I should have written this blog days ago. For that reason,
there is too much to tell in one blog, so I’ll limit this one to telling you
about my time in Brisbane (Brissy, as the locals endearingly call it) and a bit
about what I’m doing now. On either side of this are pictures I took on my first and second days in the city.
Emma and I arrived in Brissy ( pronounced like fizzy, not prissy) on the 29th of
September and proceeded to the apartment of a person I had met in Airlie Beach.
The apartment was right on the South Bank of Brisbane, arguably the prettiest
part of the city, and the view at night was phenomenal. The first night we met
the other Americans (yeah!) staying there, a traveling musical group from
Nashville, Tennessee, of all places. The singer’s name is Anysia Lane—check her
out; her music is worth a listen (http://www.anysialane.com/#!media/c17bp). On
a side note, it was unusual for me to meet with many Americans while I was
backpacking. Once again, Germans everywhere.
That night I slept in a swag on the floor. A swag is the
camping Australian’s pride and joy and is basically a tricked out sleeping bag
that can be gusseted into one-person tent. I’m sure these exist in America as
well, but I’m not so sure they call them “swags”.
The Brisbane River runs through the middle of the city, and
locals often catch river ferries to and from work. I loved this idea, so we
spent most of the next morning riding the ferry, finding cheap sushi spots for
snacks, and walking around the rest of downtown Brisbane. Across
the river and up from South Bank lies the downtown proper, or where the big
businesses in their too-big buildings loom, blocking (or creating, depending on
your view of the world) the skyline.
Brisbane Wheel
Satisfied with our exploration of the city, Emma and I decided to
visit the Steve Irwin Zoo on the 31st. Dad and I used to watch Steve Irwin's show "The Crocodile Hunter" and laugh and call a calf or a garter snake a “ripper” and call each other “mate”.
Mr. Irwin, if you aren’t familiar, is mainly known for his exorbitant amounts
of energy, walk-in-the-park attitude towards handling the world’s deadliest
animals, and in Australia I’ve noticed, his respect and care for native
wildlife. If you don’t remember, here is a video refresher of the glory that is
Steve Irwin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlDXZywedvc
I saw the tigers he introduces in the video, but they are now full grown. These pictures are of Kaitlyn, a 7-year-old female Sumatran
Tiger. Below is one seriously sleepy koala. Sloth is a forgivable vice in koalas; they are adorable no matter how little they move.
The next morning, I took Emma to the airport at 3:00 AM. I’ll
tell you now, navigating a city the size of Brisbane on the left-hand side of
the road is much easier when there is
no traffic. She was off to Sydney for a few days and then catching another flight
to Perth to meet with her boyfriend, so I was left to wander Brisbane solo.
Being centered in the South Bank, I had easy access to the Brisbane Cultural
Center, which includes the state library, the Queensland Art Gallery and Museum
of Modern Art, the Queensland Museum, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
I visited all but the state library (regrettably, but I’ll return to Brisbane
in November). The art gallery and Museum of Modern Art were beyond comparison;
they held everything from Aboriginal art to Impressionism. If you haven’t
picked up on it through my blog, I’ll just say that Brisbane is a pleasant and
enjoyable city. I would recommend visiting it if you just happen to be passing through Aus.
This was my last full day in Brisbane; the next day I left
for Tamworth on the Greyhound, bound for cotton farming and irrigation. This is
where I’ll end. Blogs should be fairly short to keep the attention of the Information
Age cohort, right? I’ll continue with the next blog in a couple days. G’day
mates.
