Down Under in Australia - 24th February

The journey to Brisbane Australia was a very long one indeed.  Due to fog (or was it smog??) over Dubai we weren't able to land straight away and had to circle round the surrounding area for over an hour before landing.  You really were unable to see anything of Dubai from the air due to this fog/smog, but could get some views further out - a very stark landscape indeed.

 

 

Once landed we had to wait on the tarmac for over an hour before we could disembark, had a couple of hours waiting in the transit lounge and then SIX hours on board on the tarmac before takeoff.  It was over 12 hours before we were finally fed (once in the air) and I have to say the food left something to be desired.  We finally arrived in Brisbane, Australia over six hours late and as such essentially lost a whole day as by the time I arrived at my friends place it was mid-afternoon.  If this was flying Emirates...I have to say I wasn't very impressed, although of course the weather conditions were out of their control.

I relaxed and caught up with all the news and lovely barbecue was had for dinner.

I woke the next morning to a cacophony of bird sound and sat out on the patio enjoying the early morning with a cup of green tea.  

Tania had planned a trip to the Woodlands of Marburg and then on to the Riverbank at Ipswich for the Monday 24th February.  She had also planned to visit the Animal Park and Japanese Gardens, but unfortunately they were closed on the Monday.

Bats hanging from the trees... they made a lot of noise!

 

 We had a very enjoyable walk along the Riverbank.

My lovely school friend Tania.

There were a lot of these lizards to be seen.

A lovely house that Tania thought I might like with its blue and white colour scheme...she was right.

 

The Woodlands of Marburg was very interesting and a lovely wedding venue for those so inclined.

Tania showing how wide the entrance is.

Beautiful gardens...

 

Lots of places for those perfect photo opportunities 

Pretty tea service inside the lovely panelled rooms.

 

 

Unusual seed pods hanging from the trees.

Rustic cart

 

 

Dilapidated shed which adds to the scenery and character.

In the evening we drove out to see if we could see some kangaroos in the wild...we were not disappointed.

(As usual it seems things have been 'updated or upgraded' on blogger and it isn't quite behaving like it used to which is rather frustrating...hopefully this is just a glitch and it will be fixed soon.)