| Downtown
Brisbane |
| Queen
Street is Brisbane’s oldest
thoroughfare, its southern section between George and Edward streets now a
pedestrian mall with the Myer Centre – a multistoreyed shopping
complex – as its focus. Most of the stores inside are on the chic side
but you can, for kicks, ride the glass elevators or buy designer Outback
accessories and fluffy koalas. It’s also worth investigating the food
centres on the Queen Street level, crammed at midday with office workers
having lunch.
There’s a huge variety of classy fast-food
outlets, from Asian takeaways to Greek kebab shops, at slightly higher
prices than the local hotel food. Outside, the mall is always busy
with people running errands, window shopping or just socializing.
There’s usually some kind of entertainment, too: either informal efforts
– acrobats, buskers and the occasional soap-box orator – or more
organized events such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancing or
jazz sessions on the small stage about halfway down the street.
Business
District |
|
| Brisbane’s
business district was heavily developed in the 1980s and left with
a legacy of glassy high-rises; the few surviving old buildings are hidden
among the modern ones. The copper-domed Customs House at the north
end of Queen Street harbours the University of Queensland Press, publisher
of Peter Carey’s surrealistic novels, while rustic All Saints’
Church on the corner of Wickham Terrace, and Neo-Gothic St John’s
Cathedral on Ann Street, have some elegant stained-glass windows.
Sunday morning is made lively by the Eagle Street Markets between
the river and the road – too trendy for bargains, but not bad for
jewellery and leatherwork, clothing and $15 massages.
|
|
|
City Hall |
| North
from the mall along Albert Street, you arrive at City Hall, facing
King George Square: in front of the fountains are bronze sculptures
looking like large pieces of futuristic circuitry. A stately building
ruined by an ugly clock tower, there’s sad irony – and a reflection of
former policies – in the triangular sculpture over the portico. A
central figure representing the state faces out, arms spread to protect
all citizens, while on the left the Aboriginal way of life is depicted
“dying out before the approach of the white man”. The City Art
Gallery (daily 10am–5pm; free) inside has a smattering of paintings,
pottery and glassware, though it’s worth checking to see if there are
any temporary exhibitions of work by Australian artists, or if there are
any screenings at the tiny cinema. The clock tower is open, too, if you
want a view of the city centre (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; free); access is
through the City Hall foyer.
Observatory |
| Up
Albert Street from City Hall is Wickham Park and the grey cone of
Brisbane’s oldest building, a windmill known locally as the Observatory,
built by convicts in 1829 to grind corn for the early settlement. The
original wooden sails were too heavy to turn and for years grinding was
done by a treadmill – severe punishment for the convicts who had to work
it. Describing the scene in 1836, the Quaker missionary George Walker was
quietly appalled: “They work from sunrise to sunset, with a rest of
three hours in the middle of the day … the exertion requisite to keep
this up is excessive. I am told the steps of the wheel are sometimes
literally wet with the perspiration.” The sails, useless for catching
the wind, were put to work as gallows before being pulled off in 1850 and,
with the convicts gone, the building subsequently became a signal station.
It now stands empty, held together with a cement glaze and firmly locked.
Maps
|
 |
|
