Travel Album: Brisbane Breakaway

I went up to Brisbane last Friday for a work event, and stayed on for the weekend. That’s not a lot of time to see a city, but I had an enjoyable break nonetheless. Seems like a good candidate for Travel Photo Mondays.

(click any photo in the gallery to expand to full size; hover your mouse over an image to see the caption)

This lion stands guard at the Nepal Peace Pagoda at South Bank Parklands. The pagoda was built for the 1988 World Expo.

Elements of the pagoda were hand crafted in Nepal and assembled in Brisbane. (Part of the pagoda reminded me of the Khajuraho Temples in India, which are renowned for their erotic carvings. I can’t imagine what an average Australian parent says when their offspring asks “What is that man doing to that lady?”. I refrained from posting photos of those carvings in case my blog became R rated!)

This rather handsome (and rather large!) fellow was in the bushes near the pagoda.

Chillin’ in the botanic gardens. You have to admire this man’s balance.

There is a whole flock of these metal butterflies on the side of a building in Queen St Mall.

The Brisbane Polo Club.

The Brisbane Polo Club.

An old retaining wall and drainpipe beside the river.

This chain is part of the railing along the river. Did I mention it rained? A lot?

A chocolate tour is a great way to forget the rain!

The Noosa Chocolate Factory.

I was feeling chocolated-out by the time we hit the last shop on the tour.

A girl can’t live on chocolate alone! This bicycle cart and the deck chairs wear the livery of Chandon, an Australian sparkling wine maker. Brisbane’s Story Bridge is in the background.