Ted Smout Bridge Opening

The Ted Smout Bridge was recently opened (July 11 2010) and we had the opportunity to undertake the 2.7km walk across this road bridge that will act as the south-bound traffic lanes connecting the Redcliffe Peninsula with Brisbane. This bridge not only supports the road traffic but also pedestrian and cycle traffic on a separated area and also has a fishing platform in one of the channels off the eastern side of the bridge.


Now that the new bridge is open, two of the three lanes on the Houghton Highway are now permanently north bound, with the third lane currently closed until the maintenance of this bridge has been finalised with all three lanes to be open to traffic north bound at the completion of the project. The contractors are also currently demolishing a fair chunk of the heritage listed Hornibrook Bridge. This is a sad sight, but something that has been proposed as part of the project for a long time.

The day of the opening was well organised with a limited number of 'tickets' issued to ensure that the bridge wasn't clogged with too many people ensuring the walking pace was appropriate for all people. Also the use of buses at each end of the bridge meant that you didn't have to make the return bridge walk if you didn't want to. Phew!

Underwater World, Mooloolaba

A weekend trip to Underwater World at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast kept us out of mischief for an afternoon. We were looking for an activity that was suitable for a potentially rainy, cold weekend and this certainly ticked all the boxes. Mooloolaba is an easy drive from Brisbane that takes about an hour and a half up the Bruce Highway.

The 'aquarium' isn't as big as I remember, but certainly kept us busy for an afternoon. Unfortunately the staff didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm as many of the visitors.

Some of the highlights were some interesting freshwater creatures, including lung fish, large Japanese spider crabs and a nice exhibit promoting native frogs. The marine tunnel was still great and the seal show was interesting but a little lack lustre. The part that I found most interesting was actually a photographic exhibition on the topic of invertebrates.

Overall a good afternoon out and would certainly keep the kids (probably older than a toddler/baby age group) entertained on a rainy weekend. Another positive was that the facility didn't actually feel crowded and we were able to access all of the exhibits without much difficulty, this was surprising considering it was the Queensland school holidays and Underwater World had a Shrek promotion on as well.