On the northern bank of the Brisbane River, the Powerhouse was developed from a decommissioned power station to become an arts and cultural hub opened in 2000. Its industrial red brick facade and interior steel beams exude a rustic charm and modern grunge that serve as a fitting backdrop to a large array of creative events and displays. The Powerhouse website provides a wealth of information about the building, events, on site restaurants, etc..
The walk took a while to start due to all the distractions near the Powerhouse.. First we had to have morning tea and then there was a touch of pole dancing, ute posing, working out on exercise equipment and tree climbing. Finally, however, we were underway. |
As we walked past the old wool stores we came face to face with Gloria, a ewe, complete with handbag, sculptured of shimmering stainless steel. Gloria represents the history of the wool trade in this area. Wool stores made millions of export dollars in selling wool from outback Australia to the world and shipping it out from local wharves. The sculpture is by Brisbane artist, Mark Andrews and is named after the late Gloria Grant (1929-2011), co-author of Reflections of New Farm. | As we admired the sculpture the sun came out and bathed Gloria in a glorious light. |
Early European settlers brought in a diverse range of plants from other countries. One example shading Newstead House is the Kigelia piñnata, the sausage tree which is a native to tropical and sub-tropical Africa It flowers mostly at night, but one of its burgundy red flowers was out amid the sausage-like fruit while we were there. The fresh fruit is poisonous and strongly purgative, but can be prepared for consumption by drying, roasting or fermenting. In African herbal medicine, the fruit is believed to be a cure for a wide range of ailments such as rheumatism, snakebites and syphilis. |
Venus Rising: Out of the Water and into the Light by internationally acclaimed British artist Wolfgang Buttress is a stainless steel structure 23 metres in height. It is a made up of hundreds of interlocking rings and polished tubes that twist gently at the waist to create a hollow spiral. Further on we walked not only under a canopy of sunshine, but also sun enshrined in art. Australian artist, Daniel Boyd's Seven Versions of the Sun is a piece made up of seven highly polished screens laser-cut to create motifs of the sun. The pieces cast shadows on the landscape, illuminated by the sunlight flooding through the negative space, projecting motifs of the sun inside the cast shadow. | More glorious artwork flows through a playground along the cliff tops in the form of large colourful worms. Untitled - wormholes. 2010 by Alexander Know is an interactive sculpture / sound environment conceived as a sort of tactile time machine wherechildren (and adults) can discover the site and its histories through a combination of free form exploratory play and historically evocative sounds. |