Easy breezy Brisbane

Brisbane has a vibrant vibe to it, making it one of the most popular new-world cities on the bucket list of most travellers, writes Suresh Selvaraj

When I hailed a cabbie at Brisbane airport for my hotel drop, the amiable taxi driver grinned and said, “Welcome to Brissy, mate” with a typical Aussie’s lazy accent, where mate sounded like mite. Brissy? Have I landed elsewhere, I wondered! I glanced back at the arrival concourse to reconfirm that it is indeed Brisbane. Later, I realised that Aussies have a short but sweet name for many things. When you are in this gigantic island of paradise called Australia, there are a few Australian slang words that you should learn to get through day to day life. A lack of knowledge of it may get you into a few awkward situations. Aussies have a tendency to shorten most words with musical connotations. Like brekky for breakfast, avo for avocado, tinny for a can of beer, lappy for laptop, macca for McDonald’s and even a straya for Australia! Well, I mumbled their celebratory chant “Aussie.. Aussie..Aussie..Oi..Oi..Oi..”.

Brisbane riverfront

Brissy that’s never busy

The first thing that impressed me in Brisbane was its city ferry service that is offered absolutely free. Hop in. Hop out. You can cover the tiny city with no strain on your wallet. Can you believe I spent zilch on public transport in Brisbane except from the airport to my hotel? And covered almost every place that I wanted to go? Brisbane is a made to order city for a leisurely lifestyle. The South Bank is a cluster of action with Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Science Centre, and Queensland Museum. It also has an eye-popping entertainment zone. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the free to use “Street Beach” bang at the city centre — with typical beach sands, lapping waves and meandering pools. People surely have a rollicking time sunbathing, soaking into the crystal clear water, kids rolling all over, and a beach guard station to boot with. Yes, there are restaurants and beer taps all around. An area that is never to miss is King George Square with its shopping options and fine restaurants on the street but watch out for the long, thin, curvy beaked Ibis birds that hop around to beg for your French fries.

Brisbane River snakes around the city and the banks on each side buzz with action. A giant Brisbane Wheel overlooks the river. And there are innumerable bridges connecting both — including ‘walking only’ types. A walk on the historic Story Bridge gives a comprehensive view of the city — the riverfront, gleaming skyscrapers and bustling boats. They have an Adventure Climbing sports to walk on its top railing that costs around AUD-130. I opted for free-to-walk at surface level. Story Bridge looks like the younger sibling of our own Howrah Bridge in Kolkata but with saner traffic and cleaner environs.

As Virat Kohli and his boys were scheduled to play a T20 in the Gabba cricket ground later that month, I wanted to pay a prior visit there. Though visitors weren’t allowed, the friendly front office lady at the Queensland Cricket Club permitted us to have a peek at the grand stadium and its famous bar. I could visualise and feel the roar, ‘Indiaaaaahhh, India.’ in the ensuing match.

Brisbane wheel

Brisbane by night

The city transforms into vibrant colours by sunset. Brissy, what a cozy little thingy you are! It ticks all boxes on living standards. The aesthetically lit up public spaces are a treat to experience. Coming back to the night views, Brissy pleasingly glitters but doesn’t dazzle or look overwhelming. Weather is at a comfy 24°c, it’s like pre-ordered for strolls.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a typical Kerala food joint in Brisbane that serves fabulous dinner — Dum n Rum restaurant run by a Mallu team — Ravi Shankar, Tarun, Vaishna and Dayne in an obscure corner of the city called New Farm. These guys are from Kochi but live in Brisbane. They belted out lip-smacking meen polichathu (steamed fish with herbs, rolled in a banana leaf), beef roast, Kerala parotta topped up by a spiced up beer with a red chilly and nice smoky single malt called Lingvalin. Stomach full and tanked up, we went to bed early to catch a train to Gold Coast the next day.

Silken soft sands

Gold Coast is just an hour’s travel by a very comfortable, frequently run train from Brisbane Central station. The beach is broad, stretches long with silken smooth soft sands and big frothy waves. One might stumble on hordes of sunbathers who lounge on the sand bed dabbed with shiny body creams. And there are delirious kids chasing seagulls and surfers with their colourful surfing boards. The beach rescue team keeps a hawk eye, planting warning boards/flags on safe or danger zones. The main point of Gold Coast is the Surfer’s Paradise area that has big waves at the sea and frothy beer flowing on the land sidebars with an amazing range of 24 varieties of brews from the tap! There’s a Sky Point Observation Deck at level 77 that charges $25 for a visit. Souvenir shops, restaurants, amusement parks, golfing ... there are endless possibilities of fun and frolic.