Brisbane: simple and attractive
Written: Mar 25 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: sunny, easy-going, beautiful
Cons: humid, small-town atmosphere might not appeal to some
The Bottom Line: A city which is simple and naturally beautiful with an easygoing atmosphere
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| holly_hop's Full Review: Brisbane |
Ye ol' Brisbane! Having lived here my whole life in various suburbs I know it fairly damn well. Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, a beautifully sunny and humid state. Brisbane is also smack in the middle of two of the country's biggest natural tourist attractions, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. So what's Brisbane like? Let's get the nasty stuff out of the way first.
THE CONS
1. THE HUMIDITY. This deserves upper case like no other words deserve upper case, because boy is it HUMID here. At least in the summer. In summer months many people here are led to genuinely wonder how society can still exist in a place as hot as it is. Every so often heat waves occur in the summer where a lot of sick and elderly people die, to the tune of the Sunday paper splashing photos of children playing under hoses as some caption screams out how hot it is. Upon one of my visits to Melbourne I stepped off the airplane into 42 degree Celcius heat and people were moaning about how unbearably hot it was. Though I tell you, it didn't even come CLOSE in discomfort to a 28deg C day in Brisbane because they didn't have our humidity. It was like a walk in the park for me! If you travel to Brisbane in the Summer, you really have to prepare yourself for the heat.
2. Small town atmosphere. If you like big, bustling cities with an exciting and varied night life, this isn't the place for you. Sure, there's things to do, and places to go, but the range is somewhat restricted in view of most other cities. Melbourne and Sydney are much larger cities than Brisbane with a plethora of restaurants, cafes, clubs and pubs which are more reminiscent of America than any other Australian city. There ARE places to go out at night which flourish, though the range is quite restricted, relatively speaking.
THE PROS
1. Natural beauty. Brisane is a very naturally beautiful place. The fact that Australia is quite a young country country coupled with Brisbane's small-city atmosphere means that the city is quite fresh and free of wide-scale degradation. There's everything from bush to beach on offer, so you're never stuck for a place to enjoy nature at it's best. Brisbane's between the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, both of which boast beautiful beaches which are quite untouched by the pollution which seems to affect beaches down south. (In my opinion the Sunshine Coast is far superior to the Gold Coast, mostly because of the lessened importance it places on tourism. The Gold Coast has become a large tourism attraction and bustles with so many shops and commercial attractions it's more pleasant to enjoy the untouched tranquility of the Sunshine Coast - though fingers crossed! Time may not be kind). There's many rainforests and such to enjoy in Brisbane, with organized bushwalking troops making the most of it.
2. Public transport. It's amazing - you can pretty much go anywhere. The trains are long reaching and incredibly inexpensive, and the buses travel to almost any place imaginable. Furthermore public transport is always being upgraded and therefore rarely falls short of public need.
3. The people! It's true, the people here really are easygoing. It's not just an Australian thing - I've come to the conclusion that Queenslanders are generally more laid back than their Southern counterparts. A friend just newly returned from England visited a chemist here and remarked on how shocked she was to see a customer happily chatting away with the counter-attendant with no unease on either side. She said that in England anyone who attempted to socially converse with counter staff would probably be called by security; that she'd forgotten how easy-going and gregarious Queenslanders are. Perhaps this factor is part of what makes Australia so laid-back and (relative to other countries) crime-free, and why it's earned its reputation of being "the safe country".
4. The cultural scene. Artistically, Brisbane is booming in a way it never was before, what with a lot more money being injected into the government in the cultural sector. It seems like lately there's always a cultural fair or festival going on, and Southbank (a set of shops and pavillions set up by the river) often hosts festivals which light up the city. There's pretty much always something to do if you want to enjoy the cultural aspect of Brisbane.
5. The weather. I know I whinged about the humidity, but outside of Summer Brisbane can be quite beautiful. The winters never get very cold and Autumn and Spring are nicely cool and fairly consistantly sunny. After all, Queensland is "The Sunshine State", and if there's a little too much humidity at least there's not much rain.
So that's the summary. It's hard not to enjoy Brisbane, in the way that most people enjoy pure, simple things. It's a dear place which seems to capture many hearts, being not just a good place to visit but an ideal place to live.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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Epinions.com ID:
holly_hop
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Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 11 members
About Me:
"I think our only hope is the Potato King!"
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