Mango Tree

We started working in our garden recently, even though we've been here since September last year.  Just haven't found the time before now.  Pottering around...we discovered we have a mango tree in the backyard.  Feeling like a true Queenslander now. 

Federal Election: Lilley Electorate

With the Federal Election less than a week away, we thought we'd better check out what our new electorate in Queensland was.  Want to make sure we don't miss out on democracy in action.  You'd almost think this election was solely about Queensland, given how much focus the state has received from both main political parties - campaign launches are held here, major policy announcements are made here and it feels like Julia and Tony are up here every second day at the moment.  And there is a logical reason behind it and not just because the Queensland winter makes great campaign weather conditions.  There are about 5 marginal seats in QLD, only surpassed by NSW which has 9. 

Our new electorate is Lilley (where do they get these electorate names by the way??).  Lo and behold, the current member of Lilley is none other than Treasurer Wayne Swan (you can see his mugshot on posters all over the suburb, like above).  SBS have a great election tool on their website which gives you statistics about your electorate. 
Here's the lowdown on Lilley:

Country of birth: 75% Australia; 25% Overseas (largely 4% UK; 4% NZ; 1% Philippines)
Languages spoken at home: 85% English; 15% language other than English (largest % Italian)
Religious affiliation: 31% Catholic; 19% Anglican; 18% No Religion; 6% Uniting Church
Gender: 52% Female, 28% Male
Age: 44% 25-54; 13% 15-24; 11% 5-14; 15% >65; 10% 55-64; 6% <5

Not the most diverse electorate in the Australia, that's for sure.  Pretty "top Aussie" really.  The main surprise to me was the no religion affiliation, up there nearly pipping the Anglicans. 

It's off to the polling booths for us then this coming Saturday.  Enjoy your electioneering!

XXXX Brewery

We had a friend visiting Brisbane for the first time and what better way to introduce them to the Queensland way of life than a trip to the XXXX Brewery.  XXXX beer is to Queensland what Tooheys is to New South Wales, VB is to Victoria or Coopers to South Australia (I won't go too overboard by bringing in the Tasmania north/south divide over Boags/Cascade). 

The XXXX brewery was established in Milton (now inner city Brisbane) in 1878 and is still very much the active, working power house - pumping out this favourite tipple for many Queenslanders.  It's a great looking factory - it has an art deco facade, which gives way to a more modern brewing plant behind.  I'd never been there before (sad fact I know for someone who claims to be a true Queenslander) and didn't realise that it had a bar open to the public.

It worked out as a good idea not just to indoctrinate Richie into Queensland culture, but a couple of the group were heading to the rugby that night and the brewery is just up the road from Suncorp Stadium (aka Lang Park).  Given it's proximity to the stadium, I was surprised it wasn't busier.  But after an hour or so - we did discover the whole bar was booked for a private function that evening, which probably had something to do with the rugby.  In the meantime, we did get to enjoy a few beers from the source.

Don't go thinking that we were sampling the many varieties on offer.  Unlike some of Australia's other beer institutions, who have a vast range to choose from (ie Coopers) - XXXX have kept things very simple.  There's the original bitter, GOLD (the popular light alternative) and some Summer Lager (which was obviously targeted to the "Corona" crowd).  I can't go past the original bitter and enjoyed having a pot or two.  Don't get me wrong - this is no Little Creatures or Red Oak masterpiece.  But as an "everyman's" beer, I think it's solid.  It was my introduction to beer (cringe-worthy for some) and I think there's a time and place for a XXXX (like on a stinking hot day watching cricket at the Gabba).

I would definitely recommend the Ale House (as it's officially known) as a good venue to catch up with friends for a beer or two, especially if they're touristas to Queensland or you're going to catch a game at Suncorp Stadium later on.

Kylie Kwong @ the Irish Club

If they ever held the Food Olympics, then Kylie Kwong and Matthew Evans would definitely be our representatives because they are such true champions of good food.  Went and saw Kylie last night at the Irish Club in Elizabeth Street, hosted by the cooperative "Brisbane's Better Bookshops".   Kylie was up here doing a slew of events in Brisbane, all of which were slightly out of my current price range (breakfast at Riverbend and drinks/canapes at Mary Ryan's; both circa $100).  So I was delighted when I came across the advertisement to see Kylie for a mere $15 at the Irish Club.   Was somewhat puzzled at first by the Irish Club venue, but at $15, I didn't miss a beat and booked tickets pronto.  The venue was actually a pleasant surprise - the event was held upstairs in a lovely, open and ornate hall.  There was even a bar.  Bonus.  Second surprise of the evening was when John Birmingham was introduced as the interviewer (of "He Died with a Felafel" fame).  Bit of a random personality for the theme I thought, but I'm quite a fan of John, so I rolled with it. 

The true star was of course Kylie herself.  I've seen Kylie quite a few times before in her restaurant, Billy Kwong in Sydney - but it was inspiring to listen to her talk about her current passion for sustainable food and supporting those who produce it.  She was comfortable being on the centre stage and talking about her career and family life; coming across very much as a "true blue" Aussie having a yarn with blokey farmers in their fields, but still retaining a deep connection to the Chinese culture that she grew up with.  I was also interested to learn that her venture with Bill Granger (hence Billy Kwong) only lasted one year together (Kylie bought Bill out post the year and the restaurant is now celebrating it's 10th).  Maybe it was all that white?

Kylie's new book "It Tastes Better" looks great, but I'm already under mounting pressure about the quantities of books I accumulate, so I thought I'd better let sleeping dogs lie on this one.  But I'll continue to support Kwongy (as Neil Perry affectionately calls her) by either relishing her fabulous duck at Billy Kwong or maybe even snacking on her goodies available at the Eveleigh Markets one day.  Photo courtesy of Kylie's website. 

Finders Keepers: Brisbane

No losers or weepers here at the Finders Keepers this Saturday.  This was my first visit to the craft market, which is becoming ever popular in both Sydney and Brisbane, and I was very impressed.  It was held in the Old Museum, which is a perfect venue to suit the vintage theme.  It's a beautiful old building from the late 1890's and been at various times a museum, art gallery and concert hall.  We got there early and enjoyed a coffee and some banana cake in the garden area, which was a lovely start to the morning. 

There were two main studios open with stalls and luckily we got there early, as by the time we made it to Studio 2, the crowds had swelled so much that you couldn't even get close to the vendors.  We found lots of goodies in Studio 1 though - prints, toys, clothes, jewellery, fabrics, bags and lots more.  It is events like these that make me shake my head and think why don't why see vendors like these more often?  The offerings from chain stores in our CBD or major shopping centres are just downright depressing and it was a delight to see products I would actually buy and cherish.  Needless to say goods were purchased and happy faces ensued.  After trying to unsuccessfully navigate our way through Studio 2, we decided to call it a day.  You can get easily overwhelmed by all those people and craft in one morning.

Great event and I'll be supporting Finders Keepers next year when they're back. 

Observations of working in Brisbane CBD #1

Whoever designed the Brisbane CBD, I can tell you now, it definitely wasn't a woman.  No woman who has ever worn heels of any description in her life would introduce paving like that above.  This is the most treacherous paving I've come across in my 10+ years of working in CBD's both here and overseas.  I had heel damage on my brand new shoes on Day 1 in this environment.  Unbelievable.  Brisbane City Council needs to sort this out ASAP.  There are some newer paved areas which are much more suitable to heels (large, flat squares) but these things above with all those crazy, deep, windy divets have disaster written all over them.  I almost have to tiptoe when I'm walking around in my heels (and obviously look ridiculous).  

Now that I've had my soapbox moment, on to other observations:

• Coffee seems more expensive then Sydney, which I find quite surprising.  Maybe I was just on a good wicket, but before I left, I was getting a great flat white for $2.80 in Macquarie Place.  Now I'm paying $3.40 for a coffee and it's good, but not amazing.  Hmph. 
• There is no cupcake store in the city that I've found.  What is that?  I thought these were mandatory post "Sex & the City" days.  Very handy when you want to buy a little pressie for birthdays at work or for self indulgent purposes.  
• Great discovery has been "Bagel Nook".  Bagels are awesome and under rated outside of the US (although stay away from the "everything bagel" if they have them).
• Smokers - lots of them.  Or so it appears to me.  I often have to walk through a haze of smoke to get into my building.  Weird.
• Early birds.  Most people seem to get to work early.  Like between 7.30am and 8.00am everyday.  I'm generally an early person myself and even I'm struggling (I am the last person to arrive at work at 8.05am).  I wonder if behaviour is influenced by hot Brisbane summers being more pleasant in the morning dictating this behaviour? 
• Early leavers.  People are out of the office between 5.00pm and 6.00pm from what I can gather (see above "early birds").  Love it.

The Regent Cinema

It will be a sad day indeed when the Regent Cinema closes it's doors for demolition in June 2010. This grand old dame has been around since the 1920's and pays homage to the golden era of cinema houses, with it's Gothic architecture and vaulted cathedral like ceilings. To celebrate it's long life, the cinema is running it's final festival of "8 Decades in 8 Days". I wasn't missing this chance for anything - I remember seeing movies as diverse as 'The Titanic' and 'Das Boot' here. Couldn't go pass the chance at seeing 'Casablanca' on the big screen, so we trooped along for the Sunday afternoon session. It was fantastic to see this masterpiece in a cinema - which I'd only ever seen on DVD. You could imagine what it was like back in the day, when going to the pictures was glamorous and a real outing (as opposed to now, which involves avoiding punks and popcorn littered aisles).

Brisbane has lost too many interesting cinemas to this similar end - the Classic in Woolloongabba, the Metro and now the Regent. Luckily, there are still a few gems out there, where you can see something more than the usual "event-cinema-mainstream" fare, such as the Tribal Theatre, Palace Cinemas and the Regal Twin in Graceville.

For now, it's farewell to the Regent. Or as Rick in 'Casablanca' would say, 'Here's looking at you, kid'. savetheregent.com (photos courtesy of www.ourbrisbane.com.au)

PhotoContinential

I'm the first to admit it's unusual for me to write about a camera store.  As a disclaimer - this is in no way saying I'm now some fully fledged member of 'Camera Club'.  But when you come across a place like PhotoContinental - which I think is the best camera & photo processing store in Brisbane, it's enough for anyone to get excited about.  Even me!

Ok - it doesn't look that exciting from my picture, but this place is a behemoth.   It has a massive photo processing section (they do their own on site) and then another whole section of cameras & equipment.  It also has a huge range of photo frames and even it's own cafe.  It's like the Brisbane version of New York's B&H.  Nothing can be as a crazy as B&H, (which is an all out assault on the senses) but PhotoContinental is definitely up there in terms of it's scope and range.  We never managed to find an equivalent in Sydney, so it's fantastic to be able to have found something like this QLD.

Matthew Evans @ the Avid Reader

Last night I attended an event at the quirky Avid Reader bookstore in West End. They were hosting Matthew Evans, who southerners may know from his food critic days for the Sydney Morning Herald or more recently, from his Gourmet Farmer show on SBS (a channel which apparently only 2% of the population watch - scary fact revealed on the night). Matthew was there to promote his new book, called "The Real Food Companion", which he hopes to show us "how to ethically source, cook and eat real food".

The bookstore didn't have a lot of space for people to mill around in beforehand while they served nibbles and drinks courtesy of Food Connect (a local food cooperative promoting sustainable produce), but their outside space in the courtyard was better suited to the simple seating arrangement for later on. Matthew spoke really well - just like a bloke you might know down the road, who happens to have a real passion for re-discovering the taste of great food, which we may have lost in the ultra-convenient, mega-supermarket, bottled-water-from-Fiji kind of world we live in today. Did make you feel like you should get home pronto and plant those herbs you've been saying you were going to plant for the last 5 years, shop at the farmers market you pass each weekend and search the net scouring for local butchers who might be enthusiastic if asked about the meat they sell. I did have home made pumpkin soup for dinner that night (albeit pumpkins from Coles), so I think that counts somewhat.

I love it when two of my favourite pastimes combine - books and food! Here's to discovering more independent bookstores in Brisbane. Photo care of SBS Gourmet Farmer website.

Go Card

Like the Oyster card in London, Brisbane has an all inclusive electronic travel "smart" card, with the less ambiguous name, the "go card". It can be used across buses, trains and ferries and you can top up online, like you do for an etag for toll roads. Even if you're not online savvy, you can organise the top up over the counter at a newsagent. Seeing as this technology hasn't been rolled out in Sydney yet, (although I understand they'll get there eventually) I was eager to give it a burl. Had to try about 3 newsagents until I found one that sold them, so not sure why that was a mission (this was at Garden City mind you).

1st usage attempt - on a bus. Worked fine until I forgot to "touch off" when leaving the bus. This results in you being charged a flat fee, $3 for bus and $5 for train. Damn! That could be more than your actual real fare, so I guess I better get into the habit of touching off quick smart.

2nd usage attempt - on a train. I thought the swipe machines were on the train, so I just hopped on. The machines are actually at the stations, so you need to swipe before you get on the train. Double damn! Luckily when I got to Central station the ticket gates were open, so I casually walked on past without touching off, avoiding any fee, whether correct or not.

Haven't tried the card on a ferry yet. That will be the next challenge for....Go Card!

Welcome to Brisbane

Our first week in Brisbane and how nice to receive a "Welcome" pack from my good friend Alison (who I also suspect of having a job on the side at Tourism QLD). This pack has everything that new immigrants need : a XXXX esky, fridge magnets, oven mitt, map, tea and my personal favourite, the snow globe. What more do you need to provide relief on those hot hazy days than an image of blustery snow! Move over air conditioning. I think Al could make a killing on these packs if they became mandatory issue for new residents "north of the border".