Four days in Australia seems a bit extreme but as we had a stopover we decided to stop off for a few days, plus I’ve been wanting to get back to Brisbane for a while now as I once worked here and the plan is to catch up with an old friend.
Brisbane is easily one of the most laidback cities you’ll find, even though it’s busy, nobody seems to be in any rush to get around, even in the morning, people on their way to work seem to be in no rush.
We’re staying at the Royal at the Park, which has a really good location right down in the CBD (Central Business District) area. The hotel had it’s heyday back in the 1960s so is a tad dated but given the great location, it’ll do just fine.
We arrived around lunch time, wasted no time and hit the streets. Even though it was a Sunday, the place was hopping. After getting our bearings, we grabbed some lunch, then we headed across the river to the south bank area which is an outdoor recreation area incorporating a river walk, outdoor pool, man-made beach and several dozen places to eat and drink – it’s a fantastic amenity. Of course, in Brisbane they have the weather for such things.
Along the way, we spotted the Brisbane Science Museum so we popped in for a look, plus being free, is always appealing.
We walked much of the south bank area and returned via the botanical gardens which are just across from our hotel, there was also a market on which had the usual bits and pieces of places to grab a bite to eat and drink plus lots of hand crafted gifts.
For our evening meal, we were happy with just a burger place called Grill’d which was actually ok.
The next day we grabbed breakfast in a place called Master Tom’s, the food and more importantly, the coffee was fantastic.
After breakfast and a quick wander around the shops, we went back to our hotel to meet my old chum. Bang on time, he arrived and we spent the entire day walking the streets of Brisbane including going back to the old hostel where we used to work. The new manager was happy to let us wander around after we explained we used to work there many years back.
As the evening drew in, we said our goodbyes and my chum is planning on coming over next year to Europe so we put in a plan in place to meet up again.
For dinner we opted for a Korean restaurant as they are everywhere around the CBD area due to the huge amount of Asian visitors and students. The food was pretty good and as you can see, there was plenty of it.
Our last day in Brisbane rolls around we did a bit more walking and caught the free Hopper ferry that goes up and down the river which was enjoyable and cooling as the weather was hitting the 30s so it was pretty hot.
With no real plan, we decided to visit the famous Lone Pine Koala centre which is about a 40 minute bus ride outside of Brisbane. Basically it’s a small zoo with koalas being the main attraction, they even have a wall of celebrities who visited and had their photo taken holding a koala. We didn’t get our photo taken with koalas though and I was happy to feed a few of the kangaroos.
After our visit to the park, we returned to Brisbane and decided to go to the cinema for the late evening. After we grabbed dinner and headed back for an early night.
The following morning we were up early and grabbed breakfast at Master Tom’s again as it was just so good. It was great to be back in Brisbane, it’s a fantastic city and it was great to catch up with an old chum. Who knows we may well be back again at a later date. After breakfast, we made our way to the station to catch the train to the airport to get our flight to Sydney.
We’ve only got a few hours to spend in Sydney so after checking into our airport hotel, Rydges, which actually has a great view of the airport runway, we wasted no time and grabbed a train to bring us into the centre of Sydney.
Next up a late lunch followed by a walk around the Opera House and the Rocks. There was a big cruise ship docked which looked impressive. You could also spot climbers on the top of the Harbour Bridge which is a must do when visiting Sydney. I did it a few years previous and it’s a fantastic thing to try.
After more walking, we headed downtown and the plan was to go to the top of the Sydney Tower which neither of us had visited before. The view was pretty good although the view of the Opera House is blocked by all the new high rise buildings – that’s progress I guess.
So after the tower visit, we grabbed a quick drink in an outdoor bar before heading back to our hotel where we grabbed dinner and an early night.
It’s been a while since we both visited Oz but it was nice to have a little taste even if it was just for a few nights. Of course, we’ve a plan to return at a later date and spend a few weeks.
Until next time,
C&J
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