Along the well-known and heavily visited Gold Coast of central Eastern Australia, Surfer's Paradise originated as just that - a quiet retreat for surfers with some nice waves and long beaches a few decades ago, but after the influx of high-rise hotels, casinos, theme parks and tourist dollars, it has become a loud, flashy place with a bit of a mini Las Vegas feel. People are said to either love or hate this place, and based on the descriptions, I was pretty sure that I'd be among the latter, though I thought I'd at least drive through to see what the fuss was about. Upon first inspection, the place wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I found a parking spot near the beach, where I followed along the golden sand, watching the stream of high rise buildings grow longer and longer, replacing what probably once was a peaceful, secluded coastline. The hotels and condos seemed to stretch infinitely down the beach. Luckily for me, I had arrived on a Sunday morning, so the town was almost eerily quiet, perhaps in the calm before the storm (or after - from the night before). As the sun rose higher in the sky, I could feel the heat of the day beginning to set in. At the same time, the streets began a quiet buzz with more and more tourists filling them by the minute. I figured that I soon would begin to loathe the place, so I headed out of town, but not before seeing and longing for a Mexican restaurant. Of course it wouldn't be authentic, and you can only find Mexican in touristy parts of Australia, but I can't fight my primordial desires when I see a place like that. Being late morning, the restaurant was still closed, so I headed up the coast to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.
Brisbane, or Brizzie - the clever nickname that saves precious milliseconds of speech, is supposed to be a fairly nice city with an active nightlife and one of the most favourable climates of all the big cities in Oz. Crossing over a meandering river that circles the business district, I soon encountered a nice mix of regal, stately architecture, greenery and pedestrian malls. Being right on the coast, the town is flat and walkable, as are many of the other Australian cities that I've visited. I couldn't help myself and visited the obligatory tourist shops on the main pedestrian mall, marvelling at cheap t-shirts, stuffed animals, cheesy bucket hats, suggestive key chains and everything that you could hope for in one of those places. I also watched the peddlers along the street, putting on performances for the children and adults, working hard for the tourist dollar. One child (no, not me...well maybe a little) was particularly amazed by a performer painted in all white, making mechanical motions when someone would put a coin in his hand. He offered the children a piece of candy as a reward, but most of those morsels ended up being thrown away by the discerning parents the moment they were out of sight of the performer. Trying to decide upon my next adventure, I consulted a few of the brochures that I'd picked up along the way and chose to make my next stop Fraser Island. I called and made the booking for the next day, having to borrow a fax machine at the internet cafe to confirm everything. With the plans set, it was time to enjoy the city, so I made my way through the officious government type buildings full of columns and stone towards the waterfront and botanic gardens. Groves of palms, bamboo and other local flora grew throughout the park, adding a nice bit of humidity to the warm day.
I had soon made my way through the park, and I began my quest to cross the long bridges over the river for some good views and pictures of the city, but my laziness and hunger soon got the best of me, and I turned around near the halfway point. Back in the city, I found a park bench and read a bit about my next destination. Thinking it to only be an hour or two away, I was shocked and a bit nervous to find out that Hervey Bay, the entrance point to Fraser Island, was more than a few hours away, so I hurriedly headed back to my car, hoping to grab some food and get on the road before dark. I had passed through a mall food court just outside the parking deck, so I figured that a kebab for the road would be perfect. As was becoming my custom, I was just moments too late for the food that I craved. The delectable kebab toppings were all that remained of the dark shop, leaving my hopes shattered again. I turned to assess my other options, and those options were fading by the second. Every time I looked at another shop, the lights went out, and the food was being packed away. I went down the escalator to survey the lower floor for food, but it seemed to be facing the same epidemic, so I hurried back up to the one shop that seemed to make it past 5 - a fast food Malaysian takeout shop. I figured it wouldn't be bad, and I was lucky to find pictures on the menu overhead, so I ended up with a chicken and noodle combo, doused in soy sauce. Not the best meal ever, but it was certainly better than nothing.
Using my map of free campsites and rest areas (the traveller's Bible, along with Lonely Planet, in Oz), I found a potential stopping point about 2/3 of the way in between Brizzie and Hervey Bay. A few hours into the darkness, and I had arrived at another dark, quiet rest stop, not really knowing anything about the surroundings. I knew that I'd be leaving early in the morning, so almost any spot would do, and this was as good as any. So, I set my watch alarm, folded down the seats of the mini VW, rolled out the thin mattress, put up the curtains, and I was soon asleep, ready for a big day at Fraser Island.
(The beach and never-ending highrise buildings of Surfer's Paradise.)
(I think this is a Parliament building or something in Brisbane.)
(The view from the bridge over the river, back towards the Eastern side of Brizzie.)
Brisbane, or Brizzie - the clever nickname that saves precious milliseconds of speech, is supposed to be a fairly nice city with an active nightlife and one of the most favourable climates of all the big cities in Oz. Crossing over a meandering river that circles the business district, I soon encountered a nice mix of regal, stately architecture, greenery and pedestrian malls. Being right on the coast, the town is flat and walkable, as are many of the other Australian cities that I've visited. I couldn't help myself and visited the obligatory tourist shops on the main pedestrian mall, marvelling at cheap t-shirts, stuffed animals, cheesy bucket hats, suggestive key chains and everything that you could hope for in one of those places. I also watched the peddlers along the street, putting on performances for the children and adults, working hard for the tourist dollar. One child (no, not me...well maybe a little) was particularly amazed by a performer painted in all white, making mechanical motions when someone would put a coin in his hand. He offered the children a piece of candy as a reward, but most of those morsels ended up being thrown away by the discerning parents the moment they were out of sight of the performer. Trying to decide upon my next adventure, I consulted a few of the brochures that I'd picked up along the way and chose to make my next stop Fraser Island. I called and made the booking for the next day, having to borrow a fax machine at the internet cafe to confirm everything. With the plans set, it was time to enjoy the city, so I made my way through the officious government type buildings full of columns and stone towards the waterfront and botanic gardens. Groves of palms, bamboo and other local flora grew throughout the park, adding a nice bit of humidity to the warm day.
I had soon made my way through the park, and I began my quest to cross the long bridges over the river for some good views and pictures of the city, but my laziness and hunger soon got the best of me, and I turned around near the halfway point. Back in the city, I found a park bench and read a bit about my next destination. Thinking it to only be an hour or two away, I was shocked and a bit nervous to find out that Hervey Bay, the entrance point to Fraser Island, was more than a few hours away, so I hurriedly headed back to my car, hoping to grab some food and get on the road before dark. I had passed through a mall food court just outside the parking deck, so I figured that a kebab for the road would be perfect. As was becoming my custom, I was just moments too late for the food that I craved. The delectable kebab toppings were all that remained of the dark shop, leaving my hopes shattered again. I turned to assess my other options, and those options were fading by the second. Every time I looked at another shop, the lights went out, and the food was being packed away. I went down the escalator to survey the lower floor for food, but it seemed to be facing the same epidemic, so I hurried back up to the one shop that seemed to make it past 5 - a fast food Malaysian takeout shop. I figured it wouldn't be bad, and I was lucky to find pictures on the menu overhead, so I ended up with a chicken and noodle combo, doused in soy sauce. Not the best meal ever, but it was certainly better than nothing.
Using my map of free campsites and rest areas (the traveller's Bible, along with Lonely Planet, in Oz), I found a potential stopping point about 2/3 of the way in between Brizzie and Hervey Bay. A few hours into the darkness, and I had arrived at another dark, quiet rest stop, not really knowing anything about the surroundings. I knew that I'd be leaving early in the morning, so almost any spot would do, and this was as good as any. So, I set my watch alarm, folded down the seats of the mini VW, rolled out the thin mattress, put up the curtains, and I was soon asleep, ready for a big day at Fraser Island.
(The beach and never-ending highrise buildings of Surfer's Paradise.)
(I think this is a Parliament building or something in Brisbane.)
(The view from the bridge over the river, back towards the Eastern side of Brizzie.)
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