8 | Brisbane

Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland and is the third largest city in Australia with a population of around 2 million. The city is located inland further up the river so the government built a man made beach on the south bank of the city for people to cool of on very hot days (which are often).

The Brisbane river wraps itself around the CBD separating the various suburbs. One positive is that the water taxi is free so if you want to go sight seeing on the river, it is a much better alternative than paying on the ferry for a tour. The botanic garden sits at the edge of the centre of the city and creates a nice green space to hang out amongst the concrete jungle. There are different themed markets which also take place throughout the year, when I passed through there was a vintage fair. It was tempting to buy a shirt but then I stopped and reminded myself that I was on a backpackers budget, dam!

We experienced our first tropical storm in the city after a week where the rain came down heavy and did not stop all day. Whilst looking on in despair from the balcony I met a lad called Nathan who was an amateur boxer from London while waiting for the weather to pass. Funny how easy it is to meet and speak to people when you stay in a hostel.

Although Brisbane is a pleasant city, it is slightly bland. After a couple of days we had covered most of the tourists sights taking in the Story bridge, Botanic gardens, South Bank, Queensland Museum and State Library. Therefore we turned our focus onto the $8 cinema ticket deal at the South Bank. We must have gone 3 or 4 times in the space of 2 weeks, the deal was too good to refuse.

The nightlife in the city is okay. There are not many clubs but mainly bars which you can experience. We went to the Down Under bar which conveniently was situated under our Base Hostel in the basement. The atmosphere was pretty good apart from the music which seemed to be the same playlist on each night we went there. The company we had made up for this each time we went. Especially the drag night. Liam had just started work in the bar glass collecting and had to wear a dress for the theme of the night. Although I was reluctant at first, I decided to join my comrade to ease his pain and have a laugh. The main perk of doing this was that I got cheaper drinks, which in Australia is a great deal seen as the price of alcohol is very expensive.

I spent around 20 days in Brisbane altogether. I will look back at the experience fondly however it is a very corporate and professional city, not really a place for a backpacker to spend too much time.

#Nature #Nightlife #City #Art