Such a sunny, friendly city.

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I’m leaving Brisbane tomorrow after just two and a half short days in this great city. I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Brisbane. Lots of people skip it altogether when they’re traveling down the East Coast, which is strange since it’s the third largest city in Australia. It’s not really known for anything though. There’s no famous landmarks or attractions–no opera house or anything.

First of all, I didn’t expect Brisbane to be this big! Like Darwin, Brisbane is the capital of its state, but the city center of Darwin consists of about a six by three block grid. It definitely would not be classified as a big city. But Brisbane actually IS a big city! Big enough to warrant its own train system. To top it all off, the Brisbane Festival began on the day I arrived here, which meant that everyone who lives in or near the city was walking around the city center. This meant that there were lots of bustling crowds–which I’m definitely not used to anymore! Brisbane is the first proper city I’ve been in since Auckland (I didn’t spend any time in Denpasar, and Wellington and Christchurch definitely didn’t feel like big cities). A little overwhelming! After I got used to it, I was able to immensely enjoy the lively environment of the festival.

The festival was kicked off with the annual Riverfire event, which is a night of fireworks over the river. I watched them from one of the bridges and had a nice little conversation with an Aussie couple, where I got good tips about spots to check out on the East coast! I love it when that happens.

I spent quite a bit of time on the South Bank of the river, where there are lovely parklands, cafes and restaurants, swimming pools, and museums. The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art was especially GREAT!

I also went rock climbing yesterday! It was SO MUCH FUN! The Kangaroo Point Cliffs are just across the river from the city center, and it’s full of rock climbers all day and night (flood lights light up the cliffs at night). Before this, I had only ever tried indoor rock climbing, and I always wanted to get more into it, but never did. Maybe this was the push I needed, because it really was a blast. I made it to the almost-top–farther than any of the other five people I was with! Yay me.  My shoulders and fingers, and just about everything else are pretty sore right now, though.

So in conclusion: Brisbane is a pretty great city. Be sure not to miss it when you come to Australia. There aren’t any major tourist attractions, but there is actually quite a bit to occupy your time, and you will probably leave feeling like you want to live here.

Tomorrow I’m off to Byron Bay, where I’m only spending one night. Then it’s another long busride to Sydney!

Riverfire

Queensland Gallery of Modern Art

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Tags: australia, brisbane, Travel