VISIT BRISBANE
Brisbane is an unusual city to say the least. A city of contradictions, Brisbane boasts both a metropolitan attitude and technological modernity side by side with an outdoors lifestyle and the greatest variety of wildlife in Australia. Straddling the river for which it is named, Brisbane’s skyscrapers, beautiful homes and warm, inviting residents give the city an atmosphere of permanence and stability. Built upon a floodplain, however, means that every “true Brisbanite” has moved their furniture via jetski. Here is a very brief selection of things you can do on a trip to this unusual city to help illustrate what she’s got to offer.
Play With Some Truly Wild Animals
Have you ever hand fed a dolphin or cuddled with a koala? Well, now’s your chance. Head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and you can cuddle with and feed one of their 130+ Koalas. As if holding a living, breathing, loving real life teddybear wasn’t enough you can also visit with their slightly less cuddly guests: Tasmanian devils and platypi. Yes, it’s true, you cannot play with platypi. They just so happen to have poisonous quills behind their adorable flippers.
As for feeding dolphins, over the last few decades a pod of about ten dolphins has made friends with the resort goers at Tangalooma island. Pink and blue wild bottlenose dolphins come to the island each night and beg like puppies. Unlike puppies, these dolphins are strictly protected and the resort staff takes their care very seriously.
Get Away From Everything
If you want to get far above all your troubles and cares, head to the top of Mount Coot-tha for a birds eye view of the entire city. The lookout point is flattened, railed and paved so you don’t have to worry about taking a nose dive off a cliff. And it’s a good thing – the view is truly awe inspiring, as the many Google Earth and Trip Advisor photographs can attest to. You may want to bring your own picnic and enjoy the fresh air before heading back down to see up close what you gazed upon from on high. But don’t leave too soon, the sunset really seems to be something amazing to behold.
Get Your Culture On
The Queensland Art Gallery is well respected as an important, entertaining and beautiful display of modern, avant garde and older art. And it’s just plain incredible. It’s also one of the few places you can get a true guided tour of collections of Australian art up to 1975, then right up to today, and also have a look at indigenous Australian aboriginal work. One of the most diverse collections in the world, the gallery is enough to blow an art lover’s mind for an entire day and keep it blown for the remainder of the week. In fact, bring a box of mind tissues so you can just blow your mind whenever you need.
Chocolate Is Good For You, Right?
If chocolate is healthy take 2.5 hours to get just a whole hell of a lot healthier. Tour guide and soon to be your favorite person Kylie has organized a Chocolate Walking Tour of Brisbane. That’s right – TWO kinds of health improving: Chocolate and walking. For $39 you get introduced to master chocolatiers, watch their craft, ask them questions, sample their wares and are offered a discount should you decide to test your new knowledge with some very pleasurable homework.
These are just three of the things you can do in Brisbane – the city has an incredible variety of offerings. Check back to see more, soon!