krug
Nov 26, 04, 11:28 am
Brisbane
Arriving in Brisbane after a two hour flight from Cairns on board a brand new 737-800 (with funky winglets!) I checked in to the excellent Marriott hotel on the riverbank. Setting out to explore the city on foot before night fell, I walked along the river footpath, past the many residential boats moored close to shore, and through the Botanical Gardens, across the non-wobbly Millennium style bridge to the South Bank Park.
Unlike most parks created for cultural festivals, this one had not been corrupted and diminished by subsequent development, but rather maintained and now augmented to include an arbor walk, IMAX Theatre and a preserved street from old-time Brisbane. The most remarkable feature of this complex is the artificial beach (http://www.terragalleria.com/pacific/australia/brisbane/picture.aust2489.html) – a landscaped Olympic sized pool, fringed by white sand looking out over the river, with the city's skyscrapers in the background.
Overall, the city reminded me of a sunny day in Bristol. However, on my return I stayed at a much less pricey hotel on the northern fringes of the city, and without access to the gardens and the river had a much less favorable impression of the place. Should you visit, the shopping mall is renowned (although my already bulging suitcase prohibited even window shopping!), the outdoor cinema, south bank arts complex and Peace Pagoda should not be missed.
Crocodile Hunter Zoo
Many of you will have watched Steve Irwin a.k.a. the Crocodile Hunter at the movies or on the Discovery Channel. His Zoo – http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/australia_zoo/welcome/index.html – is located just an hour by car north of Brisbane. The approach is through the remarkable Glass House Mountains, volcanic formations of awesome magnitude scattered like pepper pots over the landscape.
Although he does appear spontaneously about ten times a year, you can only really guarantee seeing Steve Irwin himself over the busy Easter and Christmas holidays, when he returns home. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the two croc shows, and was amazed at how close you are able to get to these twenty five foot long prehistoric monsters.
The zoo is undergoing a massive expansion on the back of profits from movies and documentaries, with plans to introduce an “Everglades Experience” air boat ride, where visitors can feed less aggressive North American Alligators for themselves (like the ones we have in the lakes around the house in Sarasota!). Phase one is complete, and a 6,000 seat “Crocatorium” will open at the end of this year to house shows.
Apart from watching the keepers feed the crocs with weeks old rotting carcasses, I saw native Australian camels, albino kangaroos, a rare Komodo dragon, was able to stroke a koala bear, enjoyed feeding the pigs, goats and sheep in the (kiddies!) petting zoo. I even had my photo taken with a twelve foot python wrapped around my neck.
For my part the best part of the day was walking round the croc pens after 3pm, when most of the visitors depart on the free bus to Brisbane. With fewer people about, the animals came out of their muddy pools to bask in the sunshine, and behind the double fences you can get to within about two feet of these beasts, and look right into their green eyes. Incredible!
Unfortunately for my readers, I survived, and there is more of my travelogue to come!
The next part will cover my trips up to the Sunshine Coast and down to the Gold Coast.
This extract will cover my trips from Brisbane up to the Sunshine Coast and down to the Gold Coast, as well as my trip to the beautiful island of Bali, the first part of which was written on the plane.
The Great Journey – Part Seven
Experiencing a little turbulence as I make this entry up here at 35,000 feet. I am on a virtually empty 767 over Alice Springs, crossing the red centre of the Great Sandy Desert en route to the Indian Ocean and Bali.
The Sunshine Coast and Noosa
Noosa, just north of Brisbane, had been recommended by all who visited as somewhere I would love, and this was certainly true. Similar to St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida, this sleepy seaside town is a Mecca for those who enjoy shopping, lunching or just lazing on a beach all day – and it suited me just fine!
After breakfasting on Eggs Benedict in a sidewalk café in Hastings Street, I set out from town, along the white sand beach on a two-hour trek though the coastal rainforest on the headland to a remote bay mentioned in my guidebook.
Along the way, whilst filling up my water bottle, I encountered three foot long lizard – and have the photos to prove it – which scuttled away into the undergrowth on seeing me.
A very hot, humid noonday sun had left me rather sweaty after my perambulation, and looking down from the Hell’s Gates viewpoint to the isolated mile long stretch of sand known as Alexandria Bay, I determined to take a dip in the surf when I got down there.
On reaching the shore, it became obvious that none of the few people entering the waves had remembered their bathing costumes that morning. Not being one to stand out in a crowd I joined in wearing only my watch, and enjoyed an extremely refreshing dip in the South Pacific Ocean.
The Gold Coast, Surfer’s Paradise
An hour to the south of Brisbane is Surfer’s Paradise, a sort of Australian equivalent to Megalouf or Torremolinos, except infested with Nikons of Japanese tourists. It had quite a nice beach, and I stayed at the centrally located and relatively inexpensive Courtyard Marriott.
Unable to afford the extortionate AUS$350/GBP175 per night price of the www.palazzoversace.com I set off that morning to take breakfast and snoop round the only Versace hotel in the world. Located just next door to the Australian Sea World, it is marketed as the only six star hotel in Australia – a reputation which was backed up by the sumptuous breakfast buffet I enjoyed.
Centred around a pool with an artificial sandy beach attached, everything carries the Versace motif, even down to the cutlery, and is well worth a visit even if only to gawp.
Byron Bay
Onwards to Byron Bay, a renowned hippy colony surviving to this day, the place is slowly becoming more of a tourist town and may soon lose its magic. However, the townspeople’s refusal to allow multinational corporate retailers to spoil the high street means that this McDonalds free town retains a charm lost by many similar places.
The first point of interest is the brilliant white 19th Century Georgian style lighthouse http://www.photomagic.com.au/gallery/stephenperris/lighthouse/lighthouse.html, still in use today, situated on the top of the cliffs on the overgrown headland which overlooks the Bay. It is officially the Easternmost point in the Australian mainland.
As brightly coloured hang gliders swooped on thermals overhead, I walked along the cliffside path into the foamy surf below. After a few moments I was rewarded with the rare sighting of a seven foot across manta ray, feeding about 100 feet from shore. Having pointed this out to a few other sightseers, soon a crowd formed and we were further privileged to see a pod of dolphins, about 12 all told, surfing the waves nearby and that really made my day!
I checked into the very acceptable Waves Motel http://www.byron-bay.com/waves/index.html and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, this time with trunks firmly in place!
As the sun set, I walked on to the breakwater at the far end of the beach, and watch the orange sun melt behind a far off extinct volcano, the perfect end to what was my last full day in Australia.
Arriving in Brisbane after a two hour flight from Cairns on board a brand new 737-800 (with funky winglets!) I checked in to the excellent Marriott hotel on the riverbank. Setting out to explore the city on foot before night fell, I walked along the river footpath, past the many residential boats moored close to shore, and through the Botanical Gardens, across the non-wobbly Millennium style bridge to the South Bank Park.
Unlike most parks created for cultural festivals, this one had not been corrupted and diminished by subsequent development, but rather maintained and now augmented to include an arbor walk, IMAX Theatre and a preserved street from old-time Brisbane. The most remarkable feature of this complex is the artificial beach (http://www.terragalleria.com/pacific/australia/brisbane/picture.aust2489.html) – a landscaped Olympic sized pool, fringed by white sand looking out over the river, with the city's skyscrapers in the background.
Overall, the city reminded me of a sunny day in Bristol. However, on my return I stayed at a much less pricey hotel on the northern fringes of the city, and without access to the gardens and the river had a much less favorable impression of the place. Should you visit, the shopping mall is renowned (although my already bulging suitcase prohibited even window shopping!), the outdoor cinema, south bank arts complex and Peace Pagoda should not be missed.
Crocodile Hunter Zoo
Many of you will have watched Steve Irwin a.k.a. the Crocodile Hunter at the movies or on the Discovery Channel. His Zoo – http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/australia_zoo/welcome/index.html – is located just an hour by car north of Brisbane. The approach is through the remarkable Glass House Mountains, volcanic formations of awesome magnitude scattered like pepper pots over the landscape.
Although he does appear spontaneously about ten times a year, you can only really guarantee seeing Steve Irwin himself over the busy Easter and Christmas holidays, when he returns home. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the two croc shows, and was amazed at how close you are able to get to these twenty five foot long prehistoric monsters.
The zoo is undergoing a massive expansion on the back of profits from movies and documentaries, with plans to introduce an “Everglades Experience” air boat ride, where visitors can feed less aggressive North American Alligators for themselves (like the ones we have in the lakes around the house in Sarasota!). Phase one is complete, and a 6,000 seat “Crocatorium” will open at the end of this year to house shows.
Apart from watching the keepers feed the crocs with weeks old rotting carcasses, I saw native Australian camels, albino kangaroos, a rare Komodo dragon, was able to stroke a koala bear, enjoyed feeding the pigs, goats and sheep in the (kiddies!) petting zoo. I even had my photo taken with a twelve foot python wrapped around my neck.
For my part the best part of the day was walking round the croc pens after 3pm, when most of the visitors depart on the free bus to Brisbane. With fewer people about, the animals came out of their muddy pools to bask in the sunshine, and behind the double fences you can get to within about two feet of these beasts, and look right into their green eyes. Incredible!
Unfortunately for my readers, I survived, and there is more of my travelogue to come!
The next part will cover my trips up to the Sunshine Coast and down to the Gold Coast.
This extract will cover my trips from Brisbane up to the Sunshine Coast and down to the Gold Coast, as well as my trip to the beautiful island of Bali, the first part of which was written on the plane.
The Great Journey – Part Seven
Experiencing a little turbulence as I make this entry up here at 35,000 feet. I am on a virtually empty 767 over Alice Springs, crossing the red centre of the Great Sandy Desert en route to the Indian Ocean and Bali.
The Sunshine Coast and Noosa
Noosa, just north of Brisbane, had been recommended by all who visited as somewhere I would love, and this was certainly true. Similar to St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida, this sleepy seaside town is a Mecca for those who enjoy shopping, lunching or just lazing on a beach all day – and it suited me just fine!
After breakfasting on Eggs Benedict in a sidewalk café in Hastings Street, I set out from town, along the white sand beach on a two-hour trek though the coastal rainforest on the headland to a remote bay mentioned in my guidebook.
Along the way, whilst filling up my water bottle, I encountered three foot long lizard – and have the photos to prove it – which scuttled away into the undergrowth on seeing me.
A very hot, humid noonday sun had left me rather sweaty after my perambulation, and looking down from the Hell’s Gates viewpoint to the isolated mile long stretch of sand known as Alexandria Bay, I determined to take a dip in the surf when I got down there.
On reaching the shore, it became obvious that none of the few people entering the waves had remembered their bathing costumes that morning. Not being one to stand out in a crowd I joined in wearing only my watch, and enjoyed an extremely refreshing dip in the South Pacific Ocean.
The Gold Coast, Surfer’s Paradise
An hour to the south of Brisbane is Surfer’s Paradise, a sort of Australian equivalent to Megalouf or Torremolinos, except infested with Nikons of Japanese tourists. It had quite a nice beach, and I stayed at the centrally located and relatively inexpensive Courtyard Marriott.
Unable to afford the extortionate AUS$350/GBP175 per night price of the www.palazzoversace.com I set off that morning to take breakfast and snoop round the only Versace hotel in the world. Located just next door to the Australian Sea World, it is marketed as the only six star hotel in Australia – a reputation which was backed up by the sumptuous breakfast buffet I enjoyed.
Centred around a pool with an artificial sandy beach attached, everything carries the Versace motif, even down to the cutlery, and is well worth a visit even if only to gawp.
Byron Bay
Onwards to Byron Bay, a renowned hippy colony surviving to this day, the place is slowly becoming more of a tourist town and may soon lose its magic. However, the townspeople’s refusal to allow multinational corporate retailers to spoil the high street means that this McDonalds free town retains a charm lost by many similar places.
The first point of interest is the brilliant white 19th Century Georgian style lighthouse http://www.photomagic.com.au/gallery/stephenperris/lighthouse/lighthouse.html, still in use today, situated on the top of the cliffs on the overgrown headland which overlooks the Bay. It is officially the Easternmost point in the Australian mainland.
As brightly coloured hang gliders swooped on thermals overhead, I walked along the cliffside path into the foamy surf below. After a few moments I was rewarded with the rare sighting of a seven foot across manta ray, feeding about 100 feet from shore. Having pointed this out to a few other sightseers, soon a crowd formed and we were further privileged to see a pod of dolphins, about 12 all told, surfing the waves nearby and that really made my day!
I checked into the very acceptable Waves Motel http://www.byron-bay.com/waves/index.html and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, this time with trunks firmly in place!
As the sun set, I walked on to the breakwater at the far end of the beach, and watch the orange sun melt behind a far off extinct volcano, the perfect end to what was my last full day in Australia.