Paddle's Up!

Despite the fact that I have lived in this part of the world for 11 years, I still don't know a paddle board from a surf board. I took this photo thinking "Wow - not much in the way of surf today. What's he doing??". Aaaanyway... this is a paddle board - it's bulkier than a surf board and has a non-slippy surface that you can kneel on while paddling around with a paddle.

You're gonna need a bigger rod...

After a major rebuild, Shorncliffe Pier re-opened to the public at Easter. It stretches 350 metres into Bramble Bay and, according to Brisbane City Council website, has

• four fish cleaning stations
• four water fountains
• 20 light poles
• seven bins
• six safety ladders
• four benches
• fourteen seats
• two picnic tables
• a flag pole for yacht races.
• a concrete and steel substructure
• timber joists, decking, handrails and rotunda
• a larger rotunda
• a larger hammerhead at the end
• a lower platform at the end of the pier.

I'm not so keen on the idea of a large hammerhead at the end. I hope it's friendly.

Shorncliffe Pier Skywatch

Shorncliffe pier was built in 1872 and is reminiscent of many piers in England from the same era. This area was once a seaside town but as Brisbane's footprint continues to expand it has become an outer suburb. You can tell as you walk around that the people in charge have tried to retain the character of the place with all sorts of historical buildings and street furniture - like these great Victorian-looking lamp posts.
That's the southern tip of Moreton Island in the distance - one of the worst-affected areas of the horrific oil-tanker disaster in March. Thankfully after months of hard work and millions of dollars, the mess has been cleaned up.