Blogs from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 12

Our last day in the camper van took us up the coast to Byron Bay and Stuart decided it would be a good idea to go up to the lighthouse which was the most easterly point of Australia. This sounded all well and good until the road got narrower and narrower. Eventually when we reached the top it was well worth the risky drive as the views were amazing. After ten days in a camper van, three of them wet and grey, we were delighted to reach Brisbane, pick up a car and check in to our apartment with real beds and bathrooms- absolute bliss! This trip was always intended to be a learning experience; we have definitely learnt never to go anywhere near a camper van ever again! Brisbane is fantastic, a really buzzing vibrant ... read more

Geo: -27.471, 153.024A balmy and humid day in Brisbane today as the family arrive to say bon-voyage.Deb booked a nice stretch limo for our trip to the airport. Despite being asked not to, the driver arrived early, he was super friendly and super talkative and didn't hesitate to introduced himself to the whole family. There was only one problem, he took us to arrivals instead of departures then got lost and we ended up at DFO some 3 km away.Back at the airport we cleared customs with plenty of time to spare and found a nice bar overlooking the tarmac. On seeing the plane dock at the gate we noted it was an Air New Zealand jet and a small one at that.We departed on time and had comfortable seats but the entertainment units were hopeless, ... read more

For the past few weeks I have been basking in a delicious haze of virtual inactivity - by this I do not mean that I have shunned all electronic devices and remained at a distance from the net. Reading, writing, strolling around the neighbourhood......not weighed down by heavy boots and other arctic survival gear.....really haven't needed or wanted anything more. By Sunday afternoon my nephew decided it was "time we did something"....so he packed me into the car and we drove off to Mount Coot-tha, the highest peak in the Brisbane area, offering a panoramic view of the city and Moreton Bay. In the last 1820's a penal colony was established at Moreton Bay, where only the most hardened criminals and recidivists were sent. The Official Regulations for Penal Settlements, issued by, Governor Darling in 1829, ... read more

Uteklo to rychle. Dnes Austrálie přivítala novou dočasnou návštěvnici, hrdou občanku České republiky ~ MOJI MAMINKU :) Nebe plakalo, že odjíždím a já se upřímně cítím stejně. Vlastně, cítím se všelijak. Opouštím místo, které se stalo mým domovem, kde zůstávají moji přátelé - většina mých nejbližších minimálně do března či na celý další semestr. Loučení je věc nepříjemná, to vám musím říct. Ono ve skutečnosti nejde ani tak o opouštění města Brisbane, sem si mohu teoreticky 'kdykoliv zaletět'. Kamarádi tu už ale za rok nebudou. Na druhou stranu, tak máme nové budoucí destinace, že ano. Na vrcholu stojí Brazílie* :) Déšť se postupem dne umoudřil a nebe plakalo jen trochu a v intervalech. Zažily jsme krásné koncerty (ukázku obou máte na videích), prošly město a sobotní univerzitu a fotily a fotily. Zítra odlétáme směr sever a ... read more

My nephew works in the Central Business District of Brisbane, near the Brisbane River, so it seemed like a good plan to go in with him for a day and explore the area on foot. I wore my second most comfortable pair of shoes. Although I did enjoy my day, when I return (still a lot to see) my feet will NOT be settling for second best. I headed directly for the river and very quickly realized that the "walking path" is first and foremost a cyclist path......at that early time of morning mostly people heading off to work and slowing down for nobody, especially not camera-clicking Canucks. And while the river is picturesque from a distance, up close it is brown and smelly. I remembered, from my list trip, a lovely Botanical Garden and headed ... read more