Australia’s rising cost of living has combined with the powering dollar to make Brisbane a more expensive city to live in than New York, London or Hong Kong.
Brisbane has been ranked the 14th most expensive city in the world in the latest edition of a global economic survey, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
It puts the city almost 25 per cent dearer than New York.
Inge has known this for ages of course everytime she does the weekly shopping, groceries are really expensive here.
dinsdag 26 juli 2011
vrijdag 6 mei 2011
Dutch treat..
Inge spotted a bargain in the supermarket...an electric poffertjes maker for $20! The ideal mothers day present for your typical aussie..
Its sometimes suprising to see certain dutch food in the supermarket, they have a lot of sweet stuff like taai taai, speculaas, hagelslag, appelstroop....what more do you want?
Other photo is of the two hairy kids..poco is 1 year old now, a bit of a timid cat a real mix of ragdoll and saimese.
maandag 2 mei 2011
Buddha's Birthday Festival
Sunday we went to the Buddha's Birthday Festival on the South Bank. Beautiful weather and atmosphere. We went to a number of lectures given by a buddhist nun from Sydney. A very entertaining speaker. Afterwards we walked through the stalls looking for some trinkets..
woensdag 23 februari 2011
Christchurch Earthquake
Awful to see the devastation in Christchurch we were there 2,5 weeks ago, we recognise many of the locations. Such a beautiful city with nice old buildings now ruined and so many lives lost.
The death toll from the Christchurch earthquake could rise as high as 200 after police confirmed up to 120 people are feared dead at the Canterbury TV building site.
Police believe there are a further 22 bodies inside Christchurch's Cathedral Square.
They said 238 people were missing after Tuesday's 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The official death toll stands at 76.
zaterdag 5 februari 2011
Giants House in Akaroa
This house and garden was a pleasant suprise in Akaroa, built on a steep hillside above the town the house also doubles as a B&B. A local artist spent over 10 years building artwork sculpture in mosaic rather similar to Gaudi's Park in Barcelona and the quirky nature of Dali.
Christchurch Day 4 - trip to Akaroa - Dolphin Cruise
We hired a car and drove to Akaroa which is 1hr from Christchurch. Its a former French settlement and is built on a former volcano with a natural harbour to the sea. Its one of the few places in the world that you can see the rare Hector's Dolphin, only a few thousand left. It was a great boat cruise and the weather was perfect. We stayed in a small hotel/restaurant on the waterfront.
Christchurch Day 3 - at the flea market & in the city
We went to the local flea market just looking to see what the locals get up to on a Sunday. A trip on the city tram and a walk around the town square.
Christchurch Day 2 - punting on the Avon River
One of the touristy must-do's in Christchurch is punting on the Avon River. The river snakes thought the city and surrounding parkland. The punting is the same as in Oxford and Cambridge in England. We had a nice relaxing punt along the river.
vrijdag 4 februari 2011
Visit to Christchurch New Zealand
We visited Christchurch for a 5 day trip. Its known as the Garden City of New Zealand and is full of character, lots of old buildings and gardens with a spring fed river running through the middle of the city. In Oct 2010 it got hit by a major earthquake, lots of damage to brick buildings, some are kept up with wood and metal supports.
woensdag 26 januari 2011
Australia Day
Today 26/01/11 is Australia Day, a public holiday here in Australia. A day to visit friends and enjoy a barbie. It was hot today, 33C. We were invited to Nick & Debbie (our south african friends) who invited a few of their friends and a neighbour round. We used our electric bikes to get there. We had a nice cold buffet on the verandah. It was nice to meet their friends and swap stories of lives before emigrating, two couples were from South Africa and Zimbabwe.
dinsdag 25 januari 2011
Cockatoo passed away
Unfortunately we heard from Debbie today that she found the cockatoo dead at the base of the tree in the garden. The vet did say it was very thin and malnourished. Hopefully it didnt suffer too much.
maandag 24 januari 2011
Electric Bikes
We took delivery of our electric bikes in the weekend. We've been out twice now exploring our hilly neighbourhood. Its just great when you get to a hill you just turn on the electric power and wizz up the hill. There's a really steep one to Debbies place and we managed that no problem. Also going into a headwind is no no problem.
They say you go out more often on a electric bike than a normal bike and I believe it. It's great!
Cockatoo Rescue
Today we carried out a wildlife intervention. Inge's friend Debbie feeds the wild cockatoos and the one in the pictures was having a hard time feeding due to its bill being too long.
We managed to catch him on Debbies verandah and it was a trip to the vet to see what could be done. It seems he/she has a bird Aids called "beak and feather" disease which is not curable, seems it affects parrots and the like. Nothing much we can do.
The vet cut his beak and we released him back at Debbies home. Debbie will keep feeding him and we'll see how he gets on.
zaterdag 15 januari 2011
Community Spirit here in Brisbane
Today we went to help in the clean up of my mate Denis's devastated house in Yeronga, Boonah Gliding Club was well represented and others that I may have missed from yesterday.
The mud was thick like grey toothpaste, Inge and I spent the afternoon filling wheelbarrows and hosing and brushing out all the mud from Denis's back garden and garage
Its at hard times like these that you really see that the community pitches in and helps out the less fortunate, there were complete strangers helping out supplying assistance, food, drinks, etc.
Its going to be a tough time in the weeks and months ahead for many like Denis and yet he's still smiling and saying there are people worse off than him.
The mud was thick like grey toothpaste, Inge and I spent the afternoon filling wheelbarrows and hosing and brushing out all the mud from Denis's back garden and garage
Its at hard times like these that you really see that the community pitches in and helps out the less fortunate, there were complete strangers helping out supplying assistance, food, drinks, etc.
Its going to be a tough time in the weeks and months ahead for many like Denis and yet he's still smiling and saying there are people worse off than him.
donderdag 13 januari 2011
Clean up task may take many months
Flood-besieged Brisbane residents have been told to brace themselves for a long and arduous recovery that could take months, or even years, to complete.
The Queensland capital has begun counting the cost of the flood, which delivered a lower-than-expected but still devastating peak of 4.46 metres early on Thursday morning.
The flood cost at least one life in the capital, a 24-year-old man who was swept into a storm drain while inspecting his father's flooded property in Durack, just south of the city.
In total, more than 26,000 homes and 5000 businesses in 67 suburbs have been affected, more than 150 roads remain closed and the city remains in effective lockdown, with power and public transport still shaky.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman warned it could be a long time before Brisbane returns to normal, and has launched an all-in recovery campaign, calling on volunteers to help aid the clean-up.
'The clean-up effort, ultimately, will take many, many months,' he told reporters on the banks of the Brisbane River on Thursday.
'The reconstruction effort on people's homes is going to take much longer than that - that will take a year and a half to two years.
'But everyone can contribute in some way.
'A lot of help will be needed to return Brisbane to order.'
About 1025 people sought refuge at the city's evacuation centres, with the CBD, St Lucia, West End, Rocklea and Graceville among the worst hit areas.
Residents of Paddington, Rosalie, Auchenflower and Milton are in for the longest wait to return home, since waters will recede from those places last due to their downstream location.
In western Brisbane, people have already begun running out of food, with the council directing them to visit evacuation centres for additional supplies.
There are also fears of electrical problems in flooded homes, with electricians warning that safety inspections could take up to six months given the huge demand.
Some 103,000 people were still without power around southeast Queensland as of Thursday afternoon, but there are hopes that 70,000 will be reconnected by 10pm (AEST) on Friday.
Mr Newman was reluctant to put a figure on the damage and hinted there could still be more to come, amid predictions of a king tide hitting late next week.
'People need to be mindful that the wet season goes until March in this city, and we're only at mid-January.
'In the 1893 flood there were a number of flood peaks over about a two-and-a-half, three-week period.'
The council's priority was to open up roads, including the Ipswich Motorway and Coronation Drive. It is also offering $100 rebates to ratepayers and waiving traffic fines for 30 days.
City workers are unlikely to head back to the CBD until next week, where public transport remains on a skeleton schedule.
Mr Newman said it will take months to rebuild the devastated CityCat ferry system, with every terminal believed to have been destroyed.
Locals spent Thursday seizing on good-news stories, particularly the exploits of tug boat captain Doug Hislop, who was labelled a hero after steering a 300-tonne piece of debris clear of Brisbane's major bridge.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd said the skipper should be awarded an Order of Australia.
'I'll be the first one to sign their nomination form,' he told Sky News, while Queensland Premier Anna Bligh dubbed the vessel 'the little tug that could'.
Brisbane's iconic XXXX brewery has assured Queenslanders it won't let beer supplies run dry, despite going underwater overnight.
'The good news is the beer is kept in a warehouse at Hendra, which did not flood,' corporate affairs manager Leela Sutton said.
'We're looking at how to get products to flood-affected areas once the roads reopen, or possibly by boat.'
The Queensland capital has begun counting the cost of the flood, which delivered a lower-than-expected but still devastating peak of 4.46 metres early on Thursday morning.
The flood cost at least one life in the capital, a 24-year-old man who was swept into a storm drain while inspecting his father's flooded property in Durack, just south of the city.
In total, more than 26,000 homes and 5000 businesses in 67 suburbs have been affected, more than 150 roads remain closed and the city remains in effective lockdown, with power and public transport still shaky.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman warned it could be a long time before Brisbane returns to normal, and has launched an all-in recovery campaign, calling on volunteers to help aid the clean-up.
'The clean-up effort, ultimately, will take many, many months,' he told reporters on the banks of the Brisbane River on Thursday.
'The reconstruction effort on people's homes is going to take much longer than that - that will take a year and a half to two years.
'But everyone can contribute in some way.
'A lot of help will be needed to return Brisbane to order.'
About 1025 people sought refuge at the city's evacuation centres, with the CBD, St Lucia, West End, Rocklea and Graceville among the worst hit areas.
Residents of Paddington, Rosalie, Auchenflower and Milton are in for the longest wait to return home, since waters will recede from those places last due to their downstream location.
In western Brisbane, people have already begun running out of food, with the council directing them to visit evacuation centres for additional supplies.
There are also fears of electrical problems in flooded homes, with electricians warning that safety inspections could take up to six months given the huge demand.
Some 103,000 people were still without power around southeast Queensland as of Thursday afternoon, but there are hopes that 70,000 will be reconnected by 10pm (AEST) on Friday.
Mr Newman was reluctant to put a figure on the damage and hinted there could still be more to come, amid predictions of a king tide hitting late next week.
'People need to be mindful that the wet season goes until March in this city, and we're only at mid-January.
'In the 1893 flood there were a number of flood peaks over about a two-and-a-half, three-week period.'
The council's priority was to open up roads, including the Ipswich Motorway and Coronation Drive. It is also offering $100 rebates to ratepayers and waiving traffic fines for 30 days.
City workers are unlikely to head back to the CBD until next week, where public transport remains on a skeleton schedule.
Mr Newman said it will take months to rebuild the devastated CityCat ferry system, with every terminal believed to have been destroyed.
Locals spent Thursday seizing on good-news stories, particularly the exploits of tug boat captain Doug Hislop, who was labelled a hero after steering a 300-tonne piece of debris clear of Brisbane's major bridge.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd said the skipper should be awarded an Order of Australia.
'I'll be the first one to sign their nomination form,' he told Sky News, while Queensland Premier Anna Bligh dubbed the vessel 'the little tug that could'.
Brisbane's iconic XXXX brewery has assured Queenslanders it won't let beer supplies run dry, despite going underwater overnight.
'The good news is the beer is kept in a warehouse at Hendra, which did not flood,' corporate affairs manager Leela Sutton said.
'We're looking at how to get products to flood-affected areas once the roads reopen, or possibly by boat.'
The Authorities expect the water to drop quite fast
Brisbane residents can expect to see a significant drop in the flood level when they wake on Friday morning.
Manager of the Bureau of Meteorology's Flood Warning Service, Peter Baddiley, said the Brisbane River had been slowly falling since reaching a peak of 4.46 metres early Thursday morning.
'For residents affected by the flood, they will notice a significant fall when they see the river in daylight,' Mr Baddiley said.
Manager of the Bureau of Meteorology's Flood Warning Service, Peter Baddiley, said the Brisbane River had been slowly falling since reaching a peak of 4.46 metres early Thursday morning.
'For residents affected by the flood, they will notice a significant fall when they see the river in daylight,' Mr Baddiley said.
Water has gone..now the clean up can begin
The water has gone as quickly as it came.....only mud left!
The last photo is a 40ft container leaning against a tree, the waters moved it..
Now the water has gone the cleanup will start, a mammoth effort. We count ourselves lucky that we were'nt badly affected, others have lost a lot and they are only a few streets away..
Water has gone..now the clean up can begin
So this is another set of photos...the water has disappeared(!). It has gone as quickly as it came...now the cleanup must start, a massive job.We count ourselves as very lucky.
woensdag 12 januari 2011
Two days without power but back on now
Its been 2 days since the last blog due to the fact that power was cut off as our suburb of Westlake was due to go under in a few low-lying places. They did, above are a few photos of the creeping menace...
The big houses on the riverfront are worse off and the ground floors are under. The day before yesterday we helped my flying mate lift stuff in his house above the expected floodline, I heard from him today that the flood was 200mm under his first floor so his stuff is safe...he swam to the house which is on the river front to take a look.
We walked around the suburbs close to where we live to get an idea of the floods, our suburb got off relatively lightly we think compared to others lower down the river.
Other friends we know are either cut off and cant get out or without power, we count ourselves lucky.
The danger of walking in the floods is falling into open manholes and drowning, it happened to someone today.
This is really a disaster of epic proportions which is not over yet....helicopers fly overhead constantly
dinsdag 11 januari 2011
Brisbane starting to flood
To everyone who has sent us emails thank you for your concern. We are OK, no need for us to evacuate as we are well above the river.
Please dont phone us as the phone lines are jammed and we may lose our electricity and so the phone.
Just follow this blog. I will update it as and when.
Keep you posted....
Please dont phone us as the phone lines are jammed and we may lose our electricity and so the phone.
Just follow this blog. I will update it as and when.
Keep you posted....
maandag 10 januari 2011
Flash flooding turns deadly
A severe weather warning has been released for the southeast where flooding is already wreaking havoc, with two people confirmed dead in Toowoomba's flash flood. This is only 50km from Brisbane with the water heading down the Brisbane rriver threatening to flood parts of the city.
People in the small town of Withcott, at the foot of the Toowoomba Range, are "a bit bamboozled" after unprecedented rain caused massive flash flooding today.
"People just can't believe what happened," Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Steve Jones said.
"Withcott's 800, 900 feet (245m to 275m) above sea level, and to be affected by floods is just something you'd never expect."
Petrol bowsers have been ripped out of the ground and swept 500m away, cars have floated through shop fronts, and houses have been swept off their stumps at Postmans Ridge and Grantham.
Seeing the film on the local news is shocking..the extent of the damage is incredible..more rain tonight..another 100mm or so..
People in the small town of Withcott, at the foot of the Toowoomba Range, are "a bit bamboozled" after unprecedented rain caused massive flash flooding today.
"People just can't believe what happened," Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Steve Jones said.
"Withcott's 800, 900 feet (245m to 275m) above sea level, and to be affected by floods is just something you'd never expect."
Petrol bowsers have been ripped out of the ground and swept 500m away, cars have floated through shop fronts, and houses have been swept off their stumps at Postmans Ridge and Grantham.
Seeing the film on the local news is shocking..the extent of the damage is incredible..more rain tonight..another 100mm or so..
zondag 9 januari 2011
Now Brisbane gets flash flooding
Its been raining for 2 days solid now here in Brisbane. Lots of localised flooding. Luckily for us we live on a hill so it all runs off but its got to go somewhere..
Ive bailed out the pool twice now to stop it over flowing.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts heavy rain across the city today, with localised flooding possible in low-lying areas where the ground is already saturated from weeks of steady falls.
Brisbane City Council this morning advised residents in flood-prone areas that sandbags were available at depots around the city.
The bureau's top rainfalls for the past 24 hours were recorded in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with West Bellthorpe recording 343 mm, and Maleny 337 mm. Brisbane Airport had 85.6mm and Everton Hills, in Brisbane's north-west, had 188 mm.
donderdag 6 januari 2011
BRISBANE'S average sunshine for December was 4.5 hours per day
The picture is Rockhampton in North Queensland, here in Brisbane we are not being hit by floods only heavy rain.
BRISBANE'S average sunshine for December was 4.5 hours per day, the lowest since records began at the new airport site in 2000.
And after days of heavy rain, forecasters have predicted another five straight days of wet weather for Brisbane.
The Bureau of Meteorology today issued a severe weather warning for southeast Queensland, with heavy rainfall expected to lead to localised flash flooding.
Roads are still closed across Brisbane, Ipswich and Moreton Bay due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall.
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