TL;DR – We explore all the beautiful flowers I came across during my recent trip to Gladstone.
Flowers of Gladstone –
Earlier this week, it was the Day of the Wattle here in Australia, and with that in mind, I thought I would share some photos of flowers I took on my recent trip to Gladstone, on the central coast of Queensland.
Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan). Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.
We begin our tour with the humble Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), more known for the titular legume/pea used in cooking from India to across the world. However, I adore its small yet profoundly yellow flower and its juxtaposition with the red seed pods.
TL;DR – Today, I take a wander around Gladstone and its many surroundings.
Disclosure – I was not paid to visit any of the locations shown here, and all Queensland Government COVID requirements were followed, including the use of masks.
Exploring Gladstone –
In this Covid world, one of the hardest parts has been the isolation from friends and family, I know people have had it worse, but I have had to cancel family get-togethers five times because of surprise lockdowns. To the point that it has become a running joke with my friends every time there is a lockdown. Well, there was a moment of stability (not that there wasn’t a scare the week before that made me think it would all unravel again). So, when you have the chance, you take it, and with that came the exploration of the many faces of Gladstone.
From Brisbane, Gladstone is about a six to ten-hour drive depending on the time of day, whether you get stuck behind a caravan/boat that only gets up to speed in the overtaking lane, and how many stops you can make. For safety, you should be making stops to rest, and our first one was at the town of Tiaro. We stopped here because you can get a mean burger, but also because their butcher is known all up the highway for its bacon, which will become important later. It also has the oddness of having a pedestrian crossing over the main northern highway in Queensland, the Bruce.
TL;DR – Today, I explore the current exhibits at the GOMA and Science Museum
Disclosure – I paid for entry into both Brickman® Wonders of the World and the European Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York exhibits.
Article –
Well, when I put in leave at my work to take some much needed time off, I thought I would plan a grand escape to the city, with all that would entail. That was indeed the plan, but then the Delta strand decided that it was time for another lockdown and that people really didn’t need that nice public holiday. This, of course, put all of my plans up in the air, but after the lockdown was lifted, I did get to spend one morning out and about, which we will see today.
Please Note: I was following all Queensland Government guidelines when out and about, including social distancing, signing in to every location, wearing a mask at all times, and regularly sanitising my hands.
TL;DR – Today I got out of the house and just went for a walk for the first time since March
Article –
Since March, life has been a state of being at home twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, unless you had some specific event to go to. After a while, that starts to put a drain on your mental fortitude. Also, the lack of exercise plus stress eating has not helped either. Well, yesterday I had the day off and given the good situation that Queensland was in (when I left my door that morning, but we will get into that later) I thought it was time to get out of the house and go for a wander. So I packed my bag with hand sanitiser and a mask, left after peak hour, as recommended, and started my walk.
TL;DR
– Today I explore the chaos
and excitement of a live game of footy
Article –
One of the things I have really gotten into over
the last couple of years has been NRL football, one of the three big football
codes in Australia (for those playing at home this is Rugby League, not Rugby
Union, or Australian Rules Football). My local team here is the Brisbane
Broncos, who were also my grandfather’s team, so that felt like a good place to
start. While I have been enjoying the games on TV I have not had the money to
go to a live game, well that all changed last night as I made the trip to
Suncorp Stadium thanks to a kind free ticket from a friend.
TL;DR
– Today I explore the beautiful
Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre a pocket of bushland just south
of Brisbane.
Article –
This week, month, and year has been a bit stressful, to say the least, so I thought I would take a moment and destress by going to one of the best-kept secrets in South-East Queensland the Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre, just south of Brisbane in Logan City.
Daisy Hill is a pocket of bushland in the hills behind Logan City and a key conversation area for a lot of local species including to koalas. There is a day area on the southern tip with bush walks, grass to run around with, the Koala Centre, and most importantly for me some good old fashioned fire BBQs.
TL;DR – Today I explore the University of Queensland Bloom Festival, the festival where purple was king, which should be no surprise if you have ever taken a medieval art history class before
Article –
Every year here in Brisbane the University of Queensland turns purple as the Jacarandas come out to bloom. It is a beautiful time of year unless you are a university student in which case it heralds the coming of exams and the onslaught of rumours about what happens if you get hit by the falling flowers. We explored the flowering time last year with our walk around the UQ St. Lucia campus (see here), however, this year they have expanded on the Jacarandas with the UQ Bloom Festival, and today we get the chance to explore the Jacarandas after dark.
TL;DR – Today I explore the museums along the Brisbane river as I walk from GOMA down to Southbank
Article –
I had a day off this week and given it was perfect weather, warm but before the heat of summer hits us, I thought I would take some time winding down Brisbane’s Cultural District among its brutalist buildings, and lush Bougainvillea. All of this is right next to the Brisbane River so it is hard to get lost with that guideline always being there for you. So with today’s Explore-It, we will take you through all the museums, some old, some new, all full of interesting things, and best of all, every place I visited you can enter for free.
TL;DR – Today I explore the beauty of the Moreton Bay coast, a short drive from the Brisbane CBD
Article –
As a child, one of the things you would do on a weekend was make the trek down to the Wynnum foreshore and run along the Esplanade, play in the pools, and eat fish and chips as you swat away the circling seagulls. This is something that I haven’t done in years so when a group of friends suggested going down there for dinner I decided to go a bit early to explore the place, now almost a lost memory for me. Now of course life tends toward chaos, so on this day gone is the usual Brisbane sunshine, as the rain clouds came running up the coastline. However, clouds aside this was still a wonderful, if not a slightly damp time.
TL;DR – Today I explore the winding roads and mountain towns of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland
Article –
During 2017 I received some bad news and the best way to deal with bad news is always to run away from your problems … ok no that is a bad idea, but if you are going to run away from your problems you can do worse than running away to the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland. So let’s hop on the Bruce Highway and head north from Brisbane and have a look at a little slice of heaven here on Earth. Also, if you are on mobile, now if the time to check that you are on wifi.
TL;DR Movie Reviews and Analysis 