By Rama Gaind
Luck was on our side, with glorious winter weather in August – at 23 degrees – the sky was glistening without any clouds and the Brisbane River was shimmering blue.
Located at the east-end of the city centre, the Medina Executive in Brisbane offers sweeping views of the Brisbane River, the city skyline and the iconic Story Bridge.
Our one-bedroom apartment on the 8th floor would be the ideal spot from which to witness the best of Riverfire 2011 on September 3. You’ll certainly have ringside seats, sitting on the balcony that looks out over the Story Bridge!
Medina is in the perfect location from which to view the fireworks displays on the Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point Cliffs, the pontoons on the Eagle Pier stretch of the Brisbane River and some of the tall buildings along the waterfront.
September is festival time in Brisbane!
The festival’s opening extravaganza on Saturday, September 3 will be noisy and colourful and will unite hundreds of thousands of people in celebration with music and fireworks in Brisbane’s city centre and reverberate out to suburban streets, parks and backyards.
Until September 24, Brisbane will be in full festive swing as acclaimed international and Australian artists and productions, free outdoor events, home-grown productions and the cutting edge and offbeat burst across theatres, galleries, parks and public spaces.
Brisbane Festival 2011 will intrigue, delight and inspire with a program embracing dance, theatre, opera, classical music, visual arts, circus, sideshow and contemporary music. The festival caters for an amazingly broad audience and is easily accessible with an extensive range of both free and ticketed events.
The opening of Brisbane Festival will be remembered for a long time, especially from the Medina.
Riverwalk features
The Medina Executive Brisbane has 159 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and studio rooms with separate lounge/dining/work area. There is ample room to unwind or if you seek physical pursuits then plenty of activities are on-hand. The apartment hotel has a gym, swimming pool, tennis court and conference and function facilities as well.
You can certainly venture further afield. Take the River Boardwalk to the Botanic Gardens or visit Southbank with its parklands, Convention Centre or Cultural Centre via the goodwill footbridge and the world class Gallery of Modern Art. For a change of pace, a late-night drink or Treasury Casino waits 24/7.
Take the river walk and be amazed at how Brisbane River dining is becoming the rage. The revamped Eagle Street pier is the hotspot for a variety of restaurants and cafes.
Walk further down and become enmeshed in the bright lights and big-name delights found in the Queen Street Mall and its nearby surrounds.
This is where you shop till you drop!
Celebrate culture
Embrace a taste of culture and visit the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) – the exclusive Australian venue – for Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams which is a landmark exhibition of surrealist works direct from the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris.
On display until October 2, this exhibition presents more than 180 works by 56 artists, including paintings, sculptures, surrealist objects, films, photographs, drawings and collages. This is an exhibition that will provide a fascinating and comprehensive overview of this important artistic movement. These art works rarely leave Paris.
At the Gallery of Modern Art, Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands is on until October 9. It embraces the cultural and practical significance of land, sea and sky to Torres Strait Islander people and its influence on their art.
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) has a free exhibition on display titled A View from the Sixth Row that features a major 15-year retrospective of performing arts images by Brisbane photographer Reina Irmer. These are from shows presented at QPAC.
Medina has such a central location, you’d be hard-pressed not to enjoy world-class live theatre and arts venues, premier nightspots and some of the country’s best restaurants in this laidback, yet cosmopolitan city.
Rama Gaind was a guest of Medina Executive Brisbane.
Details Box
Medina Executive Brisbane
15 Ivory Lane
Brisbane Qld 4000
(07) 3218 5800
