Touring with Balmoral

This morning we were picked up from our host families by Rotarians from Club Balmoral. On the agenda was a visit to Fort Lytton National Park and Port of Brisbane. We were greeted at Fort Lytton by Maurice and spent the morning learning about the fort and its history. The fort catalogs Queensland's military history.

Next we went to Port of Brisbane where we had lunch at the cafe and had some time to get to know the Balmoral Rotarians. We then met enthusiastic Fiona who gave us an excellent tour and fascinating commentary on the port and its function in the Brisbane. The port exchanges over 30 million tons of cargo each year generating a $1.9 BILLION contribution to the Queensland economy.

Other interesting points:

• The grain silos hold up to 60,000 tons
  
• Port of Brisbane is so advanced in its planning that it has a sustainability model that works reduces the ecological footprint by educating employees and requiring all buildings to be green
  
• Reach stackers are used to lift and stack containers and are done so with a GPS tracking system that is so precise that there are no operators inside the lifts
• Port tours range from paid individual tours to free group community tours

A big thank you to Fiona and the entire staff of Port of Brisbane for an eye-opening experience!




Then our Balmoral Club hosts took us to their homes to rest and prepare for the evening. We had a wonderful and entertaining time at the meeting.



We are so grateful to all of our hosts and the entire Balmoral Club for the generosity and hospitality we received. You made our experience one that we'll never forget. Thank you, thank you, thank you.