I had a fantastic time in Brisbane, partly because I got to cross some things off my wish list such as cuddling a koala and going to an Aussie rules football match, and partly because I got to see some old friends.
On Tuesday, April 17, I had another break from hostels and I went to stay with Kit in the Bulimba area of the city for four nights. I hadn’t seen him for six years so it was great to catch up with him and meet his wife Emme (and dog Matilda). On one night, we went to the local pub and took part in a quiz, finishing somewhere in the middle, and on another night we went to visit some of their friends. It was nice to hang out with Aussies rather than backpackers for a change.
I think Brisbane is a better city for residents than for visitors, as there aren’t many tourist attractions but all the amenities you would want. The city isn’t on the coast but Streets Beach, the man-made lagoon on the south bank, was a decent attempt to give people the best of both worlds. The Botanic Garden and Roma Street Parkland were pleasant areas for a stroll, though I had to be careful not to tread on any lizards which ranged from the size of my little finger to the size of my arm.
I also had a lovely catch-up with Sally and Nat, who I hadn’t seen for a few months, and the following day we went to Australia Zoo, in Beerwah, one hour’s drive north of Brisbane. The zoo, made famous by Steve Irwin, was one of the best I’ve visited, even though it didn’t have any monkeys. We saw crocodile and tiger shows, during which we saw behaviours that we’d only seen on television. We made friends with a wallaby, patted several kangaroos and stroked a koala. We saw a zookeeper taking a wombat for a walk on a lead, and when I asked, I was allowed to hold the lead for a bit. I also saw an echidna and a Tasmanian devil for the first time. We were there for just over five hours, and on the way back, Sally and Nat took me to see the impressive Glass House Mountains. We stopped in Maleny for probably the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Then we spent a few hours visiting Nat’s great-uncle and aunt, Brian and Rita. They were really friendly and really funny, and made me wish I knew more of my own family. I don’t remember the last day I laughed so much, and it was probably my favourite day in Australia so far.
On Saturday, April 21, I checked into the YHA hostel for two nights because I didn’t want to impose on the McDonalds too much, and we had different plans for the evening. I met up with Jemma, who I met in Sydney, and we went to The Gabba stadium, in the Woolloongabba area of the city, to watch our first Aussie rules footy match. It was a local derby, with the Brisbane Lions taking on the Gold Coast Suns. The capacity of the stadium was 42,000 but the attendance was just under 22,000. Before the game started, a man in the row behind us patiently explained the rules and terminology to us. The game was very fast and very exciting, and although the teams seemed evenly matched at the beginning, the Lions went on to win 111-46.
The next day, Jemma and I took the bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, which was 12km away. The place had 115 koalas, all of which the keepers knew by name, and the young ones in particular were so cute. We both had our photo taken with a koala called Barney, who at eight years old was getting on a bit, and unsurprisingly as koalas sleep for 19 hours a day, he had trouble staying awake. I was quite disappointed that many of the other creatures in the park, including the wombats, were asleep and mostly out of sight, but at least I got to see a platypus.
I’ve now seen and done almost everything I really wanted in Australia, though I’m really looking forward to snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. Anything else I do in the next five weeks is a bonus.