Aussie East Coast: Brisbane

The Adventure of a Lifetime!

Dates of Travel:

4 - 8 April: Melbourne
8 - 11 April: Sydney
11 - 17 April: Brisbane
17 - 22 April: Cairns
22 - 30 April: Gold Coast

Doing the Aussie East Coast!

----------------------------------------------

Brisbane

Transport/Go Card

First thing you should do when you arrive in Brisbane is to get a go Card! There is a refundable $10 deposit for every returned card and with the card you'd pay cheaper rates as compared to paying a single paper ticket fare.

One thing you need to take note of is that you're only able to refund it in Brisbane and should you travel to Gold Coast, you're unable to do the refund there.

You can also head to https://translink.com.au/ to find out more information about the go Card or even calculate the fares and distances before you actually travel.

South Bank

South Bank is Brisbane’s premier lifestyle and cultural destination. Located on the southern banks of the Brisbane River, its 17 hectares of lush parklands, world-class eateries, stunning river views and hundreds of delightful events all year round make it the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Address: 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, Queensland 4069
Website: www.koala.net/
Tickets: Adult - $36, Student - $24, Child - $22

Recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is the world's first and largest koala sanctuary, with over 85 years of experience and 130 koalas. In 2015 Lone Pine was inducted into the Trip Advisor Hall of Fame for five consecutive years of excellence.

Interact with 100 species of Australian animals, with hands-on experiences and presentations. Hand-feed kangaroos and wild lorikeets, or get cuddly with a beautiful koala. Lone Pine is also home to two platypus.

Roo food goes at $2 per packet to feed free roaming Kangaroos!

There are a lot of shows around the zoo and in the main auditorium, so you don't really have to walk around the zoo much and you get to see all sorts of animals! I paid A$20 for a cuddling session with a very cute Koala. That includes a photo and 3 postcards! There's also dog herding and sheep shearing too!

Brisbane Free Walking Tour

Website: http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au
Email: visit@brisbanemarketing.com.au
Tel: 07 3006 6290
Days: Monday to Friday
Time: 12 noon

Explore the city with a free guided walk that takes you to some of the outstanding sites such as Brisbane Arcade, City Hall, Treasury Casino, Queens Gardens, Old State Library, the Botanic Gardens, Old Government House, Brisbane Club and the only statue of Queen Victoria.

Tours start from the Brisbane Visitor Information and Booking Centre which is located in the heart of the city. Drop by the visitor centre or call to make a booking as places are limited.

My guide was this sweet elderly lady named Judith. For sure, this walking tour is not as exciting as compared to Sydney's Free Walking Tour as Judith is rather elderly so she does not have the same spunk and enthusiasm. It was still interesting and very knowledgeable nonetheless!

The tour brings you to all the historic and iconic buildings in Brisbane!

The tour finally ends off at the Botanical Gardens! It's actually located next to QUT (University) so I felt like it was a nice touch for the students and they can go into the gardens to relax between their classes. The Botanical Gardens is quite small actually, but there's this massive fig tree that is absolutely humongous!

Mount Coot-tha

Address: Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, Mt Coot-tha Lookout, Mount Coot-tha, Queensland 4066
Website: http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au

Brisbane Lookout Mount Coot-tha provides a remarkable vantage point to view Brisbane and beyond. Set amongst beautifully manicured gardens and nestled in the natural bushland of Brisbane Forest Park, is the Summit Restaurant and Bar, Function Centre, Kuta Cafe, Gift Shop and Observation Deck. Interpretive facilities pointing out well-known Brisbane landmarks are located on the observation deck. On a clear day, you can take in striking views of Brisbane City and right out to Moreton Bay.

----------------------------------------

Aussie East Coast Series:

Melbourne

Sydney

Brisbane

Cairns

Gold Coast