journal entry: the great wheel of brisbane

September 14, 2008

... A giant ferris wheel, The Great Wheel of Brisbane (like 'The Eye' in London, England) dominates the South Bank skyline. In fact, you can see it from the waterfront sections of Brisbane's downtown area. It's that huge and imposing.

Joe [editorial note: my friend] and I went for a ride. The ticket lady in charge of collecting the admission fee asked if I was American or Canadian. Apparently they keep a tally of where tourists are from -- for book keeping purposes, perhaps? I always find that a bit odd, but the woman was genuinely friendly about it. She said she couldn't tell the difference between Canadian and American accents, but knew I had to be one of the two. I politely informed her I was 'merican, through and through.

I was so nervous getting into the Great Wheel car. The Wheel itself is over 200 feet high! You enter in to a climate controlled 'car' that swings whenever you move. There's an emergency call button to press if you panic, which I appreciated. (I do hate heights, after all.) I joked that I might need to use it.

A big boned Maori girl got me and Joe in to the car, and she seemed amused by nervousness. Joe sat across from me, and everytime he turned to take a picture, the car would swing slightly. I was jumpy about that aspect of the ride, but the views were glorious and well worth the moments of swaying terror.

It was almost sunset when we went up for our ride. It was rather romantic really, riding up in the sky as the sun was lowering in the horizon. I couldn't help but think it would be a wonderful spot to be proposed to, or something of the sort, with all of Brisbane at your feet and the sun casting a golden sheen on everything, river and glass high rises alike.

The ride stopped once while we were near the top. That made me very nervous. I remember saying to my friend, "Okay, we can move any day now." I was more than a bit anxious floating up above the known world, but I was also exhilerated by it. Like I said, the views of Brisbane were incomparable.

The entire ride was about ten minutes, or three full rotations. The admission price was steep, but entirely worth it.

The Great Wheel of Brisbane was definately a high light of my visit to the South Bank, and I would recommend it to any tourist visiting the area. It won't be here forever, as it is a temporary monument, and it ofers unparalleled views of the Brisbane metro area.