Booming Queensland

We can't believe how much infrustructure development is going on in Queensland between Maroochydore and the Gold Coast. The number of new highways, byways and freeways is staggering and that's just the roads. The new teaching hospital, Queensland University Hospital, being built next door to Griffith University with an expected completion of 2012, is a third the size bigger than biggest hospital in Melbourne. It is enormous!







And new, very expensive housing estates on canals, with multi-million dollar houses seem to be everywhere with these houses are so big it is almost obscene. We saw a house in Sovereign Bay with a price tag of $17 million to house mum, dad, two kids and two nannies (one nanny per child!). Take a look at the photo, and also the one that looks as though Colonial Sanders has moved in.





Some houses have garages underneath to cater for 5/6 cars and then 2/3 story homes on top. We just couldn't believe what we were seeing. Obviously, none of these folk have heard of the Global Financial Crisis or Global Warming!

We also had a personal tour around Griffith University and it makes other universities look like preschools in comparison. Griffith Uni has obviously attracted some serious government funding. The 16,500 day students have facilities that some students can only dream of. The lecture halls, library, teaching rooms, doctoral student work rooms and student recreational facilities were stunning. Around the campus there are over 200 computer work-stations available to students 24 hours a day with the latest, greatest technology available to each and every student regardless of course.

There is also a stand-out 'sense' of professionalism by both academic and general staff, as well as an expectation that students too will rise-to-the-occasion with their professional conduct at all times. The whole atmosphere is truly inspiring but then I guess an injection of the sort of funds that must be going into Griffith Uni in any university would be conducive to inspiration!