Brisbane...

Brisbane was a nice change to Melbourne's cool winter weather. Monet and I were not only greeted at the airport by clear blue skies and a beaming sun, but also Lyndon. It was nice to be reunited after 12 days away from him. Just ask Monet.

Our hotel was located at South Bank, a great place to stay for any impending visitor. It was close to the city center (walkable, even with child), and had a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and bars. And open spaces. We did have to buy one of those horrible 'umbrella' strollers though (urgh - do you know how much I dislike those things?), but when your child isn't feeling too well (like mine, Monet had a nasty cough and runny nose and I did actually have to take her to a Brisbane Doctor) and you want to do some exploring of a city, which it looks like you'll be moving to within a year, they are okay. Yes, it looks as if we are going to be moving to Brisbane with Lyndon's work. Which is part of the reason why we went to Brisbane, to get a feel for the place. Oh, and Lyndon went to the Bob Dylan concert on the Monday evening, which was the other reason why we went there.

It had been about 13 years since I had last visited Brisbane. My big sis studied at the university here so I visited a couple of times from Melbourne. I remember it being a quiet, pretty city with great weather. It still is a pretty city with great weather but it isn't so quiet any more. The city was buzzing with activity and there were loads of new shops which were never there all those years ago. There is lots of construction happening (you notice these things when your partner is a foreman) and there is loads of potential for this once young city.

There is now a lot of popular shops which I recognise from my days in Melbourne City. And the Myer in Brisbane is actually really good. (I love a good Myer store!) I even lashed out and bought a fancy nancy tshirt (*shock, horror*).

We visited the lovely Belgian Beer Cafe (which we know and love due to the fact that we were frequent visitors to the one on St.Kilda Road in Melbourne when we resided there) which was a nice time for us to sit back and enjoy what they had on offer. Stella always tastes so much better at these cafes. Nioce.

We went on a big walk from where we were staying to the Storey Bridge and walked across it, all for the fact that Lyndon had been banging on about this particular pub based under the southern end of the bridge. (He had visited Brisbane a couple of months ago with some mates.) The Storey Bridge Hotel was worth the big walk and the beer tasted good and so did the 'pub grub'. We caught a river ferry back to South Bank which was cheap (like $4 or something for the 3 of us) and we got to see the city from a different point of view. (Brisbane City is partially surrounded by the Brisbane River).

Brisbane is now becoming more and more popular with people now moving up from both Melbourne and Sydney, because of the infrastructure and the climate. It is growing into a lovely city with loads to do and places to explore. It is in a good position, with the Sunshine Coast an hours drive north and the Gold Coast, an hours drive south. There are a few negative aspects to the city though - traffic seems to be a big problem (due to the increased population), real estate is going up through to the roof (due to increased population) and the public transport system needs great improvement (or maybe we just had a bad experience). The amount of water in the city's dams is so low so the water restrictions are strongly in force (about to hit Level 6 restrictions I think). But the whole city is creating a new vibe and I think I felt it. The plans I have read about what they plan for the city within the next 20 years sound promising. (Plans to do with public transport, walking/cycling tracks and pedestrian/cyclist bridges, 'greening' the city etc.,)

All up I liked Brisbane. I'm sure somewhere in one of those Brisbane suburbs, there is a place for us. As much as we love our place in Cairns Northern Beaches and just how lucky and fortunate we are to live here, we feel we belong in a city and Brisbane may just be it. And if all else fails, we have our place here. In the tropics. (Where it is 28 degrees today!)