Brisbane - a really great city

From Noosa, we now headed to the last stop on the east coast, Brisbane. Unlike Sydney, I had the days well planned here, so on the first day I traveled, on the second day I did sightseeing, and on the third day I departed.

I left Noosa around 09:00 and arrived in Brisbane around 11:00. Since I had to return the rental car by 15:00, I wanted to check in at the hotel beforehand to drop off the luggage and then take a look at the things that are better reached by car than later by public transport.

I checked in at the tallest building in the city, the Skytower. I didn't know that beforehand. The Skytower also has a hotel, where I had booked an apartment. The apartment was on the 14th floor of the 16 floors belonging to the hotel. In other cities, you would have had a magnificent view of the city at this height. When I looked out the window, I was looking into the windows of the surrounding skyscrapers ... However, the views above me will probably always get better, because the Skytower now has 90 floors, of which the last 30 floors were completed at the beginning of the year. One good thing about staying in this building was that you could see it from almost anywhere and basically knew at all times how to get back to the hotel ...

The building 'above the boat' is the Skytower.

Finally, I used my rental car to drive to the nearby Mount Coot-tha, from where you have a nice view of the city.

However, from up there you can't see how many twists and turns the Brisbane River winds its way through the city, which is a big part of the charm of this city, in my opinion.

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But as luck would have it, I am currently sitting on the plane, writing this blog post online, and after takeoff, the plane makes a 180° turn and we fly over Brisbane as if on command. So I quickly took out my camera and here is the view from above of the winding Brisbane River ... it couldn't be more current ...

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But now back to the text ....:

Afterwards, I dropped off the rental car a few streets away from my hotel. After 1,100 kilometers in the Outback, an additional 2,600 kilometers are added on the east coast.

Brisbane is the capital of the state of Queensland, has 2.2 million inhabitants and is a modern and booming city in a subtropical climate.

The city center forms an acute-angled triangle, which is bordered on two sides by the Brisbane River. The streets are laid out in a checkerboard pattern and named after European kings. The streets parallel to the river are named after male rulers, and the cross streets are named after female leaders.

On one side of the skyline on the opposite bank of the river is the district of Kangaroo Point with the Kangaroo Point Cliffs. It is worth walking along the water there and seeing climbers in the middle of the city, and you can also walk up the steps to the cliff and have a nice view of the skyline and the river.

On the other side of the skyline, on the opposite bank of the river, is the district of South Bank with the South Bank Parklands. Here you will find 'The Wheel of Brisbane', a 60m high Ferris wheel, and an artificially created beach. Here it is not called a lagoon, but 'Streets Beach'.

I also took a ride on the Ferris wheel and from there you have a nice overview of the South Banks Parklands, which were created for the World Expo 1988.

The beach is also beautifully designed and of course free to use.

And a popular photo motif is of course the Brisbane sign with the skyline in the background. In addition, there are many cafes, restaurants, barbecue stations, benches for resting, and lawns. You can really spend a whole day in the parklands.

In Brisbane, there is no subway or suburban train, only trains that connect the suburbs with the city center. However, you can also reach everything on foot in the city center. What I found funny and haven't seen anywhere else is the central bus station in Brisbane, which is underground. Many buses drive around the city and I was surprised that they all disappear underground on Queen Street and reappear there ...

Like subway stations, the entrances were signposted on the street and stairs and escalators led downstairs.

Downstairs, it looked almost like in the subway of some cities. The whole platform was separated from the buses by a glazed wall and the buses only stopped where there were doors in the walls.

Maybe I'm the only one who finds this funny, but I haven't seen it like this for buses anywhere else.

There are also two ferry lines on the Brisbane River, which stop on one side of the river on a 'zigzag' route and then on the other side.

At first, I wanted to take the ferries, but the catamarans were too wild and modern for me ... I preferred a leisurely boat tour with a ship from my era. I felt very comfortable on it ... I was, however, the youngest passenger ...

And it was also worth taking a look at Brisbane illuminated in the evening.

Of course, I also visited the Botanic Gardens and some historical buildings. But more as a must-see program, I have to admit ...

Then the one and a half days were already over. I found Brisbane to be a vibrant and youthful city where you had to look twice to discover even small things and details ...

I really liked Brisbane.

As written above, I am currently on the flight to Melbourne to drive along the Great Ocean Road for two more days and then take a day to explore Melbourne.