Floods in Brisbane



Albert Street CBD



Floods Albion





Preparing for High Tide

View of Swollen River from Mt Cootha



Rosalie

A Simple, Delicious and Nutritious Vegetarian Soup

1/2 cup lentils preferably brown but red is fine also
1/2 cup yellow split peas
2 Washed Potatoes diced
1.5 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Mushrooms sliced
1 Green Chilli de-seeded and diced
1 Brown Onion diced
2 Carrots chopped
3 cups Water
1 cup Vege Stock
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Bay Leaf
Handful of chopped Coriander

Prepare all ingredients. Gently fry garlic and onion until soft then simply put everything into slow cooker for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on slow.

Taste along the way and add pepper if needed.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy the warmth and scrummy taste of good ol' fashioned home cooking with a glass of Shiraz and warm wholemeal bread and butter. Mmmmmm.......

Eumundi Markets



Eumundi Markets



Miss Donna

Eumundi is a small, laid-back hippy town, located in the lush Noosa hinterland. Relatively quiet most days it comes alive on Wednesdays and Saturdays, especially in the holidays, with crowds and crowds attending the famous Eumundi Markets.

The Markets' mammoth size guarantees that no-one will go home empty handed or at least without having an wonderful day out. There are characters performing magic tricks or old bush yarns being told, camel and pony rides, stalls selling candles incense and oils, hats, bags, toys, jewellery, hammocks, artwork and just about anything you can imagine, not to mention the fresh produce, coffee and delicious food (I recommend the mo-mo's) to be had while enjoying talented artists performing live music.

Eumundi is worth a visit even on non market days as it also home to two pubs one being Joe's Waterhole, a vibrant live music venue showcasing many talented up-and-coming artists from around the country. Krishna's Vegetarian Cafe is a famous cafe to dine and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.

A little sunshine at Sunshine Beach

One and a half hour drive from Brisbane is Noosa. The beachy town of Noosa is where I would take an overseas visitor for them to have the opportunity to indulge in some of the finest that Queensland has to offer.

Sunshine Beach is my favourite location in Noosa. It has cafes, bars and restaurants to enjoy, whether it's coffee or lunch with friends you're after, dining out or simply a glass of wine and tapas or pizza. There's a convenience store/newsagent, bottle shop, and deli for your holiday needs and a gorgeous home-wares boutique to browse through.

The Deck does great brekkys - I highly recommend the corn cakes served with crispy bacon, creamy avo and seared tomatoes and the coffee there is the best I have had in Noosa. XO is new on the scene and while I didn't get the opportunity to dine there, my brother and his wife and family thoroughly enjoyed their experience at XO and said it was in fact the best meal he had had out in ages. The Marble bar serves a delicious Moroccan Lamb Pizza and a good selection of wines and imported and local beer. It has a relaxed, flowy feel to it with a mixed crowd and is always busy. The Sunshine Beach Surf Club is one of my favourite posys to have a cold beer and admire the fantastic view of the big blue. And Sunshine Beach itself is a beautiful sandy beach with some good breaks for surfers and great surf for swimmers.


Steps down to Sunshine Beach



River Cottage Restaurant Noosa

Nestled in Weyba Street, Noosaville is River Cottage Restaurant. A warm and inviting, intimate restaurant, I was so excited for the dining experience that awaited me, when i took a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of bubbly.

River Cottage Restaurant has a seasonal menu with locally supplied produce.  Already enjoying the impeccable service, we spoke to the staff for advise on the wine list and their recommendations from the menu. After choosing a wine to start with we asked to be seated.  From an extremely appealing list of starters, I chose the sashimi of Yellowtail Kingfish with wakami, bonito soy and sisho leaf and my partner chose the Scallops.  From an equally enticing main menu, I chose the whole baby Barramundi served with an Asian salad and Jasmine Rice and my partner chose the King eye fillet, with kipfler potato, shallot, king brown mushrooms and a red wine jus. Both starters looked fantastic and the presentation was exceptional. My sashimi was fresh and light and an absolute taste explosion. All of the ingredients complimented each other and was extremely impressive and awe-inspiring. My boyfriends scallops were equally divine, again with complimenting ingredients making it flavoursome and out-standing. 

On the advice of the knowledgeable staff, I opted for a Riesling to compliment my fish and my partner ordered a Pinot Noir to enjoy with his steak. Our mains arrived all with impeccable presentation, timing and service. I was equally impressed with my baby Barramundi being fresh and tasty. The wine was perfectly matched, creating a big beaming smile on my face reflecting utter enjoyment. I had to taste my boyfriend's main, I was told, and on doing so, understood why. Splendid. Absolute taste sensation. Cooked perfectly, tender, flavoursome steak and the jus was delicious.

After finishing our mains we were handed a dessert menu with a selection of scrumptious sounding desserts complete with dessert wines and cheese platters. I opted for the Lemon brulee tart with lemoncello parfait and pistachios and my boyfriend had the traditional cloth Cheddar with muscatels, quince paste, water crackers and walnut bread. My brulee was crunchy on top with a moist dense yummy body and the parfait creamy and dreamy and when combined with pistachios, just delicious. I then decided to enjoy a glass of red wine and tasted my boyfriend's cheese plate and was not disappointed. The blend of ingredients delivered a palatable and pleasurable end to probably the best meal I have ever eaten.

The food was spectacular, obviously prepared with skill and passion, the service was first-class, the ambience was romantic and yet family friendly and the whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable. I have no doubt that River Cottage Restaurant will win countless awards in 2011 and highly recommend it.

Photos of People and Places in Brisbane

New Years Eve - View of City from Southbank



The Morning greeting me with beautiful colour



New Years Eve 2011



View of City from Red Hill



Debris from a swollen river. A perfect example of the top of the food chain's behavour.

View of City from Wavell Heights

Bulimba Ferry Terminal

Secret Location. Can you guess where this is?

Things to do in Brissie

Australia's most liveable city. I'm not entirely certain what "most liveable city" means, however I am alive and reside in Brisbane and believe it's a great city to live in.

Not including the recent weather we have been receiving, usually Brisbane is a mostly sunny spot with a warm climate set upon the Brisbane River.  The city is growing quickly. Along with it's size it is also growing culturally, with wider ranges of fantastic national and international restaurants and cafes, more live music venues and events, art galleries and theatre shows than ever before.

 There are many things to see and do in and around my city which take advantage of all of the best we have to offer, ensuring a fabulous visit/stay or day-to-day living.  These include:

Brown water due to heavy rain received and  flooding throughout the majority of QLD.

CITY CAT   


Brisbane's City Cats are an excellent form of transport which takes advantage of our River servicing the area from Brett's Wharf to the University of Queensland in St Lucia. On a sunny day it's an ecomical and enjoyable way to take a ride on the river to one of the many attractive suburbs on the water's edge or simply to soak up the surroundings.

NEW FARM PARK

Located in New Farm on the Brisbane River is New Farm Park. It's beautiful big trees provide a shady spot to sit under and the river provides a coolness to the air, making it a perfect place to have a picnic with friends on a gorgeous spring/summer day. It has a big grassed area in the middle for a game of cricket, soccer or touch footy with mates and large groups often do outside fitness exercise too. Children, of course are catered for with one of the largest playing apparatuses in Brisbane.

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE

Located beside New Farm Park is the Brisbane Powerhouse. A former powerhouse, it is now a hub for visual and performing arts, has a bar, restaurant and function/conference facilities. There are often free exhibitions on to enjoy and many fabulous artists including comedians and musicians perform at this vibrant venue. Home to Watt modern dining for a fine dining experience or Bar Alto for a more casual treat, you won't be disappointed in the food and drink department either. Definitely an iconic building with fantastic views, Brisbane Powerhouse is well worth a visit.

MERTHYR BOWLS CLUB

Merthyr Bowls Club is another legendary establishment, located on the river's edge, a short walk from New Farm Park on Oxlade Drive. It has seating inside or out, all with beautiful views of Brisbane River and Bulimba (across the other side of the River). It offers an a la carte lunch and dinner menu but the BBQ rib fillet and salad bar is very popular. It really is a fantastic place to have lunch and enjoy a cold beer on a hot day. While there, why not take the opportunity to have a crack at barefoot bowls with friends and take advantage of our warm and sunny Queensland weather and relaxed, outdoor way of life.

Kangaroo Point

The Brisbane River meanders through the city and makes its way out to Moreton Bay. There are many beautiful possies to enjoy the river and all it has to offer, one being Kangaroo Point. Its distinguished steep volcanic rock cliffs characterise and define the popular recreation destination. Abseilers and rock climbers scale this face at all hours of the day and night. I have recently abseiled one of the shorter cliff faces and it is an exhilarating experience! Keen fitness fanatics also use the backdrop to work out as a group or individually. There is even a group of fire twirlers that meet there on occasion at night and spin their flames into beautiful outlines with the cliffs hanging over them. One of my favourite ways to enjoy Kangaroo Point is to run along the top of the cliffs overlooking the river and the Brisbane CBD skyline. There are several routes you can take, but the loop I do is roughly a 9.5km route. It continues over the iconic Story Bridge, down to the edge of the river on the city side, along by the Eagle Street Boardwalk and on to the beautiful Botanical Gardens, then over Victoria Bridge to South Bank (another great location to enjoy the Brisbane River) along the foreshore, curving back to the cliffs, but not before taking on some challenging stairs! A cool-down walk is completed on the way to The Cliffs Cafe to conclude the experience with a well deserved Breakfast and coffee with a view second to none! The cafe’s food is not the greatest in town; it’s not bad either, just standard, but it has a decent menu with pretty good service and standard pricing. It’s worth it for the view though and I highly recommend the whole experience!!