Australia (Brisbane) - Koalas and the beautiful city

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Brisbane is a fantastic city to visit as there's lots going on but it's still very beautiful and locals are friendly. Not to mention there are lots of places to visit nearby such as the Sunshine coast, Gold coast and little islands like Morton or Stradbrook. Such as the standard Queensland culture, everyone is up early with a coffee, off for a walk whilst the weather is at its most plesent. 

A must visit for me is the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary in the outskirts of the city. You can catch the 430 bus there from the city which takes about 40 mins or pay to take a cruise down the river to the sanctuary. Lone Pine specialises in only Australian animals. Just as in the UK we might get a bag of food to hand feed goats or llamas, at Lone pine they have Kangaroo feeding. You really are able to get up and personal with the kangaroos, and many have babies in their pouches. When I was there I saw a Tasmanian devil! It was honestly the strangest thing, almost like a little pig dog with red ears and fangs. Also get there early as you have the chance to pay to get your photo taken holding a koala. The photos are absolutely excellent so I'd really recommend it, but spaces are limited and you cant pre-book.

Brisbane city council makes it very easy for tourists with lots of free activities and information. For those of you who love a good free walking tour, Brisbane city council funds their own, with volunteers who will show you the city. These are genuinely free and tips are not required. Type Brisbane Greeters into Google to book yours. Also in the city (CBC) there is a very good tourist information center on Queens street with helpful locals who will answer any questions and show you available tours. The both botanic gardens, along with many of the museums and art galleries. A free tour is also available to book for the botanic gardens from the city councils website.

Unfortunately Brisbane is not next to any beaches, however it does have its own free man made beach at Southbank. It's fairly large surrounded by restaurants, cafes and bars for you to enjoy. Also there are lockers you can pay to use if you want to leave your stuff somewhere safe. There are Citycat boats servicing locations around the river which a few of the hopper ones are free and some you need to buy a Gocard at a newsagent to ride. Even if you don't need to take one, I'd recommend it just for the experience. They are high speed catamarans, some of the newer ones with a top deck!

There are lots of day trips from Brisbane that you can find on sites such a viator and get my guide. One that I really enjoyed was a day trip to Tamborine mountain, seeing glow worm caves and the Gold Coast Hinterlands on the way. You get an idea of how but Australia is when you start to see the Hinterlands and natural areas. Australia is truly wild in areas and the local point of view is to respect the animals as we are living in their homes. 

Happy exploring x

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