It has been a bit of a cliché to say that Australia is like a cross of the US and the UK, though the only place that really reminds me of the UK that I have seen so far is Melbourne. The Gold Coast of Queensland is much like south east Florida, with its high rise condominiums (or 'units' as they call them here) overlooking its beaches, right down to having some very familiar place names like Miami and Palm Beach. Though the apartments are newer, and the surf higher, there is little here that matches the glamour of the latter location in Florida. Well, I was born there for a start...
One of the quirkiest spots of the Gold Coast is an eco village powered entirely by solar power. Unlike most Australian homes, which are generally built to specification of their first owners, the houses here have a uniform facade. The large local population of kangaroos probably keep the populace entertained though.
We stop at lunch time at Anita and Dave's place. Their house, a large two floor family home with a pool and an outdoor lounge area, was built for them after they bought the land. Though of course Australia has a lot more land to build on than the UK, this approach to creating new homes certainly creates more attractive communities than the mass built estates of 'executive homes' / future slums that developers build at home.
There is also a rich array of bird life here and Anita keeps a little bird house hanging by the upstairs porch lounge, where Rainbow Lorikeets happily feed, birds of such vibrant colour that I would only have imagined them existing in the minds of children before I arrived in Oz. Happily, Anita feeds them bird seed, and not sausage meat, so there's no need for wing wrapping straight jackets. Also, she sensibly keeps the feeder over the edge of the porch balcony, so there waste goes down to the lawn below, and not onto the garden furniture as at Rod's place.
We enter Brisbane after dark and the skyline is quite striking at night, with its lit up high rises and bridges and the light glistening off the ripples of the river as boat ferry people across it.
We are staying at Rohan's mothers apartment, sorry, 'unit', and Rohan is treating her to a meal as it is her birthday tomorrow. Before leaving the unit, we share a bottle of Cava and Merryl, Rohan's mother, brings out a bottle of whisky which she found while clearing out her deceased father's house. It looks possibly dangerous to drink, being of indeterminate age. I suppose it could be valuable, having never been opened, or it could merely just be poisonous.
We take a 'city cat', one of the electrically powered quiet and quick catamaran ferries which serve as public transport over the river. This takes us to the south bank where the metropolitan types hang out and the restaurants are priced to match their tastes. We go to an Indian restaurant and are able to sit outside.
I have heard many British people say that Indian curries in Australia suffer in comparison to what they get at home. However, one thing that I will say in their favour is that they are not as rich and heavy as in the UK, and are more sensibly proportioned so you don't come out feeling like you've stuffed an elephant down your throat. And this is not something I would generally say about going out to eat in Australia.
At home, I would probably not order a vindaloo as they are too hot. However, here they offer a 'medium' version, which in my mind negates its vindalooness. In any case, I order a 'hot' one, cooked with barramundi, guessing, correctly as it turns out, that even the hot one will not compare with the bite of an English vindaloo.
Generally, unless it's prawn, I tend to think that fish doesn't work with the strong flavours of Indian curry, but I remember the meaty texture of the Barramundi burger I had in my travels through the Northern Territories, and thought it might well be the exception. I was wrong though. Or right the first time. The curry is tasty enough, though it is different to that curry flavour of home. What that difference is, well go and ask somebody who has passed the herb and spice tasting test on Master Chef.
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| 'roo at the eco village green |
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| Surfer's Paradise in the distance |
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| Brisbane |
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