Brisbane

Brisbane
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I had heard a few gumbles about Brisbane so wasn't sure what to expect but the city wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. On the outside its like all ities, shops, offices etc but it has a lot going for it.

The day we arrived we mooched around Brisbane to get our bearings

Day 1 - We took the city tour bus as these tours tend to show you the whole city and you can then get a good idea of what is going on. The bus driver was really friendly and helpful and gave us lots of tips, to the extent of stopping the bus to show us the bus timetable, and getting off the bus at the lookout to take our picture.  He told us about the cheap local bus up to Mount Coot-Tha for a (wet and windy) view of Brisbane and the surrounding areas. We could then use the same bus ticket to get the river cat for a (wet and windy) sunset river cruise. We took the cat to the suburbs for dinner. The return journey allowed us to see Brisbane by night. We then took a quick visit to the casino to soak up the atmosphere. Don't worry we didn't gamble but it was fun to watch people pile on the chips and loose them all in one game. Some of the roulette tables had computer screens where you could sit and play your bets! Dangerous I feel.

Us in Brisbane
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Day 2 - We took a long day trip up to Noosa which is small beach resort north of Brisbane. Everyone we had met had suggested going so we decided to visit. We got up early to get the train to Noosa which involved getting a connecting bus. However the bus didn't give you enough time for a 'rest' stop so we missed the bus and had to wait an hour. Once we finally arrived in Noosa it was worth the journey as it was a very pretty beach. A lot of Australians go to Noosa for their holidays so there are lots of pretty holiday homes on the river side. After a few lovely hours on the beach we headed back to Brisbane.

Noosa Heads
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Day 3 - Australia Zoo. We took the Croc connections bus from Brisbane to the famous Australia Zoo run by the late Steve Irwin. The chap who runs the croc connection bus set up his service a few years ago as there was no direct bus service from Brisbane to the zoo. Through his work he knew Steve Irwin had many funny tales to tell. He was also still very upset by Steves death and on the way up as a tribute we watched a DVD on the life of Steve. On the return journey we watched the memorial service.

Feeding the Elephants
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The zoo was very impressive. I was at first surprised by the approach the zoo has. There is a lot of interaction with the animals but not in the sense of getting the animal to perform or entertain. They work a lot with the animals to demonstrate the animals natural behaviours and to educate the public. We watched the crocodile show, where you see the crocs come out the water. The keepers where demostrating how the crocs detect their prey on the river bank and how they hunt etc. Important lessons for anyone going up north in Australia. There were Indian elehphants which we were able to feed. There was also several tigers, of which these tigers are rotated so they are not on show all day. The keepers demonstrated with milk (tigers like milk) how they sit on there back legs and climb trees. All of which weren't tricks but natural behaviour.

Croc
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The zoo also offers lots of animal experiences where you can touch and cuddle animals. We stroked a koala (again are rotated) and a wombats bottom who was out for walk. The wombat was surprisingly coarse haired and not as soft as they look.

After a great day at the zoo we headed back to Brisbane. We sampled some local pineapple which is the best you've ever tasted!

One conclusion from the day, whatever you thought of Steve Irwin from what you saw of him on TV, he was passionate about animals and conservation and was doing everything he could to bring animal conservation to the publics attention and doing his bit to save what ever animals he could.

Echidna
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That evening we walked across to the south bank and had dinner and a few drinks. A very pretty part of the city.