Dinosaurs of Patagonia and QSO Cinematic – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dabble in some dinosaurs and music as we take a trip down to Brisbane

Disclosure – I paid for my entry and everything you see purchased in this article.

Dinosaurs and Music

As we slowly get back to a newish normal, I have been trying to get out of the house a little bit more, not that I did it a lot before. But it is time to get out and explore some more, and where best to start is always with a map.

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PAX Australia & Melbourne Day 3 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We dive into PAX properly and discover the power of a queue.

Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.

The Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre

PAX Australia & Melbourne Day 3

After surviving my first day at PAX, I was slightly more confident about where I was in the city of Melbourne. Walking through a drying town that had been rained on, but I was still dry, I got to see more of its faces.

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Contemplation on Boyne Island – Explore-It

TL;DR – Finding a moment of peace on the beach watching the waves roll in.

Boyne Island waterway. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

Exploring Contemplation on Boyne Island  –

Not that long ago, I found myself walking along the beach at Boyne Island after a recent storm had flushed the sands with stones, and I found myself in a moment of contemplation as I explored the coast and thought back on my January up to that point.

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Supanova Brisbane 2022 – Explore-It

TL;DR – We explore the biggest pop-culture event in Brisbane.

Disclosure – I paid for my entry and everything you see purchased in this article.

the entrance and stairs to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Exploring Supanova Brisbane 2022  –

In the Spring of every year, a range of cultural events descends on my home city of Brisbane. You have the Brisbane Festival, Riverfire, Brisbane Film Festival, and Brisbane Supanova, to name a few. I used to go to Supanova every year, but it has been a couple of years since I last felt confident walking into a crowded space, especially a convention. However, with PAX Aus being a successful trial ruin, it was time to return to my local pop-culture event. 

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Flowers of Gladstone

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).
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.

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Explore It – Gladstone

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.   

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Explore It – Out For A Day In Brisbane

TL;DR – Today I got out of the house and just went for a walk for the first time since March

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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.    

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Explore It – A Trip to the Footy to Watch the Brisbane Broncos take on the Parramatta Eels.

TL;DR – Today I explore the chaos and excitement of a live game of footy

A Trip to the Footy to Watch the Brisbane Broncos take on the Parramatta Eels. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.

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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.

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Explore It – Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre

TL;DR – Today I explore the beautiful Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre a pocket of bushland just south of Brisbane.

Daisy Hill Conservation Park & Koala Centre. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara

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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.

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Explore It – University of Queensland Bloom Festival

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

The University of Queensland Bloom Festival. Image Credit Brian MacNamara

 

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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.

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