17th January 2010
Despite the enjoyment of yesterday evening, I should have known that that much wine was going to come back and bite me on the bum! Excess wine consumed plus a late night plus not sleeping too well due to aforementioned excess wine meant a very tired Claire, although thankfully there was no accompanying headache/hangover.
We slowly got ready and went out late morning to the Valley where we wandered around the Brunswick markets with Sofia taking a good look at everything like a true shopper! The Valley is the suburb with all the trendy bars and clubs and hence was very quiet while we were there as people were still recovering from the night before.
Next we went to the Powerhouse which is a multi-arts venue, with theatres, a cafe, restaruant and deck area with veiws over the Brisbane river. This is the former Brisbane Power station which used to supply electric for many of Brisbane’s suburbs and was officially decommissioned in 1971. Nestled on the beautiful banks of Brisbane River, it has become a distinct landmark, both as a stunning industrial creation and as a hub for everything creative, including theatre, music, comedy, film, visual arts, festivals and ideas.
While it was empty, the apparently derelict building provided shelter for the homeless, was a site for target practice for the army and a location for filmmakers and, as a precursor of its future a canvas for graffiti artists and a stage for underground art happenings. All these marks have been left on the building as a reminder of its past.
After a spot of lunch and a relaxing few hours sat looking over the river, Nathan, Anna and Sofia dropped us at the station and we made our way back to Surfers by train. A wonderful few days in Brisbane.