We’re doing the City to South, 14km, fun run next week, therefore, decided to replicate the distance this morning. For additional amusement, we embarked on a mission to cross the Brisbane River 6 times, and to maintain a faster pace as compared to the previous few weeks. Each goal was achieved.
My favourite bridge is the Eleanor Schonell, spanning from Fairfield to the University of Queensland. Not only preferred because of the downhill easy run from East to West, the green leafy surrounds of the University of Queensland makes it feel like you are on an island, not at the gate of a major city. We followed the river along familiar terrain through St Lucia and the hill climbs past Guyatt Park, following the shared cycle route towards Coronation Drive. We ascended and descended our second Bridge, the Go Between. The Go Between is a more functional construction without the unique features of some of the other crossings. It was a brief weave past the old Pauls’ milk Factory and then a climb up the old steel stairs of our third bridge, the elegant William Jolly Bridge. It was opened in 1932 as the Grey Street Bridge and later renamed in memory of the first Lord Mayor of Brisbane (not sure we’ll be requesting any renaming to Newman Bridges). We stayed up on the North Quay roadway and made our way up Tank Street to our fourth crossing, the Kurilpa Bridge. I was busy contemplating the principles of tensegrity as I crossed; a synergy between balanced tension and compression components to create a light structure which is incredibly strong (as stated in Wikipedia). Not feeling particularly light or strong, we powered along the boardwalk in front of GOMA to our fifth, the Victoria Bridge. The current bridge is merely utilitarian, being an early example of 1970’s pre-stressed concrete. The cycle path under the expressway along the river towards the Botanic Gardens appears a little dingy, but is only a brief stint before opening out near the Queensland University of Technology for our sixth and my second favourite span, The Goodwill Bridge. This is a very popular route for pedestrians and cyclists and is an attractive creation within the city scape.
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| Avocado |
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| Smoked Kingfish |
Gauge is a new café on Grey Street opposite the Museum. After reading a positive
write-up in the local paper and noting its early opening hours of 7am, it seemed like a reasonable proposition. The menu reads enticingly with the promise of something a little different. Bronwyn ordered the Smoked Kingfish with spiced pearl barley, soft egg and topped with parsley ($18). She advised the dish, was a tasty mix of subtle flavours. It was a positive report from Caitlyn for her Avocado, house sourdough, Japanese spice mixture (togarashi) and lemon ($10). I tried the cucumber kimchi, house seeded bread, soft egg, cured pork cheek, skyr and confit heirloom tomatoes ($18). It was a delicate assembly of components in the dish, all very enchanting but not something to sustain for long. The heirloom tomatoes were a sweet highlight. We all agreed the food was very good, but portion sizes may disappoint the runner’s appetites. Fortunately for us, we had capacity to try the pastries, tantalisingly positioned on the front counter. The pastries were as good as they looked: fluffy; melt in the mouth with delicious fruit and custard fillings. With friendly, professional service, great food and a simple, stylish interior, the Gauge has been a welcome addition to our café musings
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| Cucumber Kimchi |
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| Pastries |
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