Brisbane River pulses with life of city
Harry Bhaskara, The Jakarta Post, Brisbane, Australia
A slick ferry cuts through the water of the Brisbane River. The blue-and-white public transport is emblazoned with "City Cat" -- cat, of course, being the short for catamaran.
The river ferry system is one answer to the increasing demand for transportation in this city of 1.6 million people. Jakarta once toyed with the idea of doing the same thing decades ago, when perahu -- small boats -- plied its as-yet unpolluted rivers. The plan has yet to materialize.
Here, however, the Brisbane River is used to its fullest potential, including as a recreation site.
The City Cat is the favored mode of transportation among tourists who want to savor Brisbane's skyline from the river.
The cat sails to and from the University of Queensland in the south to Bretts Wharf in the north, cutting through the city center. The mouth of the river dumps into Moreton Bay and the Pacific Ocean in northeastern Australia.
"Welcome to Brisbane, the river city," boasts a tourist ad for the city, which was named after its sixth governor in the 1820s.
The wide river is bustling with life. Apart from the City Cat, people can be seen water-skiing, canoeing, boating, yachting, jet-skiing, jogging along the sidewalks of the riverbanks, or cycling or partying aboard a three-story ancient wooden ship for hire. If you look at the map, the river snakes its way, often with tight turns, through the city.
Greenery lines the riverbank in harmony with the high-rise buildings in the background.
Brisbane residents, especially those who live in the suburbs, commute by City Cat or by public buses to work in the city. Tickets for the ferries, with a maximum fare of A$2.50 (Rp 20,000) for adults, include transfers to buses and part of the railway network, thanks to the TransLink interchange system. However, Brisbane has no subway network like those in Singapore or in London.
Brisbane, the third biggest city in Australia with an area of 76-million square kilometers -- more than 10 times that of Jakarta -- lies in the southeastern corner of Queensland state.
The river city draws its life from the water.
To ensure that the city would remain green and to enhance its cosmopolitan lifestyle, a 10-year plan was drawn up in 2000, for which the public was invited to contribute ideas on how to achieve that goal.
"One of the most challenging issues facing the city today is water shortage," said a long-time Brisbane resident. "Drought has been unusually long in the last five years."
Residents have been asked to ration their water consumption since October by washing their cars on certain days according to the odd or even numbers of their home addresses. They can only water their plants with buckets once in two days -- hoses are banned.
What has caused the long drought?
"I think it's due the impact of global warming," said the resident, who preferred not to be named.
Apart from basic needs like water, the city government also addresses public safety -- and the global threat of terrorism.
"Bags without people don't make sense," declares a sticker on public buses.
According to a recent survey on unattended bags conducted across three major Australian cities by the government, Brisbane residents -- known for their laid-back attitude -- took at least 45 minutes to become aware of the bags.
Mangrove haven
Although it is located only 25 kilometers inland from the South Pacific Ocean, Brisbane has no beaches. Its coast is aswarm with mangrove forests.
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast, only an hour's drive to the south of Brisbane, has beaches that attract tourists from all over the world. To the north, about two hours' drive from Brisbane, lies the Sunshine Coast, which is equally famous for its beaches.
Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia after Sydney and Melbourne; it is also the fastest growing city with thousands of people moving from the south every year.
"Before, it was a country town. It had no high-rise buildings," said Claus Jehne, a nutritionist and a former professor of the Queensland University of Technology, who has been living in Brisbane for 30 years.
Jehne said Brisbane was the fastest growing city in Australia, with thousands of people -- like himself, who hailed originally from Melbourne -- moving from Melbourne and Sydney every month.
"When we went to the Gold Coast, there were only bushes between the two cities," he said, referring to the 72-kilometer stretch between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. "Now there are houses all along the way."
It is predicted that it will become the second largest city by 2020.
Brisbane's weather is subtropical, not very cold in winter and not very hot in summer. There are more sunny than rainy days throughout the year, which has earned it the nickname, "sunshine city".
Brisbane residents are known as an outgoing and warm people who smile more than most other Australians. One of the reasons, apparently, is the nice weather and the numerous recreation sites in the city's surroundings, or even in the city itself.
In the city proper is a man-made beach -- a tropical lagoon with sandy beaches and palm trees -- in South Bank Parklands, to which residents throng, especially on weekends. They bring or buy food from nearby cafes and have picnics in the garden. The park is on the southern bank of the Brisbane River and boasts 17 hectares of riverside tropical gardens, lagoons and cafes.
Gender bias is less visible, as women can be seen in all sorts of jobs, such as driving public buses, mooring the City Cat at piers or working on construction sites.
Like many Australians, Brisbane residents are crazy about sports and exercise. Along side-streets, people can be seen cycling or jogging on any given day and at any given time.
Those who love to take a stroll can do so at their leisure in the city's famous Botanical Garden, which celebrates its 150th anniversary next month.
Getting there * Qantas offers flights that transit in Perth. Visit www.qantas.com * Garuda routes transit in Denpasar or in Denpasar and Sydney. Visit www.garuda.com
When to go The best season is between May and September, but other months are not bad either.
Currency A$1 is equal to Rp 7,800
More information * Lonely Planet Australia at www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/ destinations/pacific/australia/ * www.brisbanetourism.com.au * www.destinationqueensland.com * www.australia.com * www.koala.net * www.flycoaster.com