Daily Photo – An unexpected corner of Brisbane

I wasn’t really looking for this.

I’d been wandering around the South Bank in Brisbane, doing what I usually do in a city I’ve never quite gotten around to knowing properly, which is walking without much of a plan and seeing what turns up. Brisbane is a difficult place to wander through without eventually finding something involving water, gardens, restaurants or people wearing considerably less clothing than you are.

Then I came across this.

Tucked away among the greenery was this wonderfully ornate building, looking as though someone had accidentally transported a small piece of Nepal into the middle of Brisbane and then decided it was probably best not to mention it.

I stopped.

There was something about the contrast that appealed to me. Around it was modern Brisbane, busy paths, landscaped gardens and the general movement of a city going about its business. And here was this intricate little world of carved timber, pagoda roofs and details that demanded you stop for a closer look.

So, naturally, I took a photograph.

I don’t remember setting out that morning with the intention of photographing a Nepalese Peace Pagoda, I didn’t even know it even existed. But that’s one of the things I like about wandering. You can have a destination in mind, but the best part of the journey is the thing you didn’t know was there.