Solo Australia Part 16: Brisbane, Capital of Queensland

7-13: After getting terribly seasick watching whales the day before, I slept heavily until noon, had a hearty meal while cozily watching TV and eating ice cream. I checked the time and it was past 18:00. I grabbed my small backpack, slipped on my sandals, and strolled out. Hehe, there was a market right downstairs—I just remembered it was Friday. Every Friday, Gold Coast has markets at both Surfer Paradise and Broad Beach, with dozens of stalls offering Thai massage (in broad daylight, anyone getting massaged?), caricature drawing, tattoos (I really wanted to get one, but was worried about delaying picking up someone), African dreadlock braiding—so cool—and other handicrafts. I walked back and forth once, figured Monkey was almost at the station, so I waited at the bus stop. Monkey is a sophomore from Sydney, working during break, using the weekend to run errands in Brisbane and also visit the Gold Coast, splitting the rent with me for four days. The bus stop with the most people getting off is Surfers Paradise, so Monkey didn’t get off at the wrong stop, and I easily picked him up. In the evening, we discussed and decided to rent a car on Saturday to go to Brisbane. We booked a car online with AVIS, Australia’s largest rental company, then rested.\n7-14: AVIS has a pickup point in Surfers Paradise, less than a 10-minute walk from where we stayed. At 10 a.m., we smoothly picked up a beautiful blue Hyundai. Since Monkey is under 25, he had to pay an extra 20+ AUD—tough luck, sigh. But no need to worry about Monkey’s driving skills; one of his part-time jobs was delivering pizzas at night for an Italian restaurant, driving at night. The payment was made with Monkey’s card and his driver’s license used, so he drove even more carefully than usual.\nAfter about an hour or so following the GPS, we entered downtown Brisbane. Monkey had to run an errand, so I got off at Eagle Street. I hoped to see the Saturday market, but it was deserted. Crossing through the Riverside Centre shopping mall, I reached the Brisbane River.\nBrisbane is the capital of Queensland. The Brisbane River winds through the city center, forming several S-bends before flowing east to the sea. The riverbanks are scenic, which is why Brisbane is also called the River City. The city has five bridges crossing the river! The most famous is the Story Bridge.\nCompleted in 1940, the Story Bridge is only 500 meters long and named after its designer, John Bradfield (though his surname was actually Story? Wait—the text says the designer was named Story, so the Chinese name is “故事桥,” meaning “Story Bridge”). Actually, it doesn’t have any particular story; it became famous mainly because Story later designed the more renowned Sydney Harbour Bridge. These two are the world’s only manually built bridges. Anyone interested can climb it—much cheaper than climbing the Sydney Bridge. From the bridge, you can enjoy views of the Brisbane River and the city center.\nHeading south from the bridge, you reach Kangaroo Point. It’s a cliff area; climbing up offers a distant view of Brisbane’s CBD. Kangaroo Point has nothing to do with kangaroos, hence the saying: “No stories on Story Bridge, no kangaroos at Kangaroo Point.” It’s called Kangaroo Point because the Brisbane River bends here forming a pouch-shaped area. If you like testing your physical limits and reflexes, Kangaroo Point has good natural rock climbing spots. Kayaking is also popular on the Brisbane River.\nHere, the Maritime Museum houses various ships. Along the river is the Queensland Cultural Centre, including the new Queensland Art Gallery, Concert Hall, Combined Theatre, Queensland Museum, and State Library. I skipped all these and headed straight to my most anticipated destination—South Bank Parkland. Continuing along the river, you’ll reach Griffith University at the start of South Bank. South Bank covers 16 hectares and was the site of the 1988 World Expo. After the expo, the city council planned to build apartments, but public opposition turned it into a free water park, a leisure spot for locals and tourists, known as Australia’s best inner-city park.\nThere’s a statue of Confucius here. South Bank also has an artificial beach.\nA white Ferris wheel stands by the river.\nThat day, South Bank hosted a French culture and food festival, with about a dozen tents on each side—one side selling food, the other French handicrafts. I got hungry and wanted to buy some food, but every food stall had long lines—at least a dozen people, some dozens. It was rare to see such crowds in Australia, making it hard to get through.\nI’ve had enough of crowds in China; couldn’t stand it here either, so I quickly left. Crossing the Victoria Bridge, I circled back to Brisbane’s CBD. Next to King George Square, there’s a church where a wedding was happening. See the people in formal wear standing at the church door? Such a romantic Western wedding.\nOn one side of the square stands the City Hall, built in 1930. It’s a prism-shaped tower in typical Italian neoclassical style, made from the unique brownish-yellow sandstone of Queensland. It used to be the headquarters of the Brisbane City Council, now called the City Centre, open to the public. The entrance has many columns, very majestic. The clock tower atop rises high into the sky, exuding Southern European charm. At 106 meters, it remains the tallest clock tower in Australia, very spectacular. Due to its historical value, it’s also known as the “Million-Pound City Hall.”\nI looked at the time—14:00—and I still hadn’t eaten lunch. Just then, Monkey finished his errand and was stuck at a red light at an intersection. I quickly ran across the pedestrian street, found the car, and we drove away from Brisbane’s city center, which has way too many traffic lights. On the road, we spotted a Chinese restaurant. My eyes lit up, mouth watering. We quickly went in and feasted.\nAfter eating our fill, we drove to Mount Coot-tha. By the time we reached the top, dusk was falling. Walking in the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, I didn’t see a single soul—dark and silent. I walked around but didn’t find the big crater I’d seen on Google satellite maps. As it got darker, I gave up. At the top is Australia’s largest planetarium, the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. I went in for a quick look before closing. Oh! China’s first female astronaut had just gone to space, and this event was prominently displayed at the planetarium’s entrance. Hehe, enough honor for this Chinese elder sister.\nDriving 70 kilometers back to the Gold Coast, the night view was charming. I liked how local young people had turned a dull wall into something cool.\nWe passed the tallest Q1 building, the lit-up Gold Coast Ferris wheel, amusement parks, and commercial streets. This brightly lit sleepless city offers countless places to enjoy—truly a place for the wealthy.\nToday’s trip ended. Time to refuel! Australia’s car rental industry is well-developed. With just a driver’s license and credit card, you can rent a car with only a few tens of thousands of kilometers, almost new, and in good condition. Pickup and drop-off points are widespread. Here, you pick up the car with a full tank and must return it full. Rental cost 80 AUD plus fuel 26 AUD, total 106 AUD, split two ways at 53 AUD per person. Slightly more expensive than the estimated 30-40 AUD for public transport, but worth it—comfortable, convenient, time-saving, and hassle-free. With 4-5 people, it’s a steal.\nAfter returning the car in one piece, I finally relaxed. Another day passed eating, drinking, playing, and walking. Time to sleep again. Good night.\nComplete series: Solo Australia\n... (links preserved below)