I remember the old days pelting down Elizabeth Street on my bike (and probably breaking the speed limit) so I could make it up the hill on the other side and keep up with traffic. The citylink separated bikeway is way better 🥰
Brisbane CityLink
Enoggera Creek
Took this photo on the way back from lunch today. The ibis roost in the trees to the right, and fruit bats live out-of shot to the left.
I always thought this was “Breakfast Creek” but my lunch buddy Gav called it differently so I did a little research.
Google Maps and OpenStreetMap both label the entire stretch Enoggera Creek, but I found the following snippet in a local newspaper:
A Department of Natural Mines and Resources spokesman said “significant research” in 1992 confirmed the name changed where the North Coast Railway Line crossed the creek, south of Albion Station and west of Burrows St and Hudson Rd.
A News Corp publication
Apparently there used to be a small tributary creek around the area that was used as the distinction, but it’s always been somewhat of a mystery:
“Confusion over where Enoggera Creek becomes Breakfast Creek dates back to the 1850s when a survey plan labelled the creek at this point as ‘Breakfast Creek or Enoggera Creek’”
Department of Natural Mines and Resources spokesman
I may need to dust off my OpenStreetMap account and make the controversial edit based on this info.
But suffice to say, this segment does appear to be Enoggera Creek after all.
You can download the original photo.
Girl power-tool by Dominique O’Leary
This brightly coloured signal box caught my eye just outside Bunnings so I had to stop for a look. I find it amusing that signal boxes are now something that “interests” me, but here we are.
‘Girl Power-Tool’ illustrates the strong modern confident woman wielding power tools to get the job done. Wo-manual Arts is an empowering thing!
Dominique O’Leary
I absolutely love the art style, the strong contrasts and pastel colours. It’s also a really nice bit of representation to inspire young makers, especially being right outside a two-floor hardware superstore.
From the artist:
I think the BCC traffic signal box initiative is one of the best creative projects in Brisbane. It connects the community and is a visual representation of Brisbane’s sense of place.
I know from painting on the street, (literally…sometimes you’re laying down doing the low parts on the actual freaking street) so many people came up to say how much the artwork gives them a high!
Dominique O’Leary
You can check out the artist’s website for more works, and some much better photos than the ones I took.
Guzman y Gomez magnet giveaway
I saw a post on Twitter about a magnet giveaway at Guzman y Gomez, and I was reminded of the fact that I really wanted salsa queso fries. So used the opportunity to grab dinner while I was out running an errand.
The magnets are pretty alright, I like the colours. I would have preferred stickers though, I have no use for fridge magnets and felt bad about the waste.
Ultimately I decided I didn’t want them so I popped them back.
The Dancers, Melbourne Street
An Expo is a global event that aims at educating the public, promoting progress and fostering cooperation. It is the world’s largest meeting place, bringing together countries, the private sector, the civil society and the general public around interactive exhibitions, live shows, workshops, conferences and much more.
Bureau International des Expositions
I always wondered what exactly “Expo 88” was. It was the event that transformed South Bank from an industrial area to the thriving parkland and commerce area it is today. From April to October 1988, over 15 million visitors traveled to Brisbane to visit Expo, which included “pavilions, laser displays, fireworks, parades, concerts, the Aquacade, water skiing show, a monorail and much more”.
I was in West End the other day and happened upon these two dancers, part of a 30 year anniversary of Expo 88.
They’re re-cast from the original fibreglass sculptires, and have a somewhat uncanny appearance. They remind me of weeping angels with those soulless eyes, but when I visited someone had dressed them up with rather fetching beads.
The Human Factor series was created by Brisbane’s Artbusters in the late 1980s. The first iterations of this iconic series were installed throughout the World Expo ’88 site. The figures seen here today have been re-imaged and re-cast for the 30th anniversary of World Expo ’80, giving residents and visitors a sense of the celebration that World Expo ’88 was.
Many believe that World Expo ’88 was Brisbane’s coming of age, as the city experienced different cultures, food, lifestyle and entertainment.
The number of visits over the six months exceeded 15.7 million. On 30 October 1988, the song ‘The Carnival is Over’ was performed by the Seekers at the closing ceremony and was considered and appropriate end to Brisbane’s biggest party.
Artbusters The Human Factor series – The Dancers 2018
Two years ago on the 30th anniversary of Expo 88, Brisbane City Council set up a self-guided World Expo ’88 Public Art Trail of Expo related artworks and artefacts. There are currently 31 pieces around the city.
You can check out more about the art trail on the Brisbane Council website. I’m curious to explore more in future.
King George Square Signal Box, Debra Hood
As I was heading to Office Works in the city, I discovered this signal box painted in bright floral colours representing Queensland architecture and the square behind it.
I took a quick snap because I’ve been thinking about starting a signal box database (nerd alert!) but when I looked up the artist I found she’s painted a number of signal boxes and even had work displayed on a CityCat.
I have loved architecture of all sorts since I was a child. Born and bred in Port Macquarie, NSW, I used to love driving north for family holidays and upon reaching the Clarence River region; there was a distinct shift in the style of domestic architecture. Perhaps because it marked the arrival at the holiday destination, or simply an innate love of these timber and tin houses, I become a Queenslander fan. As a response to existing on floodplains, these houses sat high and proud on strange timber stilts and were embraced by the surrounding sugarcane fields.
Then, when I moved to Brisbane in 1992, the romance of latticed verandahs shaded by mango and palm trees was an utter delight. I was totally besotted with their beautiful decorative features, history and adaptation to the hot and humid climate.
Interview With Debra Hilda Hood
I love her Queensland themes, densely packed elements and beautiful colours. You can check out more of her work over at debrahoodart.com.au.
Boy and Girl, Greenslopes
Boy and Girl depicts a young boy looking through his binoculars at the city while his younger sister pleads for a chance to have a look. The sculptures reference the Greenslopes Centre’s city view, the diversity of community visitors and also pupils from the school close by.
I was walking through Greenslopes and spotted this handsome pair by artist Terry Summers.
- Artist: Terry Summers
- Material: White bronze and granite stone
- Installed: June 2012
Stones Corner
I was walking through the other day. Stopped by at ALDI for some cheese. Caught the train back into the city.
Spinning Top
Work by Jarrad Kennedy, nestled between Wickham, Turbot and Boundary streets.
I caught this from the wrong side. It’s actually meant to be a toppled church dome, a reference to the namesake church at Cathedral Place which was never built.
The underside, pictured here, is a mosaic supposed to represent the reflection of the clear blue sky.
Spinning Top paid homage the unbuilt Holy Name Cathedral, which had been planned for the block at the other side of Centenary Place.
“The cathedral was to be the largest church building of any denomination in the southern hemisphere and proposed to seat some 4000 people,” Cr Cooper said.
“Unfortunately the Great Depression and a lack of funding for construction stalled the project until Duhig’s death in 1965.
Brisbane’s new public art installed
A Colourful Valley
A traffic signal box mural by Nurul Amira Salehin, at the intersection of Wickham and Gotham streets, Fortitude Valley.
Completed date: 30 June 2018.
This artwork represents the vibrancy of Fortitude Valley which is known for it’s cafes and nightlife through big, bold and bright colours.
Nurul Amira Salehin
You also check it out on the BCC Flickr.