Brisbane - Retrospective

We are now at the end of our 2 & 1/2 month stay in Brisbane. Brisbane is an awesome city and we have had a great time here!

The view from the cultural centre to the Wheel of Brisbane.

Things we recommend in Brisbane :

• Australia Zoo - Steve Irwin's zoo on the Sunshine Coast. See previous post for photographs & details. http://www.australiazoo.com.au/
• Brisbane is the home of the Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art & Museum of Queensland. They can all be found in the Cultural centre just across the river from the city. The museum has a section devoted to interesting facts and history of Queensland. From Queenslander houses, strangler fig trees to the History of the Aussie classic 'Waltzing Matilda'. 

                                  

                           
                               Queenlands Art Gallery & Gallery Of Modern Art

       

                                             Corned beef tin cow

               

• The Pancake cafe on Ann Street was one of my favourite discoveries. Its open 24 hours a day and has a varied menu. With pancakes, crepes and even steaks on the menu. The cafe is located in a renovated church, which still has a lot of the original features. Most of the seats are pews and the windows are all stained glass. A nice relaxed atmosphere, some good music and a short stack with plenty of maple syrup = good times! Definitely check out the Pancake cafe if you've got a sweet tooth like me. 

• Teppanyaki Lovers was another our favourite food discoveries in Brisbane. Located in the Myer centre in the city this little food outlet serves great food at great prices. Everyday they run a special  offer between 9am -5pm you can get a large bowl of chicken Katsu curry for $5 - which is cheap! But more importantly the food is really good. 

                                  Jamie tucking into a seafood bento box.

• Streets Beach on Southbank. Right beside the Brisbane river. Great place to chill out, do some sunbathing and enjoy a free bbq station. 

With a great view of the city skyline. 

• Check out the farmers market in Brisbane square every Wednesday. Lots of local produce and good food. Check out the macaroon stall and definitely try the pistachio and the vanilla! As well as food the market also sells flowers. I bought a beautiful bunch of my favourite flower gerberras (in the above photograph) for $5 - bargain! 

• If you're going to be staying in Brisbane for longer than a week or two then look into longstay accomodation. Check out Gumtree and other sites for house shares, a great way to save some cash and not be stuck in hostels dorms. 

The view from our veranda, with the city skyline in the distance. 

• A Roy Lichtenstein exhibition is currently on at the QUT Gallery which is opposite the city botanical gardens in the CBD. A really interesting exhibition showcasing some famous prints from the Australian Gallery archives. With Free Admission, its well worth a look!

                                    

City Botanical Gardens.

                                             Mr.Whiskers - Our lucky Cat


 

Laters Brisbane, Hello Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast. Hopefully we'll spy a few Meter Maids sporting their legendary gold bikinis!

All rights reserved Copyright © Laura Powell

read the newspapers....

One of the best ways to find out what is happening in the area that you're staying in is to read the local newspaper. Of course its a bit difficult if you don't speak the language, but here in Oz thats not a problem.

As we are travellers and are on a budget it can be costly to buy a newspaper regularly, but there are alternatives. Read them online, or pick the free newspapers. Here in Brisbane 'MX' is distributed at stands throughout the city and train and bus stations every week day. It provides you with a brief overview of National and International news and lets you know what is going on in your local area.

It was through reading 'MX' that we discovered that the 'Paniyiri' Greek Festival was taking place in Musgrave Park a few weeks ago.

It was a brilliant day out and great to experience Greek culture here in Brisbane.

Filled with Food stalls selling traditional Greek cuisine, numerous bands and singers and plenty of dancing! We also saw a world record attempt at the worlds largest Zorba, we were going to join in but got distracted by the outstanding Honey puffs!!

www.paniyiri.com

I have been reading Bill Bryson's book 'Down Under', on my Grandmother's recommendation whilst travelling in Oz. Not only is it extremely funny but also a very helpful travel guide. In the book Bryson recommends reading the local paper to find out local news, but also because the politics etc is often filled with names that you don't know, discussing policies and other things that have absolutely no affect on you... its quite a refreshing experience! A lighthearted take on the news.

Finally I wanted to mention 'The Good Guide'. Based in Brisbane its a very cool little book that reveals the local secrets, underground and upcoming places. From restaurants, vintage shops, art, bars, book stores, clubs, gigs, the list goes on.

To quote the ' Good Guide' directly,
"The Good Guide is all about community and localisation. We want to showcase the underground happenings of our flourishing nests… hidden gems to discover and cool cultural events. There’s so much good stuff going on, shops opening, music being made, things being created, fashion being designed… all from our native nests that see the sun shining (well, most of the time!)." 

Its published Bi-annually and you can also check them out online @ http://thegoodguide.com.au 


You can even subscribe and become a V.I.Pigeon!!


Definitely have a look - Highly recommended!


All rights reserved Copyright © Laura Powell