My first impressions of Brisbane where mixed, the city looked gray and boring and the hostel looked only okay. However as all places it grows on you faster than you know. The hostel we stayed at, named Tinbilly Travelers, turned out to be very friendly and I soon found myself at home. In the first floor they had a pub and every night we got free shots. For some reason though the place was always packed in the afternoon, but when the evening came it was only half full.
Brisbane does not have any beaches in close range, but they have a river that runs trough the city and next to the river is a fake beach that was called Streets Beach. It's basically a swimming pool with sand, palm trees and picking areas. We spent two days there trying to catch some more color and just relaxing. The water was very warm and it was a good place to chill. On the way to the Laguna (as it was also called) there was a Asian tribute building of some sorts. We took some pictures outside it.
One of the days we visited an old bell tower, they still had the old lift intact and usable. There wasn't that much to see though, a few big bells and a small place to walk around and look at the view of the city.
We also took a trip to Brisbane's Chinatown which was about 30 minutes walk from the hostel. On the way we saw at least 5 different churches, some massive and some very small. Brisbane has old and new buildings all mixed together and it is a strange sight to see.
Brisbane is filled with Lizards. Anywhere there are some rocks and some water you are guaranteed to see heaps of them. I have at least seen 25 different ones in my two weeks in Brisbane, from large scary ones to small cute ones.
I was going to Brisbane to find work, but I soon found out that it was easier said than done. There are tons of backpackers here and not that many jobs. However we still managed to get a one day job unloading a container. They guy I spoke to (while having a beer with him) told me about his company, his life story, that it would take five hours and we would get 100 dollars. We where 12 people unloading furniture for a hotel that was renovating. The whole process only took 2.5 hours, but we still got the full amount of money + a free breakfast. It was a great job, but sadly it was only that one time.
About 10 minutes from our hostel was Brisbane Casino. I went there two times, the first time I lost 20 bucks, but the second time I won 43 dollars playing roulette. I am not a very big gambler, but it was good fun. We also went out a few times to a nightclub/bar called Down Under Bar. It was always packed with backpackers and I met some Norwegian and Danish girls there + heaps of Germans and English people.
One guy in our room told us about a place called Kangaroo Point which was supposed to be a good place to relax. But when we went there it was one ugly park and the rest houses. The only nice thing about Kangaroo Point was the view to the city. They had a place where you could get a good look and take some amazing pictures.
Since there was a river running through the city one of the public transport options was the ferry system. We took one day and bought a day ticket and cruised up and down the river. The boats looked more like speedboats than ferries, and where very fast. When standing in the front you could feel the wind ripping at your clothes.
After two weeks we decided to go back to Sydney to try and find work there in stead. We booked the cheapest flight back, which meant we had to spend the whole day doing nothing while waiting. We went to a very beautiful park and I spent a hour walking around taking pictures and relaxing. Then we took a taxi to the airport and slept there overnight until our flight left 5 AM in the morning.
My first impressions of Brisbane where mixed, the city looked gray and boring and the hostel looked only okay. However as all places it grows on you faster than you know. The hostel we stayed at, named Tinbilly Travelers, turned out to be very friendly and I soon found myself at home. In the first floor they had a pub and every night we got free shots. For some reason though the place was always packed in the afternoon, but when the evening came it was only half full. 
Brisbane does not have any beaches in close range, but they have a river that runs trough the city and next to the river is a fake beach that was called Streets Beach. It's basically a swimming pool with sand, palm trees and picking areas. We spent two days there trying to catch some more color and just relaxing. The water was very warm and it was a good place to chill. On the way to the Laguna (as it was also called) there was a Asian tribute building of some sorts. We took some pictures outside it.
One of the days we visited an old bell tower, they still had the old lift intact and usable. There wasn't that much to see though, a few big bells and a small place to walk around and look at the view of the city.
About 10 minutes from our hostel was Brisbane Casino. I went there two times, the first time I lost 20 bucks, but the second time I won 43 dollars playing roulette. I am not a very big gambler, but it was good fun. We also went out a few times to a nightclub/bar called Down Under Bar. It was always packed with backpackers and I met some Norwegian and Danish girls there + heaps of Germans and English people. 
One guy in our room told us about a place called Kangaroo Point which was supposed to be a good place to relax. But when we went there it was one ugly park and the rest houses. The only nice thing about Kangaroo Point was the view to the city. They had a place where you could get a good look and take some amazing pictures. 
After two weeks we decided to go back to Sydney to try and find work there in stead. We booked the cheapest flight back, which meant we had to spend the whole day doing nothing while waiting. We went to a very beautiful park and I spent a hour walking around taking pictures and relaxing. Then we took a taxi to the airport and slept there overnight until our flight left 5 AM in the morning.
Thanks for another update with great pictures! What did you do for 2 weeks when you only worked for one day? It sounds like you are enjoying Australia and backpacking. Hope you don't turn into an alcoholic as a result of all the free shots. Can't wait to hear what your next project is. Hope you update more often (though I know the internet isn't very dependable).
ReplyDeleteAudun! nå er du seriøst nødt til å oppdatere oftere eller vertfall gi livstegn fra deg.. begynne rå bli bekymra her!!
ReplyDeletejoackim ringte pga noen mysteryshopping, men han lurte også på om jeg hadde hørt fra deg siden du hadde prøvd å ringe han midt på natta her en dag.. du må si ifra om hvordan du har det snart, begynner å bli worried ..:)
Gla i deg <3 klem
Audun, Nils and I are really enjoying following your adventures and your pictures are great! Things are kind of dull here in comparison. I'm really jealous of the weather you have - the winters are harder to face each year here, but I keep hanging in there!
ReplyDeleteWe send our love, MaryAnn and Nils