Brisbane

I'm in Brisbane today and I have to say that I am very impressed with the city.  In fact, I might go out on a limb and say that it is one of my favorite stops so far, probably only behind Sydney.  It reminds me of Melbourne in a way, but less hectic.  The layout is really nice, the city is clean and also well organized.

I arrived yesterday to a humongous transportation terminal.  It was multi-level and very busy.  I got in around 3:30pm (after sleeping most of the way) and so it was nice and bright out as I made my way around and to the hostel, located in the heart of the city which is nice.  I think this might actually be the first time that I didn't get completely turned around which is definitely a feat for me.  After unpacking my stuff I ran to Woolworth's (grocery store) and got enough food for a couple of lunches and dinners.  I made dinner when I got back and the hostel was playing a movie, so I joined in.

I've been enjoying my sleep over the past couple of nights because I'm finally warm after almost a week of "cooler" weather.  I took my time getting up this morning but eventually I made it out of bed, got breakfast and then took off to see the Brisbane highlights.  As I said before, the city is well laid out so it was easy for me to find the things I was looking for.  I started off at Anzac Square, followed by Post Office Square, Riverside Centre and a boardwalk.  There are some very fancy dining establishments that line the river running through the city and if I had more money I would definitely want to experience them.  I went through the City Botanical Gardens and explored parts of Queensland University of Technology (I can see why people would enjoy studying here) before finding my way back to my room for lunch. 

I'm back in my room for now but will probably be heading out again soon; there are still some things that I'd like to see before I leave tomorrow afternoon.  I'll be skipping over the town of Noosa on my way to Hervey Bay.  It's a bit of a longer drive tomorrow but I have to keep going if I want to make it up to Cairns in time to spend a decent number of days there.