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Punks, Parades & Physio
Hello from Brisbane!
Firstly we’d like to say a big thank you to Jude and Jeff for putting us up and putting up with us while Bry gets some movement back in his shoulder. They’ve made us feel totally welcome and have really looked after us, taking us out and showing us the sights. It’s also been ideal having a base from which to sort doctor’s appointments and physio treatment. Their little boy, Callum, is great to be around, he’s a lovely lad with a great sense of humour.
We arrived here Saturday 18th, just intending to stay long enough for a doctor to check Bry’s shoulder, but Jude and Jeff have been so generous that they have convinced us to stay longer. On our first night they took us along to one of Jeff’s cousin’s 30th birthday party, which was 1980s fancy dress! Unfortunately all we could find were 2 punk wigs, which was more 1970s but we’ve always been a bit behind the times. It was a great night out with Jeff showing off his mullet, Jude looking just like she did as a teenager when she used to go clubbing with Bry’s sister in Gloucester and we even got to meet Billy Idol, Slash and some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
On Tuesday we got an appointment with a GP who referred Bry to a local physiotherapist for assessment. The physio was called Sam, he was pleased with Bry’s range of motion, did some massage and ultrasound therapy to reduce the swelling and gave him some stretching exercises to do. He advised Bry to keep the sling on when out and about for the next 3 weeks and to come back on Friday for further assessment. When we returned, Sam did more massage and gave us some strengthening exercises to do once Bry is out of the sling, which will use the exercise bands we just happen to have in the back of Mario! Sam was a really nice bloke who is actually off to work in London in a couple of weeks, so we wish him all the best.
On Thursday Jeff kindly took a day off work so while Callum was at school the four of us took a trip down to the Gold Coast and specifically Surfers Paradise. We had heard how commercialised this area was and that it was the sort of place you either loved or hated. Luckily when we were there, it was really quiet, so the huge, long beaches were empty and as you look out to sea, you could be on a desert island. Turn around and you see the skyscrapers of hotels, posh apartments and the neon lights of shopping malls – it really is a city on the beach. We liked it as somewhere to go for a short holiday, everything on your doorstep, but we could easily imagine it would be a bit too much when it was heaving.
We then went to Manly (the Brisbane one, not Sydney), which is just up the road from Jude and Jeff’s home. This was much more genteel than Surfers Paradise, with a nice marina, promenade and swanky high street.
Last Saturday was ANZAC Day so we all went into Brisbane to watch the parade through the city streets. This was quite emotional watching the veterans, current service men and women and bereaved families of soldiers proudly marching by. They were accompanied by various bands, scouts and girl guides and military vehicles from all different eras, including a couple of RAAF fly-pasts.
Jeff and Jude then took us on a guided walking tour of the city; well we walked while Callum rode on Jeff’s shoulders! We walked through the Botanical Gardens, the historical university grounds and over the Goodwill Bridge to the Southbank area. This is the old site of the World Expo ’88 and is now a huge leisure, entertainment and culture area with galleries, museums, restaurants, bars and a manmade beach and water park – all with the backdrop of the river and the city on the opposite shore. It’s was a great place to stop for lunch.
We then had a quick walk around the huge casino which has over 1300 slot machines (“pokies”) and is set over 3 floors of the old Treasury building. We kind of like the irony of a treasury now being a casino. Next it was back into the car for a quick whizz around to the Kangaroo Point Cliffs which overlook the city and then onto the Story Bridge (Australia’s longest cantilever bridge) for some quick photos. We really liked Brisbane, it’s got a great mix of old and new, all set among the meandering river and tropical lush green parks.
Sunday was a day of rugby. We were up early to go to watch Callum (who’s only 5) play rugby league (“footy”) at the local club, Wynnum Manly Seagulls. He had a good game, making some great try saving tackles by tracking back and was one of the only players happy to run into contact with the ball, rather than run sideways away from the defence. Bry reckons he’s got the makings of a good union fullback.
Then in the afternoon Jeff took us to the Suncorp Stadium for the Super Rugby game between Queensland Reds and the Hurricanes, to see the likes of Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, James Slipper and James O’Connor go head to head. It looked the Reds were heading for an unlikely win as they took an early lead thanks mainly to their young winger Samu Kerevi, who tore through the All Blacks of Smith, Nonu and Savea to score 2 tries. But The ‘Canes soon fought back and showed why they’re at the top of the league, finishing the 35-19 victors. After the game we hung around the player’s tunnel hoping to have a word with Gloucester Rugby bound Hurricane Jeremy Thrush, but he was not to be found.
Monday we went off to Australia Zoo, of Steve Irwin fame. It’s probably the best zoo we’ve ever been to - huge immaculately kept enclosures, none of the animals appeared unhappy and all the staff were really friendly. There were some great demonstrations, including the lunchtime show in the 5000 seat “Crocoseum” with birds of prey, snakes and huge crocodiles. Our favourite was probably the tiger show, where the keeper got the big cat to act out natural attacking moves using just a normal pint of milk.
Other than that, we’ve been relaxing, watching TV and been entertained by Jude, Jeff and Callum. They’ve been great company and have made us so welcome, we’ll be sad to leave. Today we’re getting back on the road, the weather up north should now be drier and cooler, so we may well just keep trucking now until we’re ready to come home. The current plan is to go North to Cairns, across and down to Uluru, back up to Darwin, then West and down to Perth. With a few diversions on the way, probably about 12000KMS to go. We better get moving!
HooRoo!