Brisbane was a nice surprise
Written: Nov 18 '08 (Updated Nov 19 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice city, The Australia Zoo, The Koala Sanctuary
Cons: Not the most exciting city
The Bottom Line: In comparison to the Great-Barrier-Reef and Cairns, Brisbane is a lesser attraction. However, it is a nice city. The Australia Zoo the Koala Sanctuary are great to visit.
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| texas-swede's Full Review: Brisbane |
In August of 2005 we spent three weeks in Queensland Australia (two adults, and three kids 11, 8, and 6 years old). We took a five day Cruise in the Great Barrier Reef with the Coral Princess and we spent a few days in Cairns and we visited Brisbane a few days on our way to Cairns. We flew from Dallas, Texas, stayed a little in Hawaii, and then we flew to Brisbane via Sydney. Brisbane was mostly a rest stop for us to recuperate and adjust to the different time zone before heading out to the Great Barrier Reef. However, Brisbane turned out to be a very nice place to visit.
About Brisbane
Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland and it is the third most populous city in all of Australia. Brisbane has two million inhabitants, it has a good public transportation system, and a nice down town. Brisbane is situated on the Brisbane River which snakes its way through Brisbane. Brisbane has a lot of nice looking bridges, a nice port, and nice museums and parks. It is therefore a nice city to spend some time in. We also noticed that Brisbane has a great and lively night life but we did not really try that. We stayed at Hotel Grand Chancellor which was a very nice hotel with an awesome breakfast. We only paid a around a hundred dollars per room despite the high quality and the location (check current prices).
Close to down town Brisbane across the river there are some really interesting things to see. The South Bank Parklands is an astoundingly beautiful park with flowers, trees, and bushes and scultpures arranged in a tunnel, and there are statues and nice paths to walk on. We strolled through the Queensland Cultural Centre/Queensland Performing arts center and visted the Queensland Museum. The Queensland Museum was a mixture of history, science, natural history and much more. It was a great museum for adults but also for kids and I took some really good photos from the Queensland Museum. There are also some fun parks in Brisbane which we did not have time to visit like Sea world, Dream world, and Wet 'n Wild. The highlight of our Brisbane visit, however, was our visit to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, and the Australia Zoo.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary (watch out for pooping Koalas)
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary was founded in 1927, and it is the world's oldest and largest Koala Sanctuary. One of the highlights of the Koala Sanctuary is the holding of the Koalas. We got to hold these soft, cuddly, extremely cute, sleepy and quiet creatures in our lap, hold them toward our chest, feel them cling onto us, pet them, hug them, and take a photograph with them. The kids were extactic especially my at the time 6-year old daughter. The holding of the Koalas is a memory for life, especially for my middle son. His Koala went to the bathroom while he was holding him (I wonder why this did not happen to me? Statistcially it should have).
Another highlight was the feeding of the Kangaroos. You could buy Kangaroo food and go feed to the Kangaroos. This gave you the opportunity to have them eat from your hand and to pet them. One of the great moments for us was the encounter with the super hungry Kangaroo. This Kangaroo jumped up to my middle son and simply ripped the bag out of his hand with his mouth and ate the food with the paper bag as quick as he could before the other Kangaroos could get any. The kids thought this was very funny and laughed out loud. Naturally we got another bag for him. Other animals at the Koala sanctuary were Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Dingo dogs, Cockatoos, Kookaburras, Emus, Cassoways, Australian, Parrots, other birds, and various reptiles. In summary, the Koala Sanctuary was a great experience for the kids.
Australia Zoo
The next day we visited the Australia Zoo which is owned by Steve Irvin's parents. This zoo is in a sense Steve Irvin's zoo and it shows. This was a big zoo that had a lot of different kinds of animals. One full day turned out to not be enough. Like most major zoos in the world they had all kinds of animals, for example, Elephants, Tigers, Crocodiles, Kangaroos, Wombats, many kinds of birds, as well as shows. However, this is the only zoo where I have seen Tiger wrestling and public hand feeding of Crocodiles. I think that the zoo keepers at the Australia Zoo were as crazy as Steve Irvin was. No offense, I loved this brave man, who taught the world so much about wildlife. What I mean is that what they did looked really dangerous but it was entertaining. I remember this huge and aggressive Crocodile, Argo which they fed by hand and played around with while another female Crocodile sneaked up on them from behind. Luckily nothing happened because they had a guy taking care of those kinds of situations. They knew what they were doing and as I understand they never had any accidents. The Australia Zoo was the most exciting zoo that my kids have ever seen. I also found the personel to be very friendly and helpful. They really made us feel welcome and in good spirits. It really felt like it was run by many Steve Irvin clones.
Summary and Recommendation
We had a very good time in Brisbane, however, I am giving this destination four stars, maybe four and a half stars, instead of five simply because, in comparison to the Great Barrier Reef and Cairns it is a lesser attraction. Four stars still mean that it is a good and a recommended destination. If you have time to visit Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef and Brisbane I suggest that you do so. However, if you have to pick between the two pick the Great Barrier Reef / Cairns. I should say that if you fly all the way from the U.S. to Australia you should give your self three weeks so that you have time to visit Sydney, Brisbane, and the Great Barrier Reef / Cairns.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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Epinions.com ID:
texas-swede
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 in Hotels & Travel |
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Member: Thomas Wikman
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Reviews written: 342
Trusted by: 103 members
About Me:
The photo is of my daughter and a Beluga Whale, Sea World, San Antonio
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