Arrival in Brisbane

So, I have arrived in Australia after an incredibly long journey that began in snowy Leeds at 7.30am on Monday and ended in our arrival in Brisbane shortly before midnight the following day. We seemed to lose a full day along the way and by the time we arrived in the darkness of a summer Queensland evening I wasn't sure if I was tired or awake. So I felt fairly unaffected by the new surroundings and sat and watched through the minivan of a fella called Brad who wore an outfit like Steve Irwin who was taking us to where Chris's car had been left for the two weeks he was in the UK. The roads into Brisbane where quiet and when we got to the hostel Chris took me a little further up the road to see the lovely view of lit-up Brisbane beyond the Story Bridge from the top of a hill. Not knowing how to feel about finding myself here I went to sleep.

The long sleep seemed to do the trick and in the morning I was ready to face the day. Chris and I stepped out of the shaded hostel grounds to walk to the local supermarket for some breakfast and suddenly I was hit at once by the bright light, the sunshine, the palm trees and the neat, clean grid roads. I was in Australia! My excitement over the most basic things continued for the rest of the day and a big grin never left my face. Looking around an Australian supermarket! Going for a walk! Crossing the bridge over the river! It was wonderful. Brisbane immediately seemed like a lovely city- the suburbs were clean, tidy, attractive and quiet- almost nobody was around besides joggers and cyclists (who we saw everywhere we went for the rest of the day). From Kangaroo Point we took the free ferry down the river to the south bank, where there is a lovely artificial beach, and later we crossed the river again to stroll through the serene botanical gardens to the city centre, or CBD as they are known in Australia. Here it was busy but still delightful, with wide pavements, greenery and all sorts of attractive design features, right down to the free public toilets. Chris and I had some first-day errands to run and successfully set up an Australian bank account and SIM card for me and got Chris some prescription sunglasses to replace the ones he lost in the sea a month ago. From our first encounters with Australian staff I had noticed how friendly they seemed- even the border patrol officials at the airport were chatty and after being granted into the country we were welcomed by a man working in the duty free shop with a cheerful 'Welcome to Brissy!' before an invitation to purchase cheap booze. At first I thought I was rose-tinting every experience but after an afternoon in the CBD it was evident that shop staff really are much friendlier than I'm used to in the UK. Anyone we approached would ask 'how are you?' before asking what they could help us with. It made a day of chores into a pleasant and social experience. Feeling proud of our successes we had a late lunch at a good and cheap Vietnamese restaurant, an added bonus as it is so hard to find Vietnamese food in the UK outside of London, whereas it is everywhere in Australia.

My jubilant mood at the loveliness of Brisbane was only mildly dampened by the increasingly evident redness of my forearms and legs from a morning spend lounging on the beach and in the park. Although my skin is now radiating heat like a cooling oven, I know that this is just the obligatory first-day sunburn I acquire at the start of any trip as a helpful reminder of the importance of sun protection. Tomorrow it'll be the factor 50. Added to this the cuts on my feet of wearing flip-flops- or thongs as I'm having to get used to calling them- and I certainly play the part of the pommy just arrived in Oz. In the evening we returned to the hostel to chill out, have tea and chat with the other travellers and residents. It's strange to be in the backpacker environment but to know that I will soon be going to university. This isn't a disappointment though because I'm really looking forward to getting to Monash. But I'm also very excited about all the nice things ahead for Chris and I for the next two weeks in Queensland, starting with tomorrow, when we will be visiting a koala sanctuary in the daytime and in the evening doing a climb of the Brisbane Story Bridge, which was my present to Chris for his birthday. After seeing the thing today I am a little bit nervous- it was very high just walking along the bridge itself let alone from the top of it. But I'm looking forward to those views over the city, and to coming down and having a nice cold beer.