Brissy Baby!

From one air bnb to another, because, well why the hell not. If I’m gonna travel then let’s do it in style.

Brisbane brought the sunshine and with it, the heat. It didn’t drop below 30 which called for a pool day and valuable tanning time. It also meant that you couldn’t walk for more than 3 minutes without sweating from every pore in your body. Brisbane’s CBD (city centre) is set away from the beach but they do have something else… a manmade beach in the middle of the city! We wandered down here along the South Bank but it was absolutely heaving – probably because it was a Sunday! It was such a contrast to the near on deserted beaches I was used to. Apparently if you go during the week it gets busy around lunchtime with businessmen in their suits changing into their trunks for a quick dip before heading back to the office – I’d love to be able to do this on my lunch break!

From Brisbane, you can get a bus to Australia Zoo (the famous Steve Irwin one) about an hour away. If you are thinking of going then stop thinking and go! It was incredible. It was hands down the best zoo I’ve ever visited. Set in over 100 acres, its main message encourages wildlife conservation and protection; next door to the zoo is an animal hospital where you can go and see the hard work in action. I was able to see baby kanagaroos and koalas having their checks and it was actually pretty heartbreaking. In fact, the whole day was quite emotional. The famous crocodile show in the Crocoseum begins with a tribute to Steve Irwin, whilst there is an area dedicated to his life story, lined with photographs of him and his family. Many of you will remember his death and for me, growing up watching him, I felt myself constantly getting goosebumps throughout the day. The highlight for me though had to be cuddling a koala, I can now tick this off my bucket list! Best $30 dollars I’ve ever spent.

From the zoo to the rainforests. Lamington National Park, also known as the Green Mountains lies west of the Gold Coast. We trekked for 3 hours, reaching a waterfall which looked like it was straight out of a Herbal Essences advert- of course I got some pics! It wasn’t all beautiful waterfalls and gentle walks though- we actually had to sign a waiver before we left. The list of things that could result in death was as long as my arm (it’s true, in Australia, anything can kill you) but I happily signed my life away. Someone made a comment to me which I now understand – they said that I was scared but fearless. I will scream until I have no air left if I see a spider and could probably break Usain Bolts 100m record if a crocodile came at me (then two things terrify me). Yet, I will still jump off cliffs into waterfalls, hold a snake and swim in the creek where crocodiles live. In reality, these things won’t actually hurt me. The likelihood of me getting eaten by a shark or bitten by one of the deadly snakes is minimal. And it wasn’t until I was spread-eagle across some rocks, with the waterfall rushing below me that I realised it might not be the bugs that are the end of me… For Mia it was- she got latched on to by a leech – full on I’m A Celeb style!

After climbing back to the top of the rainforest we did a treetop walk and saw some spectacular views, before heading to another beautiful spot. We had lunch at a view point with panoramic views of the mountains. It was utterly breathtaking. The photos just couldn’t do it justice so this was a moment I put the camera away and just took screenshots in my mind, taking in the beauty of the country I am exploring.

By the time we got back the sun was setting but Pihla and I wanted to go and check out the Botanic Gardens before we left the following morning. So we grabbed some electric scooters and whizzed across the river. I love how many Botanic gardens there are in Australia; a little piece of green tranquility set against a backdrop of skyscrapers. The contrast is refreshing. It was getting dark but that meant we were also lucky enough to experience the beautiful lights. Fairy lights illuminated the trees which allowed for some great pictures. It also, however, meant we got bitten to death by millions of midgies and I then spent $20 on bite cream after having a reaction to them. (FYI don’t go into a chemist and ask for something to take away itching because they will direct you to the thrush section).

So $50 down but with a picture of me holding a koala and an overpriced tube of bite cream I feel as though Brisbane was a success. I can see why so many Brits choose to live there! I’ll be out of big cities for a while now as I complete my whistle-stop tour of Noosa, Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay before my three day excursion to Fraser Island (eeek!!). Stay tuned!

Annabel x