Story Bridge and Customs House.

Fabulous Morning sketching with the Brisbane City Sketchers at captain Burke Park

The Story Bridge is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia. The bridge is part of Bradfield Highway and connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. The Story Bridge opened in 1940 and was tolled until 1947. It is named after prominent public servant, John Douglas Story.

The former Brisbane Customs House, constructed between 1886 and 1889 to a design prepared by Charles McLay of the Queensland Colonial Architect's Office, was in use by the customs service for nearly a century. It is a fine example of Victorian Free Classical style, with its grand colonnades and portico, and a dome which still manages to be a major feature on the landscape, despite being overlooked by adjacent high rise office and apartment blocks.

Royal Exchange Hotel - Toowong

Royal Exchange Hotel Toowong. Architect Richard Gailey
The railway reached Toowong in 1875, and by 1876 there was a Railway Hotel across the road from the station. The hotel changed its name in 1884, and became the Royal Exchange.
It is popular with local office workers and also University of Queensland students due to its proximity to the university.  It is on the heritage register.

Super morning with the Brisbane City Sketchers

A4 sketchbook - Unipin pen and watercolour

 

 

Gresham Lane

Gresham Lane is what is left of the magnificent  Gresham Hotel. The hotel  was designed by JH Buckeridge and built by Henry Holmes.  below is an early photo.

The Gresham can lay claim to a couple of bits of history. The documents that incorporated Qantas were signed there in 1920, when Hudson Fysh, Paul McGuinness and Fergus McMaster met to inaugurate the airline.

The Gresham was one of the earliest buildings in Brisbane to install electricity - it came from the power station that was erected in 1887 behind the GPO in what is now called Edison Lane  - and the hotel was able to include the necessary electrical fittings during construction.

The hotel was also a player in the infamous 1942 Battle of Brisbane, where Australian and American service personnel locked horns in the intersection right outside the Gresham. Undoubtedly some of the antagonists would have been drinking there, but also the hotel's verandahs were a vantage point for many, including war correspondent John Hinde who was on a balcony overlooking the melee. He stated "The most furious battle I ever saw during the war was that night in Brisbane. It was like a civil war."

 The Gresham was demolished after a the great flood in 1974. The national Australia Bank was built in it's place.  The lane-way remains as a  reminder of times past.

The new Gresham is in the NAB building.

 

Koala House in Adelaide Street

I am a Dedicated URBAN SKETCHER:-
I have been a member of Urban Sketchers for about 9 years now, and I am a Blog Correspondent for the Australia Urban Sketchers Blog. I love being an Urban Sketcher, and the comrade of fellow sketchers.  We are a big family, helping and supporting each other, and sharing our sketches with the world.

Today the Brisbane City Sketchers sketched in Adelaide Street in the City.  I sat in the Sparrow and Finch Cafe (love that name) and sketched the iconic Koala House. 

 

A4 sketchbook - Lamy pen and watercolour 

 

 Koala House used to be an Japanese restaurant.

Long gone, changed hands many times, and I think the

Koalas are now registered on the heritage Register.

Urban Sketches January 2017

Sketching in Fern Gully at Roma Street parkland

Sketching at  Brisbane City Gardens

Bishopsbourne Brisbane

Sketching with the Brisbane City Sketchers this morning.  What a lot of fun, there were 11 of us for the first sketchout of 2017

A4 sketchbook unipin pen and a splash of watercolour

 

 

 

What better way to spend one's Birthday Morning......

............... than sketching with friends..  I had a wonderful morning.. The Brisbane City Sketchers are the best.. :-)

A4 Sketchbook 0.8 Unipin pen and watercolour

Shafston House - Brisbane Qld

Shafston House is a heritage-listed villa at 23 Castlebar Street, Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Robin Dods and built from 1851 to 1930s.

The building is now known as Shafston International College, it is freehold property once again - here is a current photograph. The building is a landmark feature for Brisbane's ferry and CityCat passengers.

Today I went there with the Brisbane City Sketchers to sketch.  Gorgeous day, and a load of fun.

Sketching in Centenary Place in Brisbane

Centenary Park, a heritage listed park,  was designed and constructed for the purpose of commemorating the centenary of European settlement in Queensland (1824-1924). Clearing of the land began in 1924 and the park was formed in 1925.
It covers an area of 8,748 square metres and is bounded by Wickham Street, Ann Street and Gotha Street, Fortitude Valley. The park was one of the last civic projects undertaken by the former Brisbane City Council prior to the formation of the Greater Brisbane Council in 1925. The park has been in continual use by the public since its creation and was extensively refurbished in 1999/2000
Celebrating the centenary of European settlement in Queensland was an important milestone in the state's history, an opportunity to demonstrate how far it had progressed in 100 years. From its beginnings as a penal colony, followed by the arrival of free settlers, separation from New South Wales, Federation and the First World War, Queensland had experienced many tumultuous events in its first 100 years worthy of commemoration and celebration. The creation of Centenary Place provided the public with a tangible means of doing this.

A4 Holcroft Sketchbook 0.8 Unipin pen and a touch of watercolour
  Centenary Park Fortitude valley..

Garden Club

The Gardens Club is a wonderful cafe in the Brisbane City Gardens. It was originally the Curators Cottage, long ago.

Parliament House Brisbane

I was sitting in a quaint Cafe in the Historical Heritage listed building "The Mansions" this morning filling in time before a meeting..

Pen and ink to start

Watercolour added

My travel kit

Awesome sketchout this morning at Words Smith cafe

Fun morning at the university of Queensland at St Lucia.  We holed up in Wordsmiths Cafe as it was some hot after the horrendous thunderstorm at 4.30am.

The University of Queensland was the first university in the state and was officially founded on April 16, 1910

Teaching started in 1911 in Old Government House in George Street, Brisbane. In the first year there were three faculties – Arts, Science and Engineering – and 83 students (60 men and 23 women).

After World War I, the University expanded rapidly and soon outgrew its inner-city location. In 1922, an additional site in Victoria Park (now occupied by the Medical School) was secured. Four years later, Dr James O’Neil Mayne and his sister Miss Mary Emelia Mayne provided funds to buy the St Lucia site where the University’s main campus is now located. Construction started on the St Lucia site in 1937 and the first building, later named the Forgan Smith Building after the Premier of the day, was completed in 1939. During World War II, it became the advanced headquarters for the Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific.

First sketch of the day on toned pastel paper and charcoal.

 

 

 

 

 BRISBANE CITY SKETCHERS at work

 We had an audience.

Queensland State Library

What a wonderful morning with the BRISBANE CITY SKETCHERS We sketched at the library today, firstly outside, for an hour or so until 10.00am when the library opened.  

I love sketching in the "Red Box".  The "Red Box" is encased in full length windows, which gives the impression of being suspended over the Brisbane River, it is a fabulous place to make art, quietly, and the views are endless.

 This sketch was made with me sitting in the Library Cafe

Sketched on tones pastel paper with charcoal.

A4 sketchbook 0.8 Unipin pen

Finally inside the Red Box.  They have tiered seating at the back of the room and three two seater chairs in the front. It is a quiet room for studying, and makes a wonderful haven for quietly drawing..