Beautiful Brisbane

The Australian String Teacher's Association held their annual conference in Brisbane this year, and so I thought what better excuse to visit Queensland's capital city! So off we went on the 8th of July, leaving chilly Melbourne behind for a couple of days. We were both looking forward to temperatures in the lower 20s (Celsius), and apart from that I didn't know what to expect.

The first thing we were delighted to discover was that there was a train that went from the airport into the city. Melbourne doesn't have this luxury. So we hopped on the last train to Roma Street, and walked about 1K to the youth hostel where we were staying. The hostel was really clean and modern, not like the rat's nest where we stayed in Sydney. Everyone we talked to was so friendly and courteous! It was already turning into a great vacation!

We walked to the nearest restaurant and bar area and had plenty of places to choose from. We decided to go to a Moroccan restaurant aptly named Casablanca. As an added bonus, our waiter was very enthusiastic about his job and the food. Of course, it was the World Cup Finals weekend so that may have had something to do with his state of mind. I had an Egyptian curry dish that was so good I forgot what Lachlan had to eat (although I'm sure it was either lamb or kangaroo).

After dinner we checked out a few local pubs. Here I was all rugged up amongst all the other women wearing baby doll dresses. (They do call it the Sunshine State!) Unfortunately, the beer wasn't any cheaper here. But the lively, happy atmosphere made up for that. We would have stayed out all night if I didn't have to go to the conference in the morning.

I spent the next two mornings listening to different people go on about teaching strings. Occasionally I took notes, but mostly I wished I could be exploring the city with Lachlan. I knew he was having a much better time! I must have learned a few things, but how often do you get to go to a beach in the middle of the city? It's called City Beach, and it is awesome. People of all ages were swimming, lying in the sand, doing beach stuff, all in the middle of winter. I never thought to pack my bathers, but I won't forget next time.

Brisbane is gorgeous, and very underrated. It looks like it's right on the coast, but it's not quite. It does have a massive river flowing through it with plenty of ferries and sail boats to add to the landscape. The flora is slightly different up in Brisbane, too. Their palm trees look like they are storing water in the middle of their trunks - you can see a bulge halfway up the tree, like a pot belly. And some of the other trees are just massive and look like something out of a fantasy movie with limbs growing every which direction.

I know I already mentioned how friendly people are, and life seems a lot less hectic as well. We both noticed the big difference in disposition and manners. It seemed too good to be true. Maybe it IS the weather. Anyway, for fun we checked out housing prices, and like the beer they aren't any cheaper. Our dream of moving to Queensland was sweet but short-lived.

During the afternoon, we went to the market and saw some lovely didgeridoos, boomerangs, and lighters attached to kangaroo scrotums. On our last night, we walked around Southbank and we went to see "Dead Man's Chest" on the biggest movie screen in Brisbane. Ahoy, the movie prices were much cheaper! Afterwards, we went back to Casablanca's to have some drinks and try to watch the World Cup final. But the match didn't start until about 4:00 in the morning, so we went to the karaoke room instead. I sang "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" to a room full of drunk strangers. What a hoot!

On our way back to the airport, we stopped in the CBD for a "quick" lunch. Being the laid-back city it is, the chef took his or her time making our food and we ended up missing the train we meant to catch. Luckily, our plane boarded a few minutes late and we were fine. But the panic attack we both suffered reminded us of how "Melbournian" we have become. Maybe we wouldn't fit in to the slower lifestyle. (I wouldn't mind giving it a try, though!)

So if you ever want to tour Australia, try to include Brisbane in your itinerary. You could spend a relaxing weekend here and feel refreshed for the fast pace of Melbourne or Sydney. Then again, you may never want to leave...