A dry but hot and humid start to the day, so we decided to use the day to see a little more of Brisbane. A short drive took us over the Story Bridge over the Brisbane river. This bridge was designed by the same person responsible for the Sydney Harbour Bridge and like the latter you can pay to climb it. The bridge was built to provide employment at the time of the depression in the 1930’s. We stopped for a few photographs of the view over the river and retraced our steps to find the place to get a river boat tour. While waiting for the boat we had time for lunch in a massive arts complex which also housed the state library and art gallery. The boat journey lasted a couple of hours up and down the river giving us good views of the city and lots of historical information of the growth of Brisbane from the penal colony, through the discovery of gold which lead to massive growth. We also heard of the devastating floods in the 1970’s and the worries for the long term when the existing flood defences are no longer adequate. From here we took a scenic drive to Mount Coot -tha lookout. This is the highest point in Brisbane and gave us a great view over the city and also had the advantage of a great cafe and our first taste of Lamingtons – iconic Australian cakes (vanilla sponge covered in chocolate and coconut, and in this case filled with cream and jam).
