. The clap sticks were beating to a different tune, despite the reassuring hand.

The Great Brisbane Bike Ride

It's been Bike Week in Brisbane. A week celebrating all things bikey, culminating in several rides happening today. Thousands are expected to take part and, conveniently for me, three of the four rides today pass by my front gate so I didn't have to go too far out of my way.

This is part of the Shadow Shot Sunday series, hosted by Hey Harriet.

Be Amazed

This is called "Maze" by Marcel Gerstel and is currently exhibiting in the InSpire gallery-bar in West End. Each rectangular segment is about the size of a normal 7"x5" photo. He's got some great lorikeet stuff too.

Something In The Air - Skywatch

Cyclone Ului is heading towards Queensland at the moment and is expected to hit the coast early on Sunday morning. Luckily for us in Brisbane it's going to be a few hundred kilometres north of here so we probably won't feel the effects of it too much. For those up the coast battening down the hatches right now, best of luck!

For dramatic skies far and wide each and every Friday, visit Skywatch Friday.

Skithery Ayetn Dootn Daaah

Voices were loud and proud, Irish or just up for a good time, at the Inspire bar in Vulture Street last night. It was an Irish-themed session to celebrate St. Patrick's day with lyrics printed on sheets of paper for anyone who fancied joining in and a bag full of percussion handed round. The guy on the flute here also played the button accordian and the guitar (and probably a few more instruments). The man on the right is playing the Ulian pipes. They're a bit like Scottish bagpipes but quieter and, to my ear, more melodic. The air into the bag comes from bellows under the arm rather than from the player blowing into it. There was also a mandolin being played and a couple of bodhrans (pronounced "bow-rons" - the "ow" sound as in "how"). At one stage I think 90% of the people in the bar were in the band... as it should be in any decent session!

Happy Paddy's Day!

Wishing you a happy, musical, fun-filled St. Patrick's Day wherever you are and whatever you're doing. For the purposes of this blog I had to get a pint of the black stuff down me last night. Honestly, the lengths I go to.

Lights, Camera, Action

Here we are in the Channel Ten studio. This was taken yesterday afternoon during preparations for the 4pm news update.

South West Mountains

The view from Mount Coot-tha towards the Southern Downs. Not too shabby.

A Slight Shift

Did you feel it? There was a slight shift in the season this week. We went from summer to autumn. In Brisbane, you don't have the obvious signs like red leaves on trees and the need for a coat... autumn is much more subtle. You might find you need a blanket overnight for the first time in months. The sun's rays feel less consuming and the shadows seem a bit longer.
We had fog for a while the other morning, it was lovely.

It's Hard To Have A Gaytime On Your Own

Streets, makers of the iconic Aussie ice-cream Golden Gaytime, have recently cottoned on to the kitsch value of their old slogan.

Ooo-er, missus!

South-West Skywatch Friday

The return of the clear weather earlier on in the week saw me high-tailing up to the lookout on top of Mount Coot-tha. It's about as high up in Brisbane as you can get so there is plenty of sky to watch. I could just make out a much better display going on in the western sky but there were some trees in the way.
For uninterrupted views of the sky all over the world, high-tail it over to the Skywatch Friday lookout.

Striking A Chord

This piano was sitting in a driveway early on Tuesday in Dornoch Terrace, facing out onto the pavement with all its keys bashed up, its under wires showing and its framework exposed to the elements... but it remained stoically upright. It's gone now. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be art or if it was just awaiting a trip to the dump... but it struck a bit of a chord with me (boom boom).

Tunnel Vision (2 of 2)

50,000 people walked down to 60m below the Brisbane River recently as part of the first public viewing of the Clem7 tunnel. Judging from that shirt, it was pretty hot down there!

Thanks to MaryAnne for being part of it and getting the photos.

Tunnel Vision (1 of 2)

Last week saw the opening of the Clem7 tunnel which runs for 4.8kms and gets down to 60m below the Brisbane River. It connects Bowen Hills in the north with Woolloongabba in the south. It was a gigantic project employing 11,000 people. For 2 years, Milton Road has borne the brunt of huge trucks shifting 3.5 million tonnes of rock along it, day and night, towards the quarry in Mount Coot-tha.

For one day only on Sunday Feb 28th, they opened up the tunnel to runners and walkers. It offered a relaxed, leisurely look at what is likely from now on to be viewed at 60kph. This is a photo of the rock walls and roof at the Bowen Hills entrance. Thanks to MaryAnne Bland, who kindly donated this and tomorrow's shot.

Traffic Stopping Art (Number 41)

Today's painted traffic signal box comes to you from Water Street. It's close to and themed for St. Joseph's College which is a Catholic boys' school in Spring Hill. It's painted by Paul Robertson who also painted the one outside Brisbane Girls Grammar (seen here).

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Did you ever read Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar? My quote for this photo is "that night he had a stomach ache".

I realise my thumb is more in focus than the caterpillar but you get a general idea of the size of the thing...huge!!

Downhill From Here

It seems like it's been raining in Brisbane for about a month. Friday morning's warm burnt-sienna sunrise gave way to another grey drizzly day. It's a good case for getting up at the crack of dawn.

A Salt & Battery

Fab fish and chips, bustling atmosphere and possible the best name for a fish and chip shop ever, no?

Brew Makers

Brews Brothers in Woolloongabba. You choose the beer you want to make from a menu, they provide you with the raw ingredients and you get to brew it yourself. Come back 3 weeks later with a stack of empty bottles and ...voila! Several cartons of cut-price preservative-free amber nectar!

Backstage

This is the third of three snapshots of Burnett Lane before it goes under the knife for a $2.5m makeover. This is the back of some buildings on Adelaide Street. Things I like about this wall: the red door, the crumbling old chimney being held up by those rusty brackets and the contrasting lines of the two stairwells. Lit properly, this could be a feature!

Let There Be Light

This is the second of three snaps showing the character of Burnett Lane before it gets a facelift.

Perhaps when they jazz the place up, residents and businesses might feel the need to re-open their blocked up windows. I wonder if the impending makeover includes decorating the air-conditioner units?

March Theme Day: Passageway

Burnett Lane: 1 of 3.

Today is the first of the month, and so it is the monthly theme day for participants in the City Daily Photo blog community. For this month, the theme is Passageway. I've chosen Burnett Lane in the city. It's an old passageway which links Albert and George streets and has been earmarked for a very fancy $2.5m makeover due for completion in June. I thought I'd give you three glimpses over the next three days of how it is now and then perhaps in June I can take a few more shots and you can see if the council spent their money wisely...

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants