Life In Brissie

You guys don’t know how good you’ve got it.
I arrived from the United Kingdom fourteen months ago. My partner, who is from Brisbane, wanted to come back home to see her family so I had to follow her. (OK, I admit, I didn’t take much persuading.)
Since then I have constantly been amazed by the place and astonished by how many Brisbanites take it for granted.
Here’s an example. I asked a friend at work what he did at the weekend. His reply was “Ah…nothing really, had a quiet one. Headed up the Sunny Coast and did a bit of surfing but there was this really annoying dolphin following my board all the time.”
I couldn’t believe this. I know people who would travel from the other end of the world just to experience what one person terms a “quiet weekend” People pay a fortune for the opportunity to see dolphins in captivity yet here you can not only see them for free but actually swim with them.
This is just the start of it.
You have one of the most amazing forms of public transport in the world. The CityCat ferry takes you the length of The Brisbane River for a mere $5.80 return AND you can jump on and off as much as you like during the day.
Whilst many Brisbanites simply see it as a way of getting from A to B, I am always impressed by the mini-adventure. Just yesterday I caught the ferry at Apollo Road and ventured down to Sydney Street for a spot of fishing (you can go fishing, in a river next to a park overlooking the city! Amazing!) On this 15 minute journey I saw a beautiful sunset over Mount Coot-tha whilst a kookaburra sang his song and the breeze from the boat cooled me down after a day of glorious sunshine. I ask you, is there a better way to travel? And there’s sharks in there you know!
It always astonishes me when people complain that Brisbane is boring. Are you kidding me? There’s always something going on!
Over the last two weekends I have celebrated Queensland’s 150th anniversary in The Botanical Gardens, watched a classic Disney movie on a blanket in a park, had my picture taken with NRL superstars, debated the future of the media at The Writers Festival and finished it all with the best firework display I have ever seen at Riverfire. And how much did I pay for all this? Not a cent.
So what delights will Brisbane throw up this weekend? Shall I feed the kangaroos at the koala sanctuary perhaps? Have a wander around the Lifestyle Market at South Bank, learn how to spin fire at Northey Street City Farm Circus Day or simply have a picnic under a jacaranda tree in New Farm Park.
I repeat you guys don’t know how good you’ve got it.