The Cliff Hangers of Brisbane
My last day in Queensland and flying out tomorrow. We spent the whole day checking out the way planning is done for the various cities and towns of Queensland before returning just after 6. Anyway, after dinner, our driver took us to see an interesting sight over on the other side of Brisbane across the river called the Kangaroo Point. From there, one can see all the tall buildings in Brisbane Central Business District Area.
What we did not realise was that while viewing the buildings, we found a group of students very busy untying ropes. We asked one of them, who happened to be a German transfer student about what the whole thing was. He told us it was the Queensland University of Technology students club called The Cliffhangers. I was wondering cliffhanging to what, when I realised that down the wall where I was standing was actually a cliff going down to the bank about several hundred feet high.
I took this photo from the club's website and you can see the tall buildings of Brisbane's CBD on the other side of the river.
Apparently just at the base of the cliff was a narrow strip of parkland and all sorts of activities were down there. I saw a few people practicing flame throwing etc. I just could not believe cliff hanging can actually be done in a city centre. It's just amazing.
I read later tonight that the Kangaroo Point Cliffs are not natural. They were created by a quarrying operation of female prisoners which mined the volcanic rock or rhyolite lava flows which form the cliffs. Mining occurred for 90 years between the 1880s and 1970s. These lavas were deposited in the Tertiary period about 230 million years ago and filled an ancient river valley. They currently form the banks of the Brisbane River.
I asked my colleague to find an equivalent site in Brunei and see whether we can do such a thing. Cliff hanging in the city at night. Adrenalin flowing. Wow!
What we did not realise was that while viewing the buildings, we found a group of students very busy untying ropes. We asked one of them, who happened to be a German transfer student about what the whole thing was. He told us it was the Queensland University of Technology students club called The Cliffhangers. I was wondering cliffhanging to what, when I realised that down the wall where I was standing was actually a cliff going down to the bank about several hundred feet high.
I took this photo from the club's website and you can see the tall buildings of Brisbane's CBD on the other side of the river.Apparently just at the base of the cliff was a narrow strip of parkland and all sorts of activities were down there. I saw a few people practicing flame throwing etc. I just could not believe cliff hanging can actually be done in a city centre. It's just amazing.
I read later tonight that the Kangaroo Point Cliffs are not natural. They were created by a quarrying operation of female prisoners which mined the volcanic rock or rhyolite lava flows which form the cliffs. Mining occurred for 90 years between the 1880s and 1970s. These lavas were deposited in the Tertiary period about 230 million years ago and filled an ancient river valley. They currently form the banks of the Brisbane River.
I asked my colleague to find an equivalent site in Brunei and see whether we can do such a thing. Cliff hanging in the city at night. Adrenalin flowing. Wow!
Comments
That and, Fitness Zone got an artificial mountain climbing set up. Though you need to be a member to use it. Shame.
Fitness Zone one is fun to do if you have a partner and do a who-can-last-the-longest-on-the-wall competition, but I'm not interested in renewing my membership anymore.