A celebration of a life well lived...

The main reason for DH's cousin's visit to Australia, was to scatter her mum's ashes at Kangaroo Point here in Brisbane, where Thelma had grown up. This was organised for the first Tuesday of Adrienne's visit. 

Firstly that day, Thelma's half sister Jeanie, had a meeting with Adrienne here at our place. Other than long distance phone calls from the US, aunt and niece had not met previously. 

In the photo above, Adrienne is showing Jeannie a book of old family photos that she had put together as a gift for her aunt. 

After a cuppa it was time for us to head off and meet up at Kangaroo Point with some more of the family. The area has changed a bit since Adrienne's mother Thelma, lived in the area with her grandparents. 

Sadly the house of the Mohr family has just been demolished in the last few months...gasp!! On that corner in the photo you can see the hoarding on the building site.

The cousins' great grandfather Frank, had been a ferryman before the Story Bridge was built. Just across the street from the old house had been the old slipway down to what had been a jetty for the ferry...

That's a present day ferry on the river, just out from where we had all gathered...bit different from the one that Frank rowed! 

Adrienne's mum had always talked about the 'big rock' that she and her cousins had played on and delighted in jumping off...I'll caption it so you can see it more clearly...

On a holiday back to Australia a number of years ago, Thelma and her cousin Edna revisited their grandparents' house and street and posed on 'their rock'...they were apparently surprised that the rock appeared much smaller! 😉

A touching moment when Jeannie and Adrienne hold the ashes' container and remember Thelma...

DH had previously checked the tides' information so the river level would be high when we gathered to scatter the ashes. However...apparently the times given ( 11 am) for high tide are for the mouth of the river, not where Kangaroo Point is...therefore it would be another hour before the high tide there. So...

The rest of us 'watched from on high'! 

So 3 of the boys helped Adrienne down to the river level and she gave a delightful speech. She told us that her mother had always said she wanted her ashes scattered in the Brisbane River...until she heard a number of years ago that the river had become rather dirty and she had changed her mind. But 20 years ago a relative had told her it was cleaned up and so the plan was on again. 

And then, Thelma's ashes were scattered...

A group photo...

( a daughter and grandchildren [and 3 spouses of those grandchildren], of Johanna, Ethel and Mary Mohr.) 

Then it was time for lunch...and there could only be one choice of venue. A story that Thelma would tell  Adrienne was how Grandma Mohr would send young Thelma up to the nearby Kangaroo Point Hotel to tell Grandpa it was time to come home for tea. 😉 It is now the Story Bridge Hotel and is a short walk up the street. 

We sat out in the garden at the back of the hotel...the Story Bridge was above us!!

And how's this for a set of stairs that lead up to the bridge...

It had been a lovely ceremony at the river and what a fun get together we had over a yummy lunch too!!

Cruisin' on the River...

A week after we got home from our recent trip overseas, DH and I went on another cruise. This one was a lot more modest but very enjoyable nonetheless!
My brother had given me a Red Balloon gift card and when it was in danger of 'expiring', (the card had been put away safely and forgotten for a bit) I had used it to purchase a Lunch Cruise on the Kookaburra Queen.

The 'Kookas' started business in 1988 when Brisbane hosted Expo 88 and these paddlewheeler replicas still operate cruises on the Brisbane River. There are, for example,various lunch time cruises, dinner cruises, special occasion (RiverFire) and charter cruises and showboat cruises and I chose a Lunchtime Jazz Cruise.
I don't know why, but I didn't expect the meal to be anything but average...but I was soooo wrong! When we arrived, we were served the appetizer/entree which was a delicious plate of antipasto and dips with toasted Italian breads...I didn't take photos of this though...too busy eating! lol. DH did get a photo of yours truly with a glass of wine...

The boat then started cruising upstream...
On the southern bank of the river, we cruised past the Maritime Museum and travelled under the pedestrian Goodwill Bridge.

From the boat we caught a glimpse of a  lovely old building in South Brisbane; it was the old South Brisbane Town Hall, from the era when Brisbane was a series of townships and shires before the amalgamation into a city council.

Then we approached Southbank Parklands...this was where Expo 88 was held. The area had been wharves and associated warehouses and pubs before most was cleared ready to build the infrastructure needed for Expo.

Southbank also has a man made beach which is very popular with locals and tourists...

On the 'edge' of the Southbank Parklands is the Brisbane Eye Ferris Wheel and just beyond that is the Performing Arts centre with theatres, which then segues into the state library, art galleries and the Museum.

The Kookaburra Queen continued cruising upstream to the Victoria Bridge...and then turned around.

Looking towards the northside of the river and the central Business District of the city...

We don't have many historical buildings left in Brisbane and unfortunately from the river it's hard to see through the freeway. In this next photo, the old building on the left is the Treasury casino but the beautiful building was once the actual Treasury building for the state. The building which appears to be in front of the Treasury is one of two convict-built buildings in Brisbane; the Commissariat Store. I've written about this building before, here, here, here and here!

The building on the left of the stores building is not nearly as old;it is part of a precinct of old state government buildings.

Taking in all these views was a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon. And then the main course was served. DH and I had both chosen the beef...it was delicious! As were the sweet potato crisps that were served with it.

There's a good view from the river of a new government building; a rather ugly government building was demolished to make way for this one.

 There's still a way to go before it's completed.

The boat then came to the Gardens' Reach of the river. These City Botanical Gardens were originally planted by convicts in 1825 but a lot has changed in those years! lol

Part of the City Reach...

The iconic Story Bridge...

As we cruised on downstream we passed the Riverwalk...

As we got closer to the suburb of New Farm, we kept an eye out for the little house that DH had rented in the 1970s when he first left home...there it is, nestled between apartment blocks, but still there!

The cruise continued on downstream.

The old Sugar Refinery (CSR) site at New Farm has been redeveloped for housing...

New Farm Park...and the old Powerhouse which is an Arts' Precinct now...

At this point we could see the lights at the 'Gabba' (cricket and AFL football) on the southside of the river...

The bridge over Norman Creek...(southside)

Apartments and more apartments!!

And all the while as we cruised we were entertained by a duo who not only sang jazz numbers, but lots of 50s and 60s hits...

It was a great afternoon!

Highly recommended!

 And I'll finish with a photo of 2 of the 'City Cats'; not painted in the normal BCC colours...

Quite artistic! 

Some places of historical interest seen from the Brisbane River...

Way back at the beginning of October, DH and I went on a cruise up the Brisbane River and I've already written posts here and here, about that day. But we saw so much that day, that there are at least another 2 posts I can write about it!

In this post, I'll share some photos of places that are part of the history of my city. 

Where we boarded the boat at Hamilton, we could see the old nurses' quarters of the Royal Brisbane Hospital high on the hill at Herston.  These 2 towers of 8 storeys each were built in the 1930s. As a child, I could see these towers (from the other side) from our house...and often wondered what it was like inside them...probably pretty spartan, despite their grand name of the Lady Lamington Buildings! lol 

 Needless to say, nurses' quarters haven't been needed for a long time and these heritage listed buildings are now used for other purposes including a museum of nursing. 

Using the zoom, the towers still stand out on their hilltop position on the left mid ground. 

Just like in many cities around the world, large rivers were used for wharves and docks, so too, Brisbane. Around the New Farm and Newstead Reaches of the river were many wharves for handling produce. 

Set back from those long gone wharves, there were streets and streets of warehouses...big brick buildings, most being woolstores. 

 These buildings are no longer woolstores...most have been converted into very swanky unit (apartment) blocks...

 Along the river bank, lots (and lots) of unit blocks have been squeezed in on the river bank after the wharves were demolished. 

Another old brick building...the old CSR refinery (sugar)...now redeveloped as units, with unit blocks built on the land that surrounded the refinery building. 

In New Farm there is another old brick building which is huge, but it's not a former woolstore ... it was a powerhouse, specifically power for the trams that used to run in Brisbane. 

This building now has cafes, restaurants and theatres...and magnificent views of the river!

The Powerhouse Complex is nestled beside New Farm Park. This space deserves the term 'historically significant' as it is the site of the 'new farm' in the days of the Moreton Bay penal colony. The first farm was the area which is now the Botanical Gardens in the city. As well as a farm, the area had also been used for horse racing with punters arriving by boat on the river. Trevor, from Your Brisbane:Past and Present blog wrote about the history of New Farm Park here. 

New Farm Park along side the Brisbane River...

The next photo is taken looking towards the northern end of the Story Bridge (Fortitude Valley end )...old docks and sheds are visible...

And there are more of the same on the righthand side of the bridge. These were originally old naval stores; a bit derelict apparently. During WW2 some air raid bunkers were built in this complex too. Not long after  DH and I spent that day on the cruise,  it was announced in the media that the redevelopment of this area would go ahead. 

The old dry dock area of South Brisbane is now the Maritime Museum...

 An old steamer which is part of the Maritime Museum...

Nearing the City Reach of the river, the beautiful old Customs House is on the northern bank of the river. There used to be wharves near here but now they are long gone. Customs House is now owned by the University of Queensland and is a very grand venue. 

The next photo shows an old gas stripping tower that was part of an old gasworks on the southern bank of the river at West End. 

Once again, Trevor has already written about this in his blog, so if you would like to know about this structure and see a closeup photo, go here. :-)

The next photo is farther up the river at Dutton Park...yes it's a cemetery. It opened in 1866 and was originally known as the South Brisbane Cemetery. DH has many family members on his mum's side buried there.  

The next photo is the old wharf at Seventeen Mile Rocks (or what is left of it) for the Queensland Cement and Lime Company. Behind this and hidden from view of those on the  river, is a big waterpark known as Rocks Riverside Park. A redevelopment initiative of the Brisbane City Council it is very popular with families of course. As well as the water park, it is possible to walk around and look at remnants of the infrastructure from the old cement works and the docks. DH and I did just that a number of years ago. 

The water park is completely hidden from the river ... 

I've already shown photos of Newstead House and Shafston, but they both played such important roles in the former colony...so once more, here they are seen from the river.

 So that's some of Brisbane's history seen from the river.