
Queensland was intentionally
left out of the itinerary when I made my debut down under last year. It’s just
that, all the cheap Air Asia X flights land in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney
back then. This made Brisbane or Gold Coast a bit too inaccessible for me
because I’m such a cheapo. But that is no longer a problem now. With Air Asia X
now serving the state via Gold Coast, coming back is an issue of when rather
than if. And now the dilemma, which city should I choose given the limited time
frame?
I guess this was also one of
the considerations as to why I dropped QLD altogether. For the other states,
there is always an obligatory popular city that you can visit because that’s where
everybody goes anyway. Victoria has Melbourne. NSW has Sydney. There’s Adelaide
in the south and Darwin in the north. And of course, Western Australia has
Perth. For QLD, it always seems to be a tug-o-war between the state capital of Brisbane
and the beach life in Gold Coast. And then you also have Cairns up north if you love
diving.

Our stop in Gold Coast lasted
just over an hour. Coming back from Auckland, I re-entered Australia via
Brisbane, where I got interrogated again. Okay, fine, I suppose it’s not a
racial thingy after all. The immigration duo who questioned me here were both
polite and upbeat. They then warned me that my “irregular” itinerary might
court more trouble wherever I was headed to next. Noted, guys. I’m just glad
that the ConXion I booked was the later one. Otherwise, I would have missed it.

Why Brisbane, then? The
decision was entirely based on my onward flight to Port Moresby, which takes
off from Brissy. I was planning to split my two days in Oz between Brissy and
Gold Coast, but that would have involved two full days of sightseeing. I just
wanted to chill in Australia, which is why I made things simpler by just
staying at the state capital. Some people might find Brisbane boring. The CBD
is here. The colonial buildings are also here. But life tends to unfold along
the banks of the river, not at the beach.

Brisbane’s river is like an
invasive serpent snaking down southeast Queensland, its curves serving as
barriers between districts. My Airbnb place at West End, for example, is
surrounded by the river’s two curves on all sides except the east. Cross the
northern edge and you end up at the CBD. That’s also where Kangaroo Point and
Riverside are located, the two areas that I deemed worthy of a daytime stroll. I
love the beach, but rivers offer this distinct kind of chill vibe, especially
when there’s a CBD located nearby.

It was breezy and rather chillier
here than it was in Auckland. Now I’m convinced that I chose the wrong season
to be here. Day One was sabotaged by overcast skies and some drizzles, but it
did not hinder me from taking that stroll at Kangaroo Point. With almost
everything of interest reachable under 15 minutes via Uber, I opted not to
invest on a transportation card anymore. The driver dropped me off at the park
overlooking the river, with the skyline of the CBD dwarfing our side from
across the water.

The cliffs are rather popular
for rappelling, and I saw several teenagers there doing so under the care of
who I suppose was an experienced rock climber. The steep descent seems fun, but
not that high. The natural wall formed by the cliffs has a convenient walkway on
street level. The skyline view is the main attraction here, punctuated by some
sail boats and ferries that shuttle people back and forth from one side to
another. There is also a park with barbecue grill facilities. I
wonder if those are free.



I ended the night at South
Bank, where you can choose from the many restaurants if you are famished or
just take a stroll down the artificial beach that they created, complete with a
giant surfboard and legit sand. The Ferris Wheel is also located here, if you
want a higher vantage point for your photos. I don’t think it’s free because it
screams Tourist Trap from a mile away. In any case, the river can offer
magnificent photo-ops regardless the elevation of your vantage point. Just make
do of what you have.

What I appreciate most about
Brisbane is the modernity of it all. There are so many buildings here, most of
them residential condominiums, that look so modern. The choice of architectural
style and color scheme creates this spellbinding cityscape that you wouldn’t
mind seeing on a daily basis. It’s as if the city knew that its young history
couldn’t compete with its European counterparts, and so she just gave them all
a big FU and basked in her modernity. Its juxtaposition with the river turns everything into a legit visual spectacle.

I found myself back at
Kangaroo Point the next day, but way north at the Story Bridge. It was sunnier
and so the pictures turned out to be prettier than the other day. There are some
extreme sport activities on the bridge, but I didn’t see anyone that day. You
can climb all the way up and cross over to the eastern edge of the CBD. Get
back down and take a stroll at Riverside, which boasts its collection of
skyscrapers of different shapes and sizes. And yeah, the Story Bridge is the
photo-op backdrop this time around.



The people on this side are a
more diverse bunch, with power-dressing individuals enjoying their business breaks
and residents in jogging attire taking advantage of the sun’s sudden
appearance. You will run into a clueless tourist or two once in a while, but
they seem to be the minority here. I guess most of the tourists are either
diving in Cairns or living the beach life in Gold Coast. Go farther inland and
you will see some colonial buildings and monuments like the train station, for
example.

Tired from the two-hour
stroll, I called yet another Uber after my Starbucks break. Passing through the
southern edge of the CBD, I realized that I missed the good walkathon
opportunity there. But then again, the tourists began multiplying and I told
myself that maybe I just spared myself from the camwhore crowd. Good riddance,
then. I just admired the views from inside the car before we arrived at my
Airbnb place after 15 minutes or so. Time to rest, I have an early flight to Papua
New Guinea tomorrow morning.
[BRISBANE] Breezy in Brissy
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