I stayed in Brisbane for a couple of months and I have never seen a city so warm.... not for its climate but for the warm nature of the interactions I had with people !
Having stayed in Sydney, where it feels like everyone is busy and running from one place to another and hardly having a time for a warm smile ...Brisbane came as a pleasant surprise. As I started visiting places and interacted with people their smile seemed genuine, their warmth was affectionate ...
Now quickly coming to the point - Should Brisbane be on your Australia Itinerary ?
Definitely Yes!
All major cities in Australia gives you an amazing beach experience, but this city gives you an amazing river experience and just an hour drive you can be at one of the most exciting beaches - Gold coast!
Below is a snapshot of the city...
There are three key areas to explore:
The areas marked in green - is where the city eats...amazing restaurants
The two tracks Red ( 1.5 - 2 hrs walk) and Blue (1- 1.5 hrs walk) are the city exploring tracks.
Apart from this there are some night kayak tours on Friday and Saturday as well - a must do experience!
Here are some snapshots of the city which where taken while running/ walking & scooter-ing through the exploring tracks..
The beautiful City Botanical gardens. (Can be explored while on Red or Blue tracks)
A view of the river , while walking through the river side on the blue track. Far away you can see the story bridge.
A view of the city from the Kangaroo Cliff point, which falls on the blue exploring track. From this point, a free boat service is available every 15-20 minutes to sail across to the other side of the river, to the river front.
Below is a view from the South Bank Parklands (which falls on the red exploring tracks). this parkland has a unique feature - it has an artificial beach ! (yes you read it write).
Apart from this some very good restaurants (marked on green)
The Brisbane city hall, which is a landmark in itself. A lot happens around this area and is has numbers of good restaurants
Now for some quick useful info:
Having stayed in Sydney, where it feels like everyone is busy and running from one place to another and hardly having a time for a warm smile ...Brisbane came as a pleasant surprise. As I started visiting places and interacted with people their smile seemed genuine, their warmth was affectionate ...
Now quickly coming to the point - Should Brisbane be on your Australia Itinerary ?
Definitely Yes!
All major cities in Australia gives you an amazing beach experience, but this city gives you an amazing river experience and just an hour drive you can be at one of the most exciting beaches - Gold coast!
Below is a snapshot of the city...
There are three key areas to explore:
The areas marked in green - is where the city eats...amazing restaurants
The two tracks Red ( 1.5 - 2 hrs walk) and Blue (1- 1.5 hrs walk) are the city exploring tracks.
Apart from this there are some night kayak tours on Friday and Saturday as well - a must do experience!
Here are some snapshots of the city which where taken while running/ walking & scooter-ing through the exploring tracks..
The beautiful City Botanical gardens. (Can be explored while on Red or Blue tracks)
A view of the river , while walking through the river side on the blue track. Far away you can see the story bridge.
A view of the city from the Kangaroo Cliff point, which falls on the blue exploring track. From this point, a free boat service is available every 15-20 minutes to sail across to the other side of the river, to the river front.
Below is a view from the South Bank Parklands (which falls on the red exploring tracks). this parkland has a unique feature - it has an artificial beach ! (yes you read it write).
Apart from this some very good restaurants (marked on green)
The Brisbane city hall, which is a landmark in itself. A lot happens around this area and is has numbers of good restaurants
- How many days should be good ? : 3-4 days
- Any other places to visit : Gold Coast (1-1.5 hrs card drive)
- From Airport (Domestic/ International) you can directly travel to heart of the city using a train service - AUD 19 one way. Get down at central station or any station nearest to your accommodation. Book your tickets online from https://www.airtrain.com.au/
- A good 3 star hotel, within the city will cost you around 120 AUD and above per night
- Some good restaurant which I personally had first hand experience:
- Pochana - Thai
- Ichiban - Japanese
- The famous Pancake manor (It's an experience in itself - visit it to believe it!)
- Govinda - Veg hindu meal
- Vapiano on Albert street (Italian) - This one makes amazing pizza
- Panda on Elizabeth street ( Korean - lunch only) - try XO Chicken fried rice
Brisbane - an amazing relaxed city with amazing experiences, food and very warm people !
