Exploring Brisbane

We spent the week exploring Brisbane, a city which we found very enjoyable.

Our home was in the Paddington neighborhood. On the edge of it was the city stadium. We weren't there on a Saturday night, when the playoffs for the Rugby League championship, was being held.

The first thing one learns about Australia is that, besides that it is surrounded by water, as Paul Hogan told us, it is very expensive. Everything is expensive. We can't compare it with Panama. We can barely compare it with Seattle.

Even after factoring in that tips are not necessary for meals, and that the sales tax is already included in the price, and that now $.90 buys $1 Australian, a simple meal costs about twice or more what we are used to paying.

The same applies to clothing and shoes.

Tourist attractions are routinely $40 or more for a one hour exposure. Somethings are worth it, since they are not available anywhere else. I would include our Great Barrier Reef snorkeling experience in that category. It was about $170 for an adult, a little less for a child. In Panama we are used to that buying a snorkeling tour for four.

The only bargain we have found so far is the public swim pool in Cooktown ($1.80 for Seniors) and the one day bus pass to get around Brisbane. The bus pass included two zones, which got us from our neighborhood to downtown, and the Metro Cat which goes up and down the Brisbane river.

We explored in both directions from downtown. One took us to the U. of Queensland, where we spent and enjoyablle afternoon. It is a beautiful campus.

Riding the cat the other direction, we ended up in Bulimba. We explored the neighborhood, a gluten free hamburger joint, a nice movie theatre, and some delightful shops. We bought a gift for our hosts and an anniversary present for Sarah and Paul at Thousand Island Dressing, which imorted crafts from islands near to Australia.

Directly across the river from downtown is the South Bank area, where the 1988 World Expo was held. There was nothing surrounding the area back then. Now it is a delightful strolling area along the beach, surrounded by a private University, an opera/symphony house, and multiple museums.

There was a dispaly of American Impressionist Painters that all the Brisbanites were quite proud of, and urged us to see. We had just been to DC, and preferred to see indiginous art and local artists in the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art). The displays, other than the American dispaly, were free. We thorougly enjoyed them.