Brisbaine Day 2

I woke early, well earlier than I intended at around 7am and as it was already warm got up and had a breakfast of cereal and coffee and walked down to the train station with Caroline as she was walking their two children Annalee & Archie to their nursery which is on the way. I couldn't believe how hot it was; 8:30am and it was already hitting 30. I was soaked with sweat by the time I got to the station. A short train ride and I was in central Brisbane. The first place I came across was a Telstra shop so I dived in to get a local mobile SIM card then into the main shopping area I found a discount book shop and picked up a good Road Atlas and a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide. I walked on through to the Botanic Garden which sits on a bend of the river and was very quiet at this time of the day but still not much of a respite from the heat. I did as Mark had suggested and took a river ferry down the river and got off on the South Bank then followed the path back up to the central area. This side of the River is below steep cliffs and a large section of them have been marked out as a climbing area – it seems they are owned by the council but you can just turn up and climb – if you have the gear and don't come when I did, the middle of the day. I stopped at a little shop for water and bought a huge bottle but it didn't last long. Eventually I came to 'The Street's Beach' area, this is a section of the river bank which has been laid out with gardens, restaurants, and even a real beach with sand around a swimming pool, all open air and all free. I found a fish and chip stall and bought some and sat down in the shade on the beach with my feet in the water and under a palm tree for shade. Walking back over a bridge into the main central area I wandered around the shops for a while then had a beer to cool off before heading back to Mark and Caroline's. Luckily on the way back to their house, Caroline passed me on the way to pick up the kids, and thankfully this time in the car, the air conditioning was bliss.