Brisbane - Australia
Lanee and I arrived in Brisbane, Australia on February 22, 2019 and found out that Cyclone Oma had delayed the ship three days. We spent three extra days in Brisbane and enjoyed a city tour, a trip to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, a train trip to Surfers Paradise in Gold Coast, Australia, and enjoyed the travel around Brisbane using the river transportation. We boarded the Sea Princess on February 27 (the three day delay eliminated the chance to see the south island of New Zealand. We really enjoyed our extra time in Brisbane.
Brisbane has a population of 2.5 million people with an additional one million people in the surrounding area. The city is centered along the Brisbane River, which flooded in January 2011. The Brisbane River did not reach the same height as the previous 1974 flood (caused by Cyclone Wanda), but still caused extensive damage and disruption to the city. In total there are ten road bridges, mostly concentrated in the inner city area.
Brisbane summer weather is a lot like Water Valley, Texas. Summer daytime temperatures are commonly above 100 degrees F, with a record high temperature of 110 degrees. Their winters are milder with average nighttime temperatures of around 43 degrees F. Average rainfall for the year is around 40 inches.
Brisbane has the largest New Zealand and Taiwanese-born populations of any city in Australia.
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary opened in 1927 and was the world's first koala sanctuary. Lanee and I enjoyed visiting the Sanctuary and getting to hold a Koala (only one of three places in Australia where you can legally hold a Koala). We also fed kangaroos and saw several animals that were new to us.
Brisbane, Australia City Botanic Gardens
Brisbane City Tour
Surfers Paradise -- Gold Coast, Australia
We went by train from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. The swells had been very high only three days earlier but were much smaller when we arrived. There were some unusual sand castles on display.
Eat Street -- Northshore
This is the place to eat on the weekend in Brisbane and at a fair price. There are 20 to 30 different restaurants made out of sea crates with many different types of food being served.
