Category: International
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Brisbane at Sunset
Queensland, Australia (October 1997) Next we flew up the coast to Brisbane, Queensland. We stayed with my wife’s friend who used to be her co-worker before she decided to move to Australia. However, I won’t post her name on the Internet because she might not appreciate it. We never would have gone to Australia if…
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Atop Mt. Coot-tha
Atop the Summit (October 1997) My wife and I rented a car, and drove the short distance from Brisbane to Mt. Coot-tha. An overlook provided excellent views of Brisbane. It also offered a convenient place to grab a cup of coffee. Later we drove out further to Mt. Nebo, then down through the Samford Valley,…
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Noosa National Park
Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia (1997) We drove 160 km north of Brisbane to Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast. This town served as a gateway to the spectacular Noosa National Park with its rugged shoreline and abundant native Australian wildlife (map). Hastings Street provided access to the popular Headlands section of the park. We found…
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Glass House Mountains
Sunshine Coast, Queensland (October 1997) The Glass House Mountains became an easy detour on our drive back to Brisbane from Noosa Heads. Gently rolling plains surrounded the mountains which appeared to poke up randomly from the terrain. It’s not really a mountain range, but several volcanic plugs with the surrounding land eroded away. Our friend…
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Tweed River & Mt. Warning
Along the Water (October 1997) Our next adventure took us south of Brisbane, through the “Gold Coast” and Surfer’s Paradise, and back over the border into New South Wales (map). When we left Sydney earlier in our trip, New South Wales and Queensland were on the same time. However in the meantime, New South Wales…
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An Australian Banana Plantation
Traveling in Northeastern New South Wales (October 1997) Bananas were a commonly grown crop in this section of northeastern New South Wales. Farmers cultivated their plants on steep hills, using narrow, rutted dirt roads to tend and harvest the crop. Plastic bags wrapped around the bunches provided protected from fruit bats and other pests. We…
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As Far as Vancouver
Bellingham, Washington to Vancouver, British Columbia to Everett, Washington (May 15, 1998) Bellingham offered an easy shot into British Columbia, Canada. It also provided an opportunity to visit one of the strangest geographical anomalies in the United States — Point Roberts! In this vicinity the two countries set their border along the 49th parallel to…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 8 (Museums & More)
With an area as small as Bermuda — just over 20 square miles (53 square kilometres) — one might conclude it wouldn’t need a lot of museums. Well, as it turned out, a lot of history happened there. Plus the tourists needed something to do. Maybe they couldn’t golf or lounge at the beach the…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 7 (Architectural Details)
I thought I would take the discussion in a more lighthearted direction by focusing on a few architectural details I noticed. Examples reflecting local culture, customs and tastes could be found on contemporary buildings all across Bermuda. Pastels Pastels appeared everywhere. Seemingly every building featured those characteristic soft pale hues. Walk down any street and…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 6 (Forts )
Longtime readers of Twelve Mile Circle know that I love my forts, fortresses and fortifications. So I really loved Bermuda, a place practically custom-designed by Great Britain to be one giant fort. Its strategic placement and and heavy militarization led to its nickname the “Gibraltar of the West.” Maybe I should have included it in…