SPT DAYS 12-15: BRISBANE

Miles flown so far: 11,989

We returned from the Royal Mail to Melbourne (our defacto home base during our time in Australia) for two days before leaving Victoria for Brisbane.  If Melbourne is the San Francisco and Victoria is the Northern California of Australia, then Brisbane is this county's Miami and Queensland is it's Florida.  I usually hate comparisons such as these, but in this case it is spot on.  The weather is balmy and humid, the plant life lush, and the entire city feels like it was built after 1988 (mainly because most of it was).  One Queensland perk that reminded me of the freewheeling laws in Florida: here, unlike in Victoria, you are allowed to pet and hold Koalas and Kangaroos.  I debated the ethical implications of this somewhat questionable policy, and decided I needed to hug a Koala.

Magical.

I love Kangaroos.

This Wombat was hysterical.

We took a river cruise back to downtown Brisbane, and saw some interesting architecture along the way.  While I can't say I loved the city of Brisbane, I would really like to come back to Queensland to explore the beaches, small towns, barrier reef and the remote Cape York Peninsula.

Some local fashion statements.

The flora, even in the city, was beautiful.

While most of the food we had was not great, one thing Brisbane can do well for sure is fish.  This fried snapper with Asian salad and soy dipping sauce was delicious.