Brisbane - Capital of Queensland

Hi, I'm back!

Having had 4 days off from the roster this week, I made a dash down to the nearest travel agency 5 days before to make a last-minute booking for my flights and accomodation to Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland which is north of New South Wales. Other familiar states in Queensland include Gold Coast and Cairns.

The last time I visited Brisbane was 10 years back, the one trip which I totally have no memory of. The only recollections were that we missed the shopping because our tour group arrived late in the evening, and I missed the cute dolphins at Port Stephens due to the rainy season. I definitely could not appreciate much of Australia then.

I was fortunate this time. Being the spring season, I had the chance to bask in one of the most spectacular flowering gardens among my numerous trips in the continent, which I would consider the highlight of this fantastic journey.

The flight took approximately one hour, from Newcastle Airport. Taking the airtrain to the city, I lugged my baggage in search of my budget hotel downtown. Great choice since it was only 5 minutes' walk to the famous Queen Street Mall, the perfect place for my retail therapy, with over 500 specialty shops and restaurants. Somehow, the place reminded me of a mini-Melbourne, with the structure of the shopping mall right in the heart, surrounded by cultural buildings and architectures in the peripheries, and the Botanical Gardens a further distance away. Minus the wonders of nature like the Great Ocean Road and Grampians, it was nevertheless an ideal place for my break and learning experience.

I spent the remaining hours of my first day there doing some quick window shopping, hoping to get what I had planned to buy when there, though disappointed in the end. I was momentarily dazzled by the bustling activities and dynamic crowd there. There are Asians or Chinese everywhere, like Sydney and Melbourne! I felt so safe and at home! I really can't explain this strange feeling, but I never had this same sort of soothing sensation when back in Newcastle where hostility looms and loneliness prevails. Maybe I am just so used to the city.

As the sun set at 6, I made my way back to my hotel, not before clicking a picture of the City Hall building at King George Square with its spectacular night lights oozing romance and grandiosity.