Cyclone Ghost Town: Big blow empties iconic Brisbane landmarks
Brisbane’s most iconic landmarks including Queen St Mall and South Bank were empty this morning as TC Alfred kept people at home. SEE THE AMAZING PICTURES
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Brisbane’s most iconic landmarks including the Queen St Mall and South Bank were almost empty this morning as TC Alfred turned the CBD and surrounds into a ghost town.
Only the bravest and most bored tourists — and some locals already suffering from cabin fever — were out in the city centre after everyone else heeded electronic road signs warning residents to stay home.
Those few stores and cafes which took a gamble and stayed open did a reasonable trade.
Jimmys On The Mall, two EzyMarts and two 7-Elevens kept fairly busy, while a steady flow of caffeine-craving customers stopped at the Foster & Black coffee shop in Uptown (formerly the Myer Centre).
Mum and daughter tourists Lisa and Natasha said they hoped the weather would improve for the rest of their month’s holiday.
GHOST TOWN PHOTO GALLERY - SEE THE 45 PICTURES
The Toronto, Canada residents had already been told their trips to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Tangalooma resort on Moreton Island had been cancelled.
They were planning what to do next over coffees at Jimmys On The Mall.
“As soon as we landed the limousine driver was warning us about the weather. We just thought he was a nervous Nellie at first,’’ Lisa said.
Natasha said despite the inconvenience it was still better than the minus 20C temperatures back home.
School teachers Katie Hayden and Georgie Groth said they decided to break the boredom of their pupil-free day with a walk.
“When we saw it was safe to go out we decided to have a walk. It was a surprise to see so many stores closed,’’ Ms Hayden said.
Nextra Queen St Mall manager Jordan Conder said his centre manager decided not to close, which had been a good call as they had had a steady stream of people through the door.
Business wasn’t as good for impromptu busker Rhodes Fleming, who decided to come in to sing a song and strum his guitar for the few people scurrying past his spot near the shuttered Hungry Jacks restaurant.
It was a similar story at Brisbane Airport after numerous flights were cancelled.
Passengers standing at the baggage carousals were in a sombre mood and there were fewer cars waiting in short-term parking bays, while trains also were shut on Thursday.
Some passengers said they were camping out, ready for a long wait for the next available flight.
Qantas and Jetstar flights were suspended from mid-afternoon, until at least Sunday morning, while Virgin Australia halted flights from 4pm.
Victoria Burak was waiting at the Jetstar service desk in the hope of paying for another flight to Sydney — no matter what the cost.
She said the alternative was staying at a hotel in the CBD for several days.
“We’re just going to see if there’s any flights we can get on, now, no matter how much it costs,” she said.
British tourist William Poole was, like other visitors, left to wander the streets in search of something to do and ended up in a deserted Brunswick St Mall in Fortitude Valley.
Mr Poole said he hired a car in Melbourne and planned to drive to Cairns, but was warned flooding meant he would get only as far as Airlie Beach.
“I got to Cairns. Look at this tan,’’ he said proudly pointing to his face.
“On the way back down they started warning me, from about Agnes Water, that there was a cyclone.
“It’s (the Valley mall) just like (Covid) lockdown.’’
At nearby Howard Smith Wharves, which was taped off, the normally impossible-to-get waterfront tables were eerily empty.
Security guards patrolled the usually popular watering hole where the outdoor plants had been tied down with heavy-duty straps.
The only movement was on the adjacent Riverwalk where diehard dog walkers and joggers were still making good use of the facility despite strong headwinds.
Over at South Bank there was not a soul on the pristine white sand or in the water at Kodak Beach, which was fenced off on all sides with steel barricades.
The lifeguard tower was pushed over and one lonely floatie lay on the sand.
A family of Asian tourists at the adjacent lagoon was undeterred by the cold wind whipping the palm tree fronds, splashing in the water as a few stragglers looked on from the walkways.
Almost every shop was shuttered and street parking, a scarce commodity at any other time, was never so easy to come by — at least not since lockdown.
One of the few to venture out was, ironically, a weather analyst who said he was very confident to take his young daughters out for a swim because he knew exactly where TC Alfred was this morning.
“Why stay home? We live nearby so we thought we’d come out, but just this morning because it will whip up this afternoon,’’ he said.
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Originally published as Cyclone Ghost Town: Big blow empties iconic Brisbane landmarks
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