The Gabba

This painting, found beneath an overpass near the Gabba, perfectly captures the holy trinity of Aussie blokes: cricket, beer & footy.

One of the more remarkable differences between Melbourne & Brisbane is symmetry. Melbourne was planned by a man named Robert Hoddle in the 19th century. His legacy, besides a consistently traffic-choked street named after him, is a magnificent grid that encompasses the most logical of CBDs and corresponding suburbs.

Brisbane, on the other hand, is a city in flux. Clearly developed with little or no masterplan, its current stewards seem keen on instilling order on its hodgepodge streetscape. My 30-minute walk to work takes me from South Brisbane to Woolloongabba. Depending on the route -- a bevy of snaking side streets make my choices seemingly endless -- I pass a string of road diversions, torn-up sidewalks and signs heralding Brisbane's improvement.

Yesterday I took a route that led me past the Gabba (left), Brisbane's largest sports stadium. Its formal name is the Brisbane Cricket Ground, but it's also home to the AFL's Brisbane Lions. The AFL was once called the VFL -- the 'V' standing for Victoria, which is where the game was invented and is as ingrained into the culture as the Queen. Oddly, Brisbane is an AFL stronghold, and I look forward to seeing the Tigers play the Lions at the Gabba when footy season returns.

The photo below is of a painting a few metres from the one shown at the top of this post. Don't know if it's meant to mock Aussie sports culture, but it certainly captures the ethos of this 'tribe'.