Blogs from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 206

Watched the boguns go by as we ate breakfast in a café (me with my usual sugar intake of pancakes!) ... Surfers Paradise is a strange and soulless place, it's a bizarre mix of tat and luxury shops ie. Gucci, Fendi, Coach etc. For whom? The people here look as if they'd think the Hard Rock Café was incredibly posh. We took the bus later on to Brisbane and checked into the Palace Embassy Central hostel as Lucy stipulated that she most definitely did not want a "party hostel"! And I'm meant to be the grandma! The first dorm we walked into was like a prison cell, complete with breeze-block walls. I went down to say we needed more blankets and the guy on reception was having a total stress and said he'd swop our rooms ... read more

We couldn't really say we had visited Australia without indulging in the ancient Anglo-Australian art of imposing on distant relatives. Gill and Bob fullfilled their role admirably. After much thought and discussion we decided that Gill was Kim's second cousin. But only after a bottle of wine or two. The meeting had been suggested by Charles, Kim's Grandfather, who at the age of 95 has recently picked up email and the internet and is following our progress via this blog. Thanks to the introduction of Richard Branson into the Australian market internal flights are now very affordable - last time I bussed the whole way round. I shudder when I think how many thousands of miles that was. We had looked at bus or train from Cairns to Brisbane but a check on the map told ... read more

ASIAN D V E N T U R E Thank god I've finished work!!! That is the main feeling right now. Friday after work, I got up to Ellengrove (where Dad is) as quickly as possible, so then I could just relax. Last minute details: there's heaps when you think about it, *all the packing, *do something with the last of the dirty clothes from before you go *the stuff I needed for the time before I left, but was away from home, *take out the rubbish, *do the dishes, *turn off or unplug things, *get last daily things like medicines/ toiletries, *take copies of important documents and put them somewhere else, *give family information they might need, *even check that all videos/ library books and given back, *cancel deliveries like the paper and the ... read more

Hi Guys, i've just finished to work in emerald in a grape farm to have the second working holiday visa. I guess that a lot of people are doing the same 'cause is a good opportunity! I had a very positive experience, so if somebody is interested you can have more detailed information visiting the website of the company where i worked : http://www.t4group.net/index.html see ya... read more

I have seen most of Australian cities (actually all except Melbourne and Canberra), and I tell you: if I had to choose a place to live in Australia, it would be Brisbane. The city, the river, the parks, the art center, the pubs, the residential areas (that I have seen) - Brisbane MON AMOUR... I flew into Brisbane late on Tuesday night, got a lift from Evelyne's friend right to my hostel and went to sleep. So I first saw Brisbane next morning, as if I "fell" right in the center, without seeing the suburbs and everything coming into a city. I was shocked. Since I left Sydney 2.5 months ago I haven't been to a REAL city. I liked Adelaide and Perth as well but they're not the same. The central business district of Brisbane ... read more