Publican's Verandah

Right off the bat you will note that Australians spell the word differently by adding an ‘h’.  A verandah is a covered gallery often found surrounding the second story of Australian pubs.  A publican is a person who owns a pub (hotel) a very popular trade in Australia.  Therefore a publican’s verandah is the gallery or in more colloquial terms it refers to the huge stomach many publicans have due to excessive consumption of beer.

The Great Flood

Brisbane had experienced many floods before the one in 1974 however this one was my first.  After several weeks of higher than normal rainfall cyclone Wanda parked itself offshore and dragged the monsoonal trough line down to Brisbane.  We had 65 centimetres of rain in ten days which was too much for the normally sluggish and meandering Brisbane River to handle.  Fourteen people lost their lives and 200 million dollars of damage was caused.  One memory I have was my visit to see my friend Andrew.  He lived with his parents in Yeronga at least a kilometre from the river.  When I arrived I was appalled to see only the cornice of his 2-story house peeking out of the floodwaters.  My family luckily went unscathed as we had moved to the suburb of Sunnybank Hills far out of the reach of the floodwaters.  I did get several days off work though as the Brisbane downtown core was also flooded.

I managed to find this video on Youtube which shows the floodwaters in the city centre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWrd2U2tYAw

The Eureka Stockade

The Eureka Stockade was a protest by gold miners on 3 December 1854 which went horribly wrong. If you intend visiting the former goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria then get a head start by reading all about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Stockade

The Southern Cross

Have you ever wondered about the stars on the Australian flag? The five stars you see are the brightest ones of the Southern Cross (Crux) constellation which can only be seen in the southern hemisphere. The stars are named alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilom. The other part of the flag is the British Union Jack which represents Australia's historical (convict) roots and of course if you don't count the Dutch explorers. Even today it remains an irritant to many Australians. Lacking a pole star in the southern hemisphere, the alpha and beta stars, often referred to as pointer stars, are used for locating the South Pole important for navigation. In aboriginal folklore two of the stars represent the head of an emu while the whole constellation is a possum sitting in a tree. The Southern Cross has historical importance as well. It appeared on the Eureka Flag (see my article on the Eureka Stockade) representing revolution against oppression.

Opals

I bought Marielle an opal at a factory outlet place north of the Gold Coast. Did you know that Australia produces about 97% of the world’s opals, mining them in strange sounding places like Coober Pedy and Andamooka? When you visit Australia invariably you will be tempted to buy an opal. To ensure you get value for money you should know what you are buying : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal

Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads Beach with National Park in the background

Burleigh Heads Beach with Surfers Paradise in the background

Sunrise - view from our apartment at Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads is a self contained community tucked away between the beach and the Pacific Highway about half way between Surfer’s Paradise in the north and Coolangatta in the south of the Gold Coast. Burleigh boasts two small supermarkets, a bake shop, several restaurants, two pubs with one overlooking the beach, liquor store and a bowling green. What else could you ask for? In the morning you could go surfing, go walking along the beachside bike path which also has numerous exercise stops, or walk through the national park. If it like quiet, with conveniences and quick access to other parts of the Gold Coast and the hinterland, then Burleigh is the place for you. It is about 90 minutes south of Brisbane.