Weekend trip to Brissie!

February 25, 2019

Finally, on Friday, my first weekend trip with another au pair came. The destination: Brisbane.

Unfortunately, the journey started with a big disappointment. Our flight, which was supposed to depart from Sydney at 8:10 am, was canceled due to bad weather and rescheduled for the afternoon (4:25 pm). That was really frustrating because our 2 1/2 days in Brisbane suddenly became only 1 1/2 days and we were not sure if we could see everything we had planned in advance. We also had to spend the waiting time at the airport, as we had to somehow pass the 10 hours until the next flight.

However, the time at the airport passed quickly with the two of us and we had time to get to know each other better. Pia, the girl I traveled with, and I had only met once before and then booked the flight together, so there was a lot to talk about and exchange stories at the airport.

Fortunately, the plane took off on time and only 1 1/2 hours later (most of which I slept) we landed in Brisbane. At the airport, a shuttle picked us up and took us to the hostel. Unfortunately, it was already dark when we finally arrived at the hostel, so we couldn't go out again and see a bit of the city. However, as soon as we arrived at the hostel, we were informed that there was a free BBQ on the rooftop terrace. That was very convenient because we didn't have to go out again to buy and cook dinner.

The BBQ was really delicious and luckily there were vegetarian options too! Additionally, the rooftop terrace offered a beautiful view of the city and it was just super cozy, with music playing and making quick connections with other backpackers.

Pia and I had booked ourselves into a mixed four-bed room with a private bathroom at the hostel, but in the first night we were only two. That was really good because we could grab the best beds, spread out, and chat with each other for a long time.

The next morning, we woke up at 8:00 am and went for breakfast, which was included at the hostel. Of course, the selection was not huuge, but there was a good selection of cereals and we could make toast with jam, Nutella, or peanut butter.

Fueled by breakfast, we started the day. Our first destination was the Brisbane sign at the Brisbane River. There we took some photos and then continued to the Wheel Of Brisbane. Of course, we couldn't resist taking a few rides and enjoy a great view of the city. Then we walked along the river to Street Beach. This is an artificially created beach in the middle of the city, where you could swim for free. It was really nice there and looked like a little oasis. Although we didn't go swimming, we took a little break there and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Afterwards, we took a free boat ride on the Brisbane River. Considering it was free, it was really good because we saw a lot and even sailed directly under the Story Bridge, which is the second most famous bridge in Australia after the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. After the boat ride, we found the entrance to the Story Bridge and walked back to the other part of the city.

In a supermarket, we bought some lunch and sat down on a bench in the city to recharge. Then we continued to the Botanic Gardens, which is always a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city. Not far from the Botanic Gardens was the Queen Street Mall, a well-known shopping street in the middle of Brisbane, where we strolled around a bit. Our next destination was City Hall, where we actually wanted to do a free tour of the Clock Tower. Unfortunately, it was already fully booked for the day, so instead we went to the Brisbane Museum, which was also free. There, we learned a bit about the history of Brisbane and although it was a small museum, it was very informative.

When we left City Hall, it was around 5:00 pm and we decided to go back to the hostel for now. At the hostel, we freshened up (unlike Sydney, it was very hot in Brisbane on the weekend) and an hour later, we took an Uber to Mount Coot-Tha, from where you had a great view of the city. Unfortunately, the sun set in the opposite direction and not over the city as we had hoped, but it was still very impressive to see and when it got dark and the city was brightly illuminated, the view was really amazing!!

That was a really great ending to an eventful day and then we drove back to the hostel, quickly made some food, and fell into bed exhausted. In the meantime, we had gotten another roommate, but we didn't really see her, as she came back at around 3:00 am and left again at 7:00 am.

Pia and I got up again around 8:00 am and went for breakfast, where Sundays were pancake days, yeay! So we had a sweet start to the day and then packed our things, tidied up the room, and checked out. Our shuttle back to the airport was supposed to arrive at 12:00 pm, so we stored our stuff at the hostel and went to the Clock Tower again, where this time we were on time for the first tour at 10:15 am. We went up the tower in a group of seven people in an elevator and a guide told us something up there. The view from the tower was not sooo good because the surrounding buildings were much higher, but it was definitely interesting.

After the Clock Tower tour, we had actually done everything we wanted to do, despite having one less day! Of course, we could have taken a little more time with the extra day or even gone to the Gold Coast or the Koala Sanctuary, but you can't change anything and I'm glad I got to see Brisbane and can now cross it off my bucket list. :)

The return flight was fortunately smooth and we were back in Sydney at 5:00 pm.

The next time I will fly will be on March 21st for a weekend trip to Melbourne with three other girls. I'm really looking forward to it because Melbourne is the city that I really wanted to see here, alongside Sydney, and I get along fantastically with the girls. The flight and accommodation are already booked and we are now just looking for a car so that we can drive the Great Ocean Road for a day, a total must-do! Hopefully everything works out...

Next weekend, the former au pair of my host family will move in again for a week until her flight back to Germany. So I don't know if I will have time to write a blog post, as I am good friends with her and we will probably do a lot together, but I will try to write something again in two weeks at the latest!

Until then, Nora