Blogs from Central Business District, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 2

Really enjoyed the coach ride to Brisbane looking out the window and I had a lollypop that the French guy had one for us the night before! (No one can remember his name!) I noticed these beautiful purple trees as we arrived into Brisbane and they really stand out against the other green trees. I walked to the wrong hostel because there are 3 of the same chain in Brisbane but they have me a map and showed me where to go. Brisbane is a little but like Sydney as it's busy and modern looking however there are less tourists and no opera house! I decided to go for a walk to see the area so I walked down through the main shopping area and into the botanical gardens. From the edge of the gardens I ... read more

Picture time... read more

ORIGIN – IT’S GAME DAY Today its ‘Origin Day’ Queensland v New South Wales Rugby League clash of the giants at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland have won seven series in a row but New South Wales won game one – a game in which Queensland were well below their best. It’s a three match series so the Maroons have to win to keep the series alive and have a shot at an unprecedented eight consecutive series wins. In Brisbane there’s nothing bigger right now! We’d have had an awesome and pretty full on schedule so earmarked this morning for a quiet one before the Origin madness got under way! Sue went off to give blood and Jeanette, Don and I pottered around home. At around 2.30 we headed to Chermside Shopping Centre – a HUGE Westfield shopping ... read more

We're off again - nothing like our last epic European adventure (http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/GrantD/), but this time we're heading to Queensland on an Origin pilgrimage! Highlight will undoubtedly be State of Origin 2 as the mighty Maroons fire up to square the series at Fortress Suncorp! Can't wait for all that drama to unfold next Wednesday. It's not all about the footy though (it IS Jeanettes birthday treat after all!). When we arrive on Friday we'll grab a rental and head to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland - via Australia Zoo and the famous Ettamogah Pub. We've booked two nights staying at Curramore Country Cabins - 10 minutes from the arty/crafty village of Maleny in the heart of some prime Aussie rain forest. On the way back to Brisbane we'll hopefully catch up with Jeanette's brother Steve who lives ... read more

We woke up to a much sunnier morning, it got to 32°c! We drove in to Brisbane, to a part called South bank. We walked along the riverside, past many restaurants and cafés. There is an artificial beach there called Streets beach. We had lunch at a lovely Mexican restaurant. After that we drove to Mount Coot-tha, where we had an amazing view over the whole of Brisbane. We went on a 5km hike through the mountain. It was lovely, with lots of trees and wildlife. We went on an aboriginal art trail and saw some of their paintings and carvings. Kayley saw a snake and freaked out! It was very hot, and steep, but well worth the walk. We went back to the campsite to catch up on some washing and have an early night ... read more