Is it a bird?... is it a plane....?

This picture was taken on Wednesday morning from Highgate Hill looking west. You can see the Suncorp Stadium, Merivale Bridge, the Sky Needle, the big red church in Red Hill. Also, you might have to click on the picture to enlarge it but one of those balloons appears to be a giant box of Libra (that's a box of tampons).

Australia 1 West Indies 0

This is the Gabba cricket ground, where the West Indies lost to Australia in the cricket over the weekend. The game finished way ahead of schedule and as a result there were some rubbish movies on the telly. Many Australians were forced to emerge blinking into the sunlight and heat and find something constructive to do with their Sunday.

The Gabba's also home to the Brisbane Lions (Aussie Rules football team) who play here in the winter months.

I took this shot back in February from a hot air balloon. For some othe balloony type shots, click on the balloons label below.

Another Neighboorhood Aerial

Lovely Queenslander houses.

Posting magically continues despite me being on me hols. Back in late June.

As Promised, A More Uplifting Post

Geddit?

I've been milking my balloon trip over Brizzy which happened back in February for a while now (click the balloons label for more).
Here's a couple of streets in an outer suburb of Brisbane. It could be The Gap or maybe Keperra... round there anyway. A couple of the houses still had tarpaulins on the rooftops from that same November storm I mentioned yesterday.

Full Of Hot Air

Another one from the balloon files, this one was taken during inflation in a little park in Coorparoo. If you ever get the chance to fly over a city in a hot air balloon...do it!

Click on the "balloons" label to see some other shots from my aerial adventure over Brisbane.

East Brisbane Streets from a Balloon

Here's another shot from last month's flight. This is looking out over what are now considered to be inner-city suburbs.

Terra Firma

I'll finish of my balloon series here in a field in Samford. The red in the picture is the balloon being packed up by all the diligent passengers expect for me. Instead, I was prancing around the field with my camera taking pictures of flowers and trying to be arty. I did get around to helping in the end (honestly).
I took 200 shots from inflation to deflation so I might still pop in the occasional one from time to time. If you enjoyed them a fraction as much as I enjoyed taking them then I'm on to a winner!

Hillside Neighbourhood

The balloon has drifted north and slightly west of the city...
You might be able to see how steep the road on the left is. Many Queenslander houses in Brisbane are 1 storey at one side of the house and 2 or even 3 stories at the other side to accommodate the hills they are built on.
These houses get the sun as soon as it pops over the horizon - like there is a spotlight on them. Perfect if you are a morning person. Breakfast on the verandah? Why not!

Looking Straight Down

With all the satellite imagery available to us now, roof views from above are much more familiar than they were. But I still think it's like looking under a city's bed: you see all the unsightly bits it couldn't find a place for like air conditioners, aerials and exhaust fans. Except for the Hilton on Elizabeth Street(top right) which appears to have a tennis court on the roof... posh, but surely that's an accident waiting to happen?

Tranquility

At 5.30am on a Saturday, there's not much noise about in Brisbane. Especially 1000 feet in the air. Here are the occasional sounds that I heard:

*The blast of gas from the burner in our basket and those of the two balloons that flew near us
*Cockatoos and lorikeets over Ferny Hills
*Dogs barking in the outer suburbs- I think the balloons might freak them out a bit
*Basket creaking

Other than that, the silence is enveloping... a bit like when it has snowed (not something that ever happens here).

A Bit of Background

Welcome back to our balloon flight over Brisbane! You are directly over Kangaroo Point looking across the central business district (CBD) north-west towards The Gap.

The city of Brisbane is built on hills. The ones in the background are mostly eucalypt forest with patches of rainforest giving you a real sense of what it must have looked like when European settlers first came across it 200 years ago.

Breathe Out..

After 3 years of gazing at the balloons silently drifting over Brisbane in the early mornings, I finally got to have a go! What a birthday present.

Can you see the Story Bridge?
And these buildings?
How about the Tallest Tree?

More balloon pics over the next couple of days...

Enjoy your Friday wherever you may be and for a glimpse at other skies around the world, fly over to Skywatch Friday.

Higher, Higher!

I've only lived in Brisbane for 3 years - but even in that time there have been quite a few buildings that have been competing to be Brisbane's highest tower. Some are being built now and some only in the planning stage. The hot air balloon has the Vision logo which was going to be another gigantic tower on the block between Mary and Margaret streets... but due to funding issues, the whole project has been put on hold.... so cling onto that precious sunlight in the CBD while you still can!