Brisbane City Centre

Brisbane itself was a different kettle of kelp starting with an excellent dinner at Louie’s brother Tom’s house. We enjoy succulent steak, a delicious Leconfield 2002 Cabernet and some interesting anecdotes about life as a GP in Wadonga miles away from a heavily pregnant wife.

We stay in a beautiful period property from the 1880’s recently restored including a charming pool, original furnishings and snooker room complete with lifelike pool playing mannequin to keep you company. The place is a bargain due to communal living area and kitchen but we basically get the place to ourselves apart from the late returning gay coffee salesman who uses the lounge after midnight. Judging from the recent history on the internet that I spot whilst logging onto BBC Schools for Ruby’s homework, the guy must get very little sleep…

It’s Thursday and time for a bit of culture at the Brisbane Art Centre on the trendy Southbank. They are showing an Andy Warhol exhibition that is thoroughly absorbing particularly given my ignorance on the subject of Popart. I am intrigued by the technique of deliberately imperfect printing to create blurred images as in the famous Marilyn, Jackie Kennedy and Debbie Harry series. Other highlights include the realistic baked beans boxes and Campbell’s soup tins, clips from Warhol’s ‘15 minutes of fame’ TV series and the Kids section. The latter had square silver helium balloons floating around in a room entitled ‘clouds’; the chance to record your own 15 seconds of fame and booths where you can take your own passport photos in the blurred brightly coloured Warhol style. I’m very glad I was cajoled into coming and Mum is bound to be pleased too even if her artistic bent leans more to the classical.

Ten pin bowling the next day entertains the kids especially as they each have their own ‘slides’ to make it easier and more fun. Karen’s has less of a good time putting her back out for weeks.

We return to Southbank at the weekend for a picnic amongst the resident curlews and a swim for the kids at the man-made ‘beach’. We just have time for a lazy drive through the impressive botanical gardens and up Mount Coot-tha for far reaching views over the urban sprawl. Dinner is at Louie’s Mum’s where Louie cooks delicious fish ‘en papilotte’, I do some minor DIY and Louie’s Mum chats away pleasantly rather like my own making me feel ever so slightly homesick for the first time…