Insane in the Brisbane

06Jan10

Ask any ‘Scenery in the Vicinity of Airports’ expert and they’ll tell you that Aerodrome surrounds are never spectacular. However, as the taxi whisked us away from Brisbane Air Gate 6 and took us towards our new pad, I was worried that concrete highways and office blocks were flying by rather than shimmering trees and quirky, independent book shops.

This gave me a rather (unfairly) negative first impression of Brizzle which was compounded when we started to wander around on foot. It is a city built for cars unlike Melbourne which seems specifically designed for leg nomads.

So is Brisbane rubbish then? I’ll try not be offended by that aggressive line of questioning and simply say that no, it’s not rubbish. It’s actually rather special but you do need to root around a little to find the glittering hoopla nuggets.

Through Gumtree, we had arranged to rent a room in a student house, sharing with three girls. We hadn’t seen any photos of the place in advance so felt some minor trepidation. As it turned out, there was no need for worry as the pad was pretty much ideal. We hadn’t seen any photos of the students in advance either as strangers often get a bit funny when you request close up photos of their faces. Get OVER yourselves people! It’s 2010 yeah?

I was conscious that our new youthful housepals may view me as a ‘wrinkly old grumpbag’ determined to spoil their student fun. In an effort to prove my young person credentials I took to calling everyone dudette and wearing my trousers just below my knees. We have since had a house meeting and I have promised to stop doing both of these things for the remainder of our stay.

A few nights after moving in, I wandered into the kitchen to get myself a Lemon Cream Powershake Sundae as a snack and aid to lower body bulk. As I glugged my tipple and flexed my glistening quadrupeds, I suddenly felt as though I was being watched. My eyes swept across the room, then back again, then back again, then back.. (I did it six times) before freezing, locked eyeball to eyeball with an intruder. A massive possum was sitting in the kitchen sink. I say massive but it was probably only average sized for a possum. However, in my limited experience any mammal that you unexpectedly find sitting in your sink in the middle of the night automatically qualifies as massive. I let out a high-pitched yelp as a signal to the female housemates that everything was under control and I was there to protect them.

Hellooooo possum! Admittedly I didn't spend a great deal of time on this caption

The furry gate-grasher kept his eyes pinned to my fizog as he crept slowly back towards the open window and the magical animal kingdom beyond. A wave of mutual understanding passed between us like an invisible hug. Suffice to say I killed and ate him which is what he would have wanted.

Having spent some time getting to know the Brisbane megalopolis, my favourite area has to be the South Bank. The Brisbane South Bank is actually very similar to the London South Bank. If you have never been to the London South Bank, it’s rather reminiscent of the South Bank in Brisbane.

Both have giant Ferris Wheels, neither of which particularly appeal to this blogging Gadabout. I went for a spin on the London Eye a few years ago and was distinctly underwhelmed. It was a bit like looking out of the window of a really tall building.

Each have excellent art galleries. The Queensland Art Gallery just edges it for me in the pointless comparison competition I seem to have started. This is chiefly because they are currently showing a free season of first-class world cinema on big screens. Joyous.

Their main area of differentialisimity is that Brisbane South Bank has a man-made beach. This may sound like it has the potential to be slightly tacky but it does work wonderfully well.

Life in the city is a beach! Copyright Brisbane Tourist Board

Although it’s an ideal spot to cool off and make erotic sand shapes in the daytime – it really comes alive at night. With the glowing cityscape in the background and the bogus beach lit up like an infant child’s face on Christmas morning, this attraction alone makes Brisbane worth a visit.

No Responses Yet to “Insane in the Brisbane”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

Leave a Comment