Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Dec 30, 2014
- 5 min read
It was simple getting here. A nice easy, short bus ride was all it took. From the bus station, we had to catch a train as our hostel was out of town. We could have walked to it, but with big heavy bags, it definitely wasn't worth it. Of course, we did have a bit of a walk from the train station to our hostel, 'Gonow Family Backpackers.' Myself and Jason were very impressed with this place. It was spotlessly clean, the beds were very comfy and surprisingly, there was even free WiFi, which is unheard of in Australia, maybe in Asia, but definitely not Australia! Brisbane is a lovely city to visit. It maybe small, but there is plenty to explore. One of our favourite places to visit is the Southbank area of the 'Brisbane River' which is home to a huge lagoon where you can go for a swim. There is an array of bars and cafés. The whole area is nicely presented with a large canopy that outlines the main walkway. From the banks of the river, there are amazing views of the city skyline. The CBD area of the city is only small. You have one main street, 'Queens Street' which reminds me of 'Grafton Street' with lots of smaller streets leading off. Across the river is home to the CBD area and 'The Botanic Gardens.' It's a lovely park, but i wouldn't call it botanists heaven, more of a pleasant city park. As we walked through, we eventually reached the other end, where we were greeted with picturesque views of the cities harbour. New years eve in Brisbane is a really good place to ring in the new year. Myself, Jason and our lovely German friends helped us to celebrate the occasion with a couple of drinks at the hostel. Later on, we all headed down to the river area for the 'New Year Fireworks Show.' The whole area was very well governed with security checks in place to stop people bringing alcohol down with them. You had to go through the checkpoints as they were the only entry points onto the river. As the clock struck 12, and as we said goodbye to one year and hello to a new year of more incredible opportunities and adventures, you could hear news stories being broadcast of the past twelve months that sum up 2014 for Queenslanders. Of course, the highlight was the fireworks show, which were spectacular, especially with a backdrop of the whole city skyline. It was definitely memorable. I can definitely say that 2014 has been an amazing year for myself and Jason. It's been the first year of our big adventure and hopefully it's the first of many more to come. We will definitely miss 2014, but we're really excited about what 2015 has in store for us! While traveling, we have met some really friendly people, but the guy who moved into our dorm last night was the strangest person we have met so far. While myself and Jason were in the room, wide awake, with my bed facing his, I began to hear the bed shake. The two of us are still grossed out by it! The next morning he got out of his bed, and just stood there staring at the other guys in the room. You meet them all! Luckily for us, we only had one night of him as we checked out and checked into a new hostel 'Brisbane Backpackers' which was literally only across the road from our old place. At least we didn't have far to go! The new hostel seems nice but unfortunately, we didn't get to see very much of it as we only stayed there for one night. The following day we left the Southbank area for the CBD for our new and final hostel in Brisbane, 'Base Backpackers Brisbane Embassy.' We saved the best till last by coming to this hostel. The location is brilliant. We are right in the middle of everything. So thumbs up for location! It was definitely a good choice coming here. By just walking around, we got to see a good bit of the city. On an up, I was finally able to buy some new clothes, so it was out with the old and in with the new! To be fair, I was in dire need of new ones. It's great travelling light with only a few pieces of clothing, however, the problem is that you are constantly washing and wearing the same items. In Brisbane, there is a lot to explore, including museums and art galleries, of which, Jason actually enjoyed. The two of us got pally with an Irish guy called Kevin, who was staying in our dorm. Really nice bloke, and a lot more normal then the other guy in the last place. Definitely not a hard task to achieve! Myself and Jason celebrated our first night in our new hostel enjoying drinks down at the 'Down Under Bar' which is backpacker central! Jason got asked if he wanted to enter a pool tournament as they were short of people. The lucky git managed to win a $100 and be crowned pool champion of Brisbane. With extra cash in our pockets, it would be rude not to take advantage of it. So we left the bar in search of a club. It definitely wasn't the craziest night to go out, but we had a good time. When we left the club, it was pitch bright outside. From there, we went back to the hostel where Jason decided to stay up and watch the 'Darts World Championship' final, where against all odds, Taylor was defeated by Anderson. It was definitely a match worth staying up for. Unfortunately, I could hardly stay awake at this point, so I left Jason with his darts and headed straight up to bed! For Christmas, as part of my present, the wonderful Jason booked an Indian lunch for us. It was a bit of a walk down to it and it wasn't what I was expecting, however, looks can be deceiving and the food was actually lovely. Thank you darling! Our final night in Brisbane resulted in the fire alarm going off and the whole hostel being evacuated due to a flood from one of the washing machines on our floor. The other guys told us that it was the third time for it to happen. Knowing what the problem was, we didn't bother evacuating and the alarm was soon turned off, so no panic! Jason and I loved Brisbane, and we can't wait to go back. While it's a very modern city, there are traces of it's past with old historical buildings mixed in with the new. All in all, it's definitely a place worth visiting.
By Andrew
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