Brisbane

So last time I told you about my daily life in Dutton Park and at the University of Queensland. So far on the weekends, I have been exploring Brisbane and all that it has to offer. Brisbane is the third largest city in Australia and is the capital city of Queensland, the northeastern state in Oz. Brisbane is a gorgeous city that has a lot of the good features (climate & diverse, laid back people) of California while being very clean and safe (there's not really any place I'm afraid to walk in Brisbane at night). Culturally, there's a lot of stuff to do in Brisbane. On the weekend, there are a lot of concerts and free dancing in plazas, and there are major arts festivals more than several times a year. There's a suburb called West End that is much like Berkeley with an alternative culture, farmers markets with organic food, good restaurants, and overpriced housing.

Intellectually, Queensland is putting a lot of money into research, and this license plate indicates that I chose the right place in Australia to study:

A real license plate

...Even the graffiti is smart.

Geeky graffiti

In terms of scenery, if you look up from that bench, here is what you see:

Brisbane skyline

A couple of weekends ago, I went to Mt. Cootha, which is one of the taller "mountains" or hills in the Brisbane area. From there, you can see Brisbane from above:

Brisbane skyline from Mt. Cootha

From my house, it's a 40 minute walk to downtown Brisbane, which doesn't bother me anymore, despite the fact that I have worn out my shoes. Brisbane is basically built around a river, and I have to cross a bridge from South Bank to get the the central business district. There are many bridges in Brisbane, all with spectactular views:

The Brisbane skyline from a bridge

You can also get around the city very fast on these fast catamaran ferries called "CityCats":

The CityCat ferry docking in downtown

As the sun goes down, the city lights up, both the bridges and the buildings. A lot of new buildings have been built in the past 15 years, leading to a modern skyline and a nickname of "BrisVegas."

Brisbane at dusk

The Brisbane River at night

Brisbane in the early morning after a World Cup game

Anyway, that's Brisbane for you. I haven't been to Sydney or Melbourne yet, but Brisbane is as nice a city as I've been in. I'll let you know if my opinion changes later on in my travels.