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Happy Birthday Fatty!

On the bus upto Queensland's capital - Brisbane. I've decided to avoid the concrete jungle of Surfers Paradise after seeing some photos and realising that the Torremolinos-esq town really wouldn't float my boat. To tell you the truth, most of the Gold Coast sounds hiddeous, although I'm sure the beaches are spectacular.

Brissy

Ricklivesey
2006-08-31 12:04:49

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Happy Birthday Fatty!

On the bus upto Queensland's capital - Brisbane. I've decided to avoid the concrete jungle of Surfers Paradise after seeing some photos and realising that the Torremolinos-esq town really wouldn't float my boat. To tell you the truth, most of the Gold Coast sounds hiddeous, although I'm sure the beaches are spectacular.

.....

After having spend 3 nights in Byron, I'm cutting it rather fine to see Brisbane, get to Rainbow Beach, do 5 nights on Frasier Island tour and get to Airlie Beach in time for my sailing trip on the 8th. I'll probably push things back by a couple of days this evening, since there's no point in rushing just yet, althought the big drinking sessions do empty the wallet rather rapidly....

Sitting in the middle of The Goodwill Bridge, crossing the Brisbane, just south of the Botanical Gardens. It's a beautiful day, spoilt only by the dull roar of traffic on the neighbouring Captain Cook road bridge.

First impressions - and after only 2 hours since getting off the coach, these really are early days - are that Brisbane is a city, like every other. The sky is intruded upon by a plethora of highrise busines blocks, boarded by landscaped shopping streets, dotted with tiny, manicured squares of gardens.

The Botanic Garden, though impressive, can in no way compare with Sydney or Melly, but as the third largest city, maybe it just simply knows it's place.

I've checked in at Tin Billy Travellers on the edge of the CBD, which seems modern, clean and a good base from which to start exploring. I was tempted to try Fortitude Valley, a suberb several kms out, famed for fashion-shopping, drinking and the all important gay bars, but I'll take it one day at a time and see how I go. I'm concious that I'm currently booked on the sailing trip in the Whitsundays on the 8th, but before then have quite a few kms to cover and Frasier Island to explore beforehand, so either I get a wriggle on, or rebook and stretch the trip for the umteenth time - but hey, such is the luxery of a traveller!

Meeting Jacinta and Gillian for coffee in a bit and I'm hoping I can persuade them to come gay barring tonight, though it was Gills birthday last night, so their
Some sort of Chinese show along the South Bank Full Image
inevitable hangovers might scupper that plan.