Stalking the Wild Wombat: Mount Coo-Tha at night and the Cabinet of Curiosities

The Oddessy of Mount Coot-Tha

A couple of weeks ago James and I decided to make the excursion to the top of the local “mountain” or large hill as some might call it. Mount Coot-Tha (which according to Wikipedia is 287 metres above sea level and also “forms the eastern extent of the Taylor Range and is a prominent landmark approximately 6 km to the west of the Brisbane central business district” is known for its specatular view of the city!

We decided we wanted to take a picnic up to the top of the hill; so we had to go get groceries! By the time we were done selecting the groceries and had wheeled them home in our “granny grocery cart” (oh yes I have bought one and its amazing!!) It was almost 3:00. Unbeknownst to us, the last bus that heads to the top of Mount Coot-Tha leaves at that time!

We were happily headed towards the mountain, me with my smartphone looking at the journey planner app for Brisbane. (for this particular trip we needed to take 3 different buses!) We successfully found and boarded the first and second buses, but we accidentally got off at too early of a stop to catch the last and final bus that was to ascend the hill that is Mount Coot-Tha in all its glory. So when we got off at the stop we were very confused about where we were and where the next bus should have been. We wandered in several directions, and then realized we weren’t even at the base of the hill!! I in my usual stubborn way began to insist to James that we just walk up the hill, even though we were carrying a rather awkward picnic box and large bag with an enormous blanket in it. We began our walk towards the base of the hill, myself leading the charge, and James begrudgingly following my lead. When we finally (about 20 min walk) arrived at the base of the mountain – I realized I needed to concede defeat (much to James’ relief) and that we should just eat our picnic lunch at the base of the hill in what turned out to be some pretty cool botanical gardens!

We had a run-in with a large hairy spider, which James very diligently killed with a wine glass (not sure about that choice of weaponry) and we also got bit by quite a few mossies (aka mosquitos). But even with these interruptions we had a very nice picnic! Although I must say, we probably left a lot sooner than we might have if it hadn't been for the wildlife interruptions! We plan on returning to the gardens and giving them a full tour when it isn’t as close to sunset and we can give the gardens our full attention!

A few days later, I was relaying this story to my friend Abby when she was visiting James and I and she was shocked at how difficult of a time we had trying to get to the top. Abby was like “Lets go now! I mean it – it’s only a 5 minute drive!!!” So she drove our keisters up Mount Coot-Tha in a matter of minutes where we got some amazing night views of Brisbane! THANKS ABBY!!

Our nice picnic in the gardens

The spider!!!!

I have no idea what this is, but it's hard to believe that it is able to grow on a plant!! It doesn't look real!

I do know what this is! Bird of Paradise! And they're everywhere! So spoiled for plant life here!

View of Downtown Brisbane from Mount Coot-Tha (next time I'll have to use a tripod!)


Abby and I! Pretty happy to finally be at the top!! :)

The Cabinet of Curiosities

These are some pictures from our visit to the Museum of Brisbane - here's the link to their website - http://www.museumofbrisbane.com.au/

While I'm on the subject of museums, I'll mention that there are a couple other museums in Brisbane that are free to visit, including the Museum of Modern Art http://qagoma.qld.gov.au/ and Queensland Museum of Brisbane http://www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au/ These museums are free for most exhibits, but sometimes when they have special exhibits, they will charge to go to those. It’s definitely a great thing to do on a student budget!

So back to the Museum of Brisbane! It’s a museum that has unique exhibits to do with Brisbane’s history. When we went this time, there was a display called “Cabinet of Curiosities” or Wunderkammer which is a take on what 16th century European kings and princes would do by sending emissaries to exotic and far flung places of the world to bring back rare and strange objects which were kept in a dedicated room for display and enjoyment of the ruler! There were lots of interesting objects that were part of Brisbane’s history, or brought back by “Brisbonites” including a dog that was stuffed and used in a court case to convict a man, a reflecting mirror used to reflect light to search for airplanes during World War II and a rope made out of sheets used to escape from the local prison! We really enjoyed our visit to this museum, and will definitely go back when they have some new installations!