Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens

We set off from Jan & Paul's to visit Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens - yes I hear you all say another Botanical Garden. But so far we have found that no two are the same. On our bus journey we made a quick stop at Toowong where we encountered this lovely little fellow below. He's a golden webbed orb spider. Orb cos that's his shape and golden cos when he web hits the sunlight it is a shimmers all golden. Fear him not as he is not dangerous - phew!



Arriving at the Botanical Gardens we were greeted by a very helpful lady at the information desk who loaded us up with a map and sent us on our merry way. With so much to see and do we weren't quite sure where to start first....

... so we thought a quick photo of the two of us would get us started :)



From the horizon we could see a curious dome shape so off we went to investigate. It turned out to be a 'Tropical Display Dome' which is a bit like a smaller scale Eden Project. The aim is to create a humid atmosphere that provides a perfect micro climate to grow plants not normally found in Brisbane.



We went off next on our merry way to 'The Fern House' which houses many different types of fern - who knew that there was more than one type, but apparently it curently houses 80 species!



After this we encountered many different fruit trees along the path down to the lagoon (thankfully we had already eaten and weren't tempted to snack along the way!)



I have to say that both Tim and I enjoyed the Lagoon very much - there was so much to look at that it was almost a sensory overload. The first thing that we both spotted were the ducks as you would expect from what in esssence was a rather large pond! The lagoon was coated with water lillies which the ducks seemed quite happy to weave their way in and out of.







One bird that we came across that I found curious is the Ibis. As you will see from the photos below it has got long legs and a fat body. Its head I can only describe as that of a vulture with a rather long beak at the end that looks like a grim reepers sheaf. Depsite this however they are very graceful birds and I had a close encounter with 10 of them on the pantoon on the lagoon.









The other bird that we saw on the lagoon was the Coot - a cute little black bird with a red beak - very cute!










A view looking back at the lagoon :



Me drinking from a water fountain which the Australians call a bubbler - brilliant!




The Japanese gardens within the Botanical Gardens are a copy of those that were at the World Expo of 1988. The architect who designed the gardens sadly died before it was finished but I am sure he would be proud of the finished outcome. We were definitely impressed by its tranquility. We took another opportunity to have our photo taken.





They seem to have everything here that you could possibly want to see - the next area we moved onto was the 'Bonsai Tree Garden'. There was approxmiately 30 tress in this area and some of them range from 30-50 years old, however they were no bigger than a couple of feet tall. The volunteer who was there explained to us that there was a Bonsai tree within the garden that had a twin. The twin had been allowed to grow in the ground and therefore has grown to an enormous height whereas the Bonsai tree seemed tiny in comparison.






I could go on and on about what we saw in the day that we spent at the gardens but I think the pictures tell their own story so I will leave you guys to have a look through the post and gaze at all the wondeful wildlife that we saw. I thoroughly recommend a trip here if you are ever in Brisbane especially if you get a nice sunny winters day like we did - yes they call 17 degrees winter here. Crazy! There is so much to see from the Fern House right through to the Japanese Garden.



One for Gran - we thought this might we a different variety of the Bottle Brush Tree. The flower was a vibrant pink although a different shape as you can see!




One thing that I can honestly say that both Tim and myself moving within the gardens was the 'Australian Freedom Wall' - when entering one would think that is just another war memorial. However this was built as a remembrance to all the soliders that fought in the war and also the companies that helped in WW2. Whatever it is meant to be a place truely humbles you. I think we both came out feeling very peaceful and reflective.


This cheeky little red bug tried to sneak onto Tim's t-shirt and come back to Jan & Paul's with us but we left him within the park so that he could stay with his friends.



Finally I end this post with the view of Brisbane from the lookout which we gazed over for quite a while. Well I gazed and Tim took lots of photos in true Tim style. But wihout Tim to take lots of photos we would not be able to bring you the wonders of Australia to share on the blog.

Down Under

G'day! Part 2 of The Big Twelve Monther has started - Australia!

The first of many sunrises expected in the next year greeted us into Australia above Brisbane and what a sunrise it was. The journey from Singapore was an uneventful night flight on a smaller plane with fewer people that lasted approx 6.5 hours..nothing really!



Our new mission once landed, was to make our way to Jindalee, the home of Janice and Paul McCormack, the family of Amber's friend Mel, who had kindly invited us into their home to get settled. We knew the address, we knew the method of transport so off we set on Queensland's new AirTrain - a new monorail/light railway that stretches throughout the state.



So, imagine this. I've left the RNLI, set off for a 12 month adventure, had a few days in Singapore and arrived in Australia. Guess what the first major sign on the AirTrain relates too!



You've got it. Beach safety advice to swim between the flags. I was quite impressed with the immediacy of this message to new arrivals to Australia and thought it would be an excellent result if this was the first thing visitors to the UK saw....come on Steve!!!

After helping direct a Queenslander to her home, yes, you heard right and help her with a bags whilst laden with our own, we arrived in Oxley, near to Jindalee to be picked up by Janice.

Let the adventure begin!

A Tale Of Two Cities

This post will be the last before we move on to Part 2 of The Big Twelve Monther, Australia. We've been very impressed with everything we've seen and done in Singapore but if we were to summarise our thoughts, it would be one of contrast. Many places have contrasting features but Singapore has had to balance hers in a relatively short period of time.

Colonial influence is still very strong and architecture from the time is still very prominent although the functionality of the buildings has very much changed. Fort Canning, and the underground command post known as Battle Box, housed the WW2 commanders of Singapore and played an important role in the development of Singapore as an industrial powerhouse in SE Asia.

The walk around Fort Canning Park on a sunny day is very worthwhile doing to see various reminders of the role the building played. Nowadays its home to a renowned catering/cuisine workshop and areas for sport, sculptures and recreational workshops.



Raffles Hotel is probably the best evidence of colonial architecture and the new modern society in the city. Previously Raffles stood on its own in expansive grounds with lawns and gardens that has been swamped with the high rise buildings of the new age. The internal design and feel of the hotel provides a glimpse of what life would have been like on the outside by the care and detail that has been given.



Many anecdotes can be found at Raffles that themselves show how different the Singapore of yesterday is from today. One such story relates to the monkey nuts that are offered as complimentary snacks in Long Bar. It is tradition now to throw the nut shells on to the floor rather than dispose in a litter bin. This in itself is strange from the clean, sterile attitudes found outside the hotel where famously chewing gum is banned and littering invokes a large penalty.

The tradition relates to the historic industries of rubber collection from the once numerous rubber trees grown in Malaya. The bark of these trees is scratched and discarded on the ground to collect the latex sap used in rubbber production. By dropping the shells on the floor, it reflects the treading of the discarded bark by the rubber plantation workers.





A trip to the National Musuem of Singapore is also an adventure to see the insight into the city's past. Make sure you find a free day like we did! The NMS has been restored on numerous occassions and during our visit, had a gallery on photography showing. It showed the history of photography in Singapore and Malaya from the turn of the 20th Century and the importance it played in developing the arts and culture world in this part of the world. Coupled with the emergence of digital technology it gives the locals the background from where their cameras come from by displaying early cameras and projectors.



Along the same lines, an exhibition was showing on the emergence on the Singapore film industry that built on the introduction of theatre and opera from China. Many historic costumes and accesories as well as the early theatre sets (similar to our Punch & Judy theatres) were on show. Both exhibitions were treated very sensitively within the new musuem and were very well attended.



Strangely whilst we were at the NMS, one of the public contributions related to the same idea of balance. I was very keen to add an external perspective and drew a see-saw that had the modern and historic aspects of Singapore on each end. The aim of the gallery was to record today's societies view on what was important to the city.




All of the historic context of Singapore is visible to the visitor but it more directly obvious how Singapore has embraced the modern world. There is no better way of seeing this embrace than at night and from above the city.

Amber kindly bought tickets to the Singapore Flyer for my birthday so we set off after afternoon tea at Raffles to find it and take a flight. Well, you cannot miss it. It stands high above the city near the water and they're proud to tell you its 5m taller than the London Eye. It's the new jewel in Singapore's crown along with the Marina Bay Sands, a posh and trendy hangout for the wealthy that consists of casinos, luxury apartments and bars and clubs accessible to few.




Rather than the standalone attraction in London, the Flyer is a complex of shops, bars and restaurants that have the central wheel as the focal point straight through the middle. Sensitive lighting highlights the 20man compartments as they raise higher into the Singapore sky. We were very lucky for a clear night so could see for miles and as a result the continued development of sports clubs, new hotels and restaurants and numerous administration functions such as a light railway and convention centre.




Our last morning in the city prompted a final walkabout where we headed for Chinatown. As with many Chinatowns around the world, Singapore's district is near the central business district. Rows upon rows of trendy shops and restaurants were nestled within the traditional market stalls and food courts for the local population. Contrast here was incredible with massive infrastructure to the MRT alongside a row of traditional Chinese shops. Lanterns were suspended on the outside of the MRT station creating a feel that one was overgrowing the other. Which way round this takeover was going was unclear but with the emergence of Singapore as a powerhouse in SE Asia trade I largely suspect the modern world will win



The final observation of Singapore was Orchard St, Singapore's equivalent of Oxford Street, the West End and Knightsbridge all rolled into one. Louis Vuitton, Armani, Cartier and Hilton are just a few of the luxury brands to have not just one store but several stores along the main shopping and entertainment district of Singapore. Shiny cars sit in traffic jams here whilst being overlooked by the wealthy - a massive difference from Little India where we stayed that contained many clapped out and smoky cars nipping in and out..







Nowhere more than Orchard St epitomises modern Singapore better. The brands sit amongst the skyscrapers whilst the sports cars nip around their toes.

Bye bye Singapore