Not a whole lot to say really! We’re spending a few days in Brisbane to visit family and friends. The city continues to develop at a blistering pace as it readies itself to host the 2032 Olympics with new high rise buildings dwarfing what remains of the original Central Business District. Although I still can’t quite work out why locals like to refer to their city as “Brisvegas”…..

As has now become our habit, we’re once again lodged in a converted historic woolshed in Teneriffe, the city’s “yuppy” area on the edge of the CBD and just a stone’s throw from the Fortitude Valley “party” district of the city.

We’re in a loft apartment on the top floor of what had been the home of wool traders Goldsbrough Mort & Company Ltd with a great view over the Brisbane River just across the road from us.

Our “host” Shane has us pick up the keys from his Fortitude Valley bottle shop, Booze Bne. Shane also invites us to visit his club, “Stranded” upstairs above the bottle shop on Friday or Saturday evening when there’s live music (he’ll leave our names at the door so he tells me!)…..which we duly do. Can’t turn down an invitation like that!

So it’s a Wednesday evening excellent Japanese dinner with Chris; Thursday in Redcliffe north of the city with Marvia & Kym; Friday (birthday) lunch in Fortitude Valley with Zoran & Maddy and evening birthday drinks and nibbles at home (ours…or rather, Shane’s) with Liz & Barry; Saturday lunch at Benji & Reenie’s.

Sunday we drive two and a half hours (and one time zone) south from Brisbane to Byron Bay in New South Wales, the “trendiest” city in Australia…..at least according to all the “trendies” who live there…..to have lunch with Blake, Luke, Barton and families. It’s no exaggeration to say that the horrendous weather made for the worst driving conditions I can ever remember experiencing. For the entire drive down and most of the return drive, the rain was torrential with periodic near white-out conditions and this on what is probably Australia’s busiest motorway. Still we made it there and back (five hours total) safely and more than worth it to catch up with the family.